Quote Originally Posted by NightLad View Post

Yet I can't shake the thought that perhaps some people really do have snakes that are 'smarter' (able to retain long term memory) than others. My parents have 2 dogs (same breed), and it may not be nice to say, but it is clear that one of them is vastly more intelligent than the other. If we were to judge all dogs by the 'dumb' one, it would do a disservice to the species. Hopefully one day the research will be done to fully probe the learning/memory capabilities of these animals.
I think that is entirely true, and had I been asked about it, I would have expanded my theory. I think mammalians, avian and other species are quite capable of higher thought processes that respectively show their intelligence.

I also believe that some species of snake and reptiles are more adept at learning than others. Ball pythons not excluded from this list either.

I also believe that a BP's or any snakes hard wiring often plays a huge hand in how they express their intelligence. Ball pythons as we all know are very secretive by nature. I think this need to be safe and in hiding constantly hinders the way they show intelligence.

Since snakes don't speak, wag their tales, cuddle, chase after us in the fashion of more common pets, we have to interpret their simple body language, behaviors and habits to determine the "intelligence" of each snake.

As always, all of my answers have given a yes, but with a very long addendum attached. I do not think they recognize us as owners, or someone that they need to survive. I think they can recognize us on our respective scents, actions, and "vibes", but perhaps not fully understand that we are separate beings from everyone else. I like to think of it in more of terms like: snake is secure with this and insecure with that.

Well, now were just going into a lot of speculation and philosophical stuff... so I should just stop before I start confusing everyone.

Lets just say, I have a very simple, basic view of snakes intelligence and ability to reason that relies heavily on instinct and less on learning.