I'm always anxious to hear peoples thoughts on this question...I can't disagree with anyone, because, well, I'm not a snake so I don't know. LOL.

I think they can definitely remember scents though. I mean think about some of the bites/hits you hear about... I was handling mice and then reached into my bp's cage and it struck me. That BP didn't see a mouse, but it sure associated that scent with something to eat. This leads me unto two other thoughts....

1. I was told at my first expo by a breeder that he believed it was good practice to always use hand sanitizer before handling your snake. The reason being is two-fold. Obviously, you don't pass germs to the snake, and that over time, the snake will associate that scent with "no harm". He said he hadn't been bit since he started doing this. maybe he was blowing smoke up my butt, I don't know, but I do it, and so far, so good.

2. If in fact you put your hand into a BP cage and it's smelling like a mouse, and you get bit, this tells me the BP's brain has limited functionality. We as humans would think, hey, that football smells like a meatball, but I can clearly see it is not food. So We wouldn't bite it. The snake seems to only react on scent, and then it's right into "eating mode" like Slim mentioned earlier in the thread. Limited thinking has taken place here... Now... let's think back to what believe to be true of the cave-man and Neanderthals... or at least what we're told or taught about them... very animalistic and not great thinkers.... right? Just like a snake.... maybe.

I'm not saying snakes are going to be designing Jetson's briefcase-cars in a thousand years, but maybe they CAN learn some things.