A leash for my snake (hear me out)

[Fraido]

There's nothing wrong with your snake being your ESA, there's nothing wrong with it at all. You simply have to be prepared for the fact that not everyone else feels the same way about your snake as you do, in fact you're probably more likely to come across people who are fearful or phobic.

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[m1lkhoney]

Thank you so much. And I am now in tears of laughter over the therapy turkey. Amazing.

[PokeyTheNinja]

While I think it's awesome that you enjoy your snake and can find emotional support in it, I just do not think taking it everywhere with you will be good for the snake. While you may love your ball python, your ball python tolerates you. And I don't mean to sound disheartening. This may just stress the snake out and may not meet it's needs. Constant warmth (knowing how Portland is..), hiding place, humidity, and dealing with societies perception of snakes. These aren't hardy animals (nor are they domesticated) to pack around for your benefit. I would look into other ways to deal with your differences or find another animal that can be trained and doesn't have specific, down to the dot needs. Best of wishes and good luck.

[m1lkhoney]

It makes me sad that he just tolerates me. But then again, so does my parents' cat. Barely. Jerk.

I know he'll never love me (lol) but I wish he would like me a little. Although I guess it's not like I can ask his opinion either way and, unlike the cat, he does not actively try to kill me. Thoughtful of him.

And thank you!

[MercedesBenz]

It makes me sad that he just tolerates me. But then again, so does my parents' cat. Barely. Jerk.

I know he'll never love me (lol) but I wish he would like me a little. Although I guess it's not like I can ask his opinion either way and, unlike the cat, he does not actively try to kill me. Thoughtful of him.

And thank you!

"Experts aren’t exactly sure if reptiles have the ability to bond with humans or not. Dr. Denish believes reptiles show emotion—but in a limited form. 'Most of their life is about basic necessities like drinking, eating, breeding, and surviving,' he says.
Snakes have been known to show excitement and curiosity, too. 'At the zoo,' says Dr. Denish, “we see snakes that are interested in new forms of enrichment like bedding, housing, or a new scent.'
Actual love for a human, though? That, says Dr. Denish, is difficult to prove.

But as long as you feel a connection with your pet, that’s all that matters. The more time you spend nurturing your pet, the better it’ll be for both of you. You’ll be more comfortable around one another, leading to a greater chance that a “bond” will form—whatever that bond may be."

Source: Can Your Reptile Bond with You?

[Caspian]

One of the benefits of a dog as an aid animal is that they tend to be very emotionally oriented and emotionally sensitive. Snakes, while beautiful, really aren't - at least, not that I've seen evidence of.

That said, they can become used to a specific person, I think. I had one of my snakes at a local college to show the bio class, at the professor's request. After watching several individuals handle it, the professor remarked that he did not think it was possible for a snake previously - but after watching the snake's body language and orientation, he could not question that it not only knew where I was at all times, but would consistently travel in my direction, even though I was moving around the room talking to people. I was never more than five feet from the snake. I can't really say that it wasn't just a fluke, but it is normal for an animal in an unfamiliar environment to seek out what it regards as familiar.


In regards to the remark about anyone taking their pet out in public just seeking attention - fortunately, not everyone shares that opinion, or no one would ever have the opportunity of learning how wrong their misconceptions are by having the chance to meet a pet snake in person.

[voodoolamb]

Thank you; I'm sorry if I overreacted. The emotional support part was suggested by a therapist; I have a pretty annoyingly severe mental illness and I have a hard time telling the difference between neutrality and negativity sometimes. I apologize if I took your comments the wrong way.

I suppose I just trusted my therapist and figured if she said I would benefit from an ESA, and my emotional support is my snake... well, you can see where it went from there. But I see now that it might not be the best idea. I just have a hard time going outside alone sometimes. Maybe a few times I can take him to a park if it's warm and there aren't many people around. It would be nice if I could go to a park and not be scared.

Thank you for clarifying.

Your snake absolutely can be your emotional support animal.

But there is a big difference between ESAs and Service animals.

Service dogs are dogs that have been specifically trained for specific tasks to help with a disability. I have severe diabilitating migraines. My dog can sense when they are about to hit well before my first warning symptoms. He gets my attention and alerts me to it. He can turn off lights and fetch both medication and bottled water from the fridge for me. He's still in training but those are all specifically trained tasks, tasks that he does for me when I physically cannot. At this time only dogs and mini horses can legally be considered service animals. Service animals must be granted access anywhere the public can be, except for very special circumstances. They are to be viewed much the way you would view a cane, crutches or a wheelchair. There are no laws requiring service dogs to be identified in any way. Business owners are only allowed to ask two questions to determine if an animal is a service animal "is that a service dog?" And "what task has it been trained to complete" even though my dog will legally meet the requirements as a service dog I really won't be doing much if any public access work as his specific tasks are more suited for home.

ESAs on the other hand are pets that provide a therapeutic benefit for a disabled person. Relieving stress, enabling more social interaction, providing motivation, etc. Any animal can be an ESA as long as it meets the above. There are laws that protect a person's right to have ESAs in regards to housing but they are not granted public access. ESAs generally need

I would get 3 copies of a letter from your therapist on their letterhead explaining their recommendation that you have an Emotional Support Snake. One for travel. One for housing. And one for your new Dr. If you have to change for some reason.

That said, depending on the specifics of you invisible disability, there are many tasks a bona-fide service animal can be trained to perform if you need more assistance in out of home excursions. The dog will perform tasks and be an ESA at the same time.

[Willowy]

I saw a guy at the park with 2 redtail boas and 2 carpet pythons . People are generally allowed to bring their pets into certain public spaces, this applies to snakes too. They don't need to have any special status for that. But you have to understand that a lot of people don't like snakes so you might have to put up with negative comments or people freaking out. Plus, they tend to attract a lot of attention (the guy I saw was wearing a local herp club t-shirt and was using it as an opportunity to educate), so if you have social anxiety it might be counterproductive to draw all that attention to yourself. But if pets are allowed in your park, go for it!

An ESA just means that your doctor thinks it's good for your mental health to have a pet to care for. So that's why they're allowed in no-pets housing.

[m1lkhoney]

Thank you all so much for the enlightenment! I have lots to think about now. Perhaps, and maybe this is a bonkers idea, but just perhaps I could try bringing my snake (his name is Henry) to my therapy sessions instead. I have a difficult time with it, Henry is comforting, her office is warm, the sessions aren't too long, the commute is short and she's not afraid of snakes. He could just sit on my lap. That might work! Then I get the benefit of an ESA without freaking people out. I will ask her about it.

Thanks again!

P.S. This is my beautiful baby. Apologies for the faceless photo; I caught him mid lap-slither. <3

[Slim]

In the state of Florida, reptiles are by name forbidden to be ESA's.

And since ball pythons aren't exactly the most outgoing of creatures, who will be supplying emotional support to it while it's being trotted around town?