History of Snake Keeping

[YungRasputin]

I mean yeah, if you really want to be literal about it people have kept all manner of creatures since time immemorial. Even with dogs no one really knows just exactly how and when their domestication was started it happened so long ago. A lot of the time it was generally species that had some type of utility such as most domesticated livestock we know today, but there have always been "hobbyists" of a sort who kept exotics; albeit more for status/power symbols than pet companionship up until the past century or so (as typically only the higher ups of society could afford the luxury of pets that had no intrinsic value).

i did/do want to keep the thread broad just because i think it is easier to document/know modern snake keeping comparatively when humans relationships with snakes are much older eg: the Igbo peoples of southern Nigeria have such a respect for snakes in general and ball pythons in particular that when they see one dead they will construct miniature coffins for them and hold small funerals - additionally, BP’s are often allowed to roam about freely as they protect the villages from vermin - which to me, well for one i’ve always thought this was neat but for to, i think you could make the argument that in a way that’s like “open air” snake keeping - similarly i have heard of aboriginal groups in Australia having similar reverence for scrub pythons as they also play an integral in their belief systems as well

^which while i would be inclined to agree somewhat with your comment i don’t think, necessarily, that snake keeping would have to be restricted to just the upper classes as they can be of course wild caught and also, can provide a v useful role in the everyday life of a house hold eg: i have heard of Australian farmers keeping wild coastal carpets about to protect their chickens from predators

comparatively, this seems similar to, for example, the role cats have in middle eastern cultures i.e. they were often kept around, even if feral, because they played a crucial role in keeping other animals away from humans