holy shhhhhh! royal i feel the same way. some may call it instinct to why they act in fear but never the less it is a feeling.if something has the capability to feel fear,why not love or hate?
to say any living thing with a brain is mindless is somewhat ignorant imo.we have no idea wat these awesome creatures really think and for a human to say they cant think or feel a certain way is just,well pooop i cant think of a word but its kinda dumb.
i have only been collecting ball pythons as pets for under a year and noticed every snake is different.i have 5 now and there is one that will sit on my lap for hours w/o moving a muscle.i have another that will constantly try to escape into the couch or anywhere dark and snug.i have another that will chill on my lap for a few,then crawl to another spot and chill and etc.i have one that absolutley hates being picked up but once hes in my hands for a sec he calms down hellaz.and finally my captive hatched sweetheart.now this snake is by far the nicest ball python on the planet,no joke!call me crazy but this snake(i hate calling her a snake) shows a unlimited amount of affection.
for example
when i take her out,her ability to make me feel loved by her is felt w/o a doubt.as i said i have 4 others that are ok to be handled,but this girl.
she will firmly not tightly circle my wrist gently,rubbing her nose against me(not in a typical stressful manor)and it is awesome!
she to me just dont have snake like tendencies.again call me nutz watever but if i hold her close to my face she will extend out to lick my lips.lol,and yes there is always fresh water in her tank even though she loves to crap in it.
ok i think i am done.lol i just wanted to share a few things and if this changes one persons opinion about how they think i will be one happy herper.thanks for reading!
philium