Is keeping snakes humane?

[8_Ball]

Ball pythons are not really domesticated. They're identical in make to wild pythons, and the only differences between a wild and CB ball python are learned responses(CB have learned being picked up isn't going to end in them being eaten) and health(generally wild will have more infestations and less nutrition than a CB). Keeping several generations of BP doesn't make them domesticated, especially when they haven't been bred with any inclination towards more "domestic" behaviors or shape.

I disagree with this statement. Have you seen wild caught or captive hatched ball pythons or other snakes and how defensive they are compared to captive bred specimens? We are breeding lines of ball pythons so distant from the first generation lineage that they are becoming more and more hardy and relaxed. How are you going to compare a "domestic" hamster who will most likely bite out of fear or try to run away to a ball python that will adapt to tolerate handling by humans and just relax? I don't know about you but my snakes seemed way more "domesticated" then some of the hamsters, Guinea pigs, etc that I've dealt with as a child. Reptiles are becoming somewhat domesticated if PETA or HSUS like it or not. We haven't had hundreds of years of selected breeding with reptiles but we are getting there. And I'm talking about the most popular bred reptiles like ball pythons. Domestication is basically defined as taming down and breeding that results in physically altered changes. Do we not breed for physical appearances with ball pythons not found in wild stock? You know a type of moth, a beta fish, and a goldfish are all considered domesticated and still have wild instincts like their ancestors.