Are snakes aware they're at the same home when moved to new enclosures?

[Bogertophis]

Years ago I read a study about snakes finding their way thru mazes designed specially for snakes (!) with tactile & scent cues (not just visual ones) as they'd use in the wild, & they concluded that snakes learn their way around at least as well if not better than rats (the "usual" subject in mazes).

We need to stop under-estimating the intelligence & ability of our animal friends- because that allows people to de-value them, & then treat them badly because "they don't matter". I'm also sure that some snakes ARE more visually oriented than others: those using more vision would be the diurnal active hunters like coachwhips/racers, gopher/bull/pine snakes, rattlesnakes, cobras, rat snakes, garter snakes, etc.

As silly as it may sound, with many of these snakes it will seem as if you're having a bit of a 2-way conversation if you flick* your tongue back at them- *with a little practice to imitate the way a snake does it as best you can. I'm not suggesting it's anything like morse code or an exact language- only that coming from a creature that looks & smells nothing like another snake, it's a way of saying "Hey, not to worry, I'm just another snake". Imagine if you were abducted by aliens & carried off in their spaceship- with no language in common, wouldn't you be vastly relieved if finally one of them gave you a peace sign or a handshake, just one little gesture you could recognize as peaceful? I know I would!

I spent 20 years living with a number of rattlesnakes, & I couldn't help noticing that it was a way I could reassure what were otherwise "hands-off" creatures that they were safe with me. Not only that, rattlesnakes have a very exaggerated way of flicking their tongues (with a lot of "hang time") when they're upset (trust me, it LOOKS like anger), but a vastly different way of flicking their tongues when calm & curious. What's really interesting is that if you imitate these moves back to them, it can actually affect THEIR mood & that's why it matters- I was able to calm most snakes so they had less fear & stress, which meant they ate well, & remained healthy. (Keep in mind, stress makes people AND animals prone to sickness- it diminishes our immune system.) BTW, this was a technique that I developed intuitively on my own, but since then, I've noticed some others have made similar observations- lest you think I'm a bit .

The other way my rattlesnakes learned to be calm was that any time I startled them (or even if my dog ran by or something else startled them), I took "the blame" for it- when they rattled, I immediately went to their cage & identified myself by blowing air across my hand in their direction. They'd flick their tongues & obviously recognized me by my scent, & were visibly relieved because they had learned that I was not something to fear. How about that? Snakes, even rattlesnakes, are afraid of the unknown, just like us- they don't like to be startled & scared, & they become much calmer when it turns out "oh, it's just you? Whew!" Rather than being more upset with ME for having startled them, they'd relax, & especially if I flicked my tongue in a "friendly way" too. Whatever works, right? Communication helps, "any which way you can". Anyway, this is what I love about keeping snakes- finding ways to help them feel safe. So yes, they're more aware of things than you might think, & it's always better to assume in their favor, that they "can" understand, than to just treat them like objects with no brains at all. And the more you empathize with your snakes, the fewer bites you get.