Socialization Vs. Learned Helplessness?

[DVirginiana]

With snakes I don't think there's a way to use positive reinforcement like giving a dog a treat, but I do think that you can make handling meet one of their basic needs. Snakes do have the capability to associate two events; their responses might not always be logical (such as balling up when being attacked by a rat rather than killing it) but Hebbian Principle- the ability to form associations between two unconnected stimuli- can be observed in any animal, down to flatworms (in fact it was first successfully demonstrated in flatworms). I have one snake who went blind, and I managed to teach him how to eat in a different way using basic associations as he was losing his sight. Given, it's an extremely simple system; touch to the neck in a certain spot is food. But still, for an animal with such a limited brain capacity it's kind of impressive.

All animals will, at some point, display seeking behavior. In the wild this is when a snake would come out to actively search for a mate, food, or better living conditions. I think that, once the snake catches on that you're not a threat, they can begin to associate being handled with fulfilling that 'seeking' need. This is MUCH more pronounced in my garters, which have extremely fast metabolisms for snakes and therefore have a much higher seeking drive, than in my BP. In fact, it's almost nonexistant in my BP. She basically just finds a warm spot, hides her head in my hoodie, and chills when I take her out.

All that being said, I wouldn't say snakes ever really 'like' being handled. I think that most just tolerate it, and a few like some of my garters may even find it interesting since it allows them to explore, but IMO it's never going to be a 'positive' experience in the same way it is for dogs or rodents.