"pet" snakes?

[Reticsrule]

its been pretty slow around here lately so hopefully this will get a few replies.

ive been hearing the term "pet snake" on the forums very often lately and i just can't understand how you can call a snake a pet. anyone that i tell i have snakes they always go "cool, you have pet snakes!". my reply is always the same, no i KEEP snakes, they are not my pets. snakes are great animals and by far my favorite on the planet, but they are not pet material IMO. they don't greet you when you come home, they dont want to interact with you, and they dont show any emotion toward you. im not putting snakes down here, im just stating facts.

i would like to hear everyone else's opinion on this. do you think snakes should be considered "pets"? please state a reason supporting you opinion.

[gonesnakee]

Pet
- An animal kept for enjoyment or as a companion.
- Someone or something of which one is esp. fond

I think that pretty much sums it up :thumbsup: Cheers Mark

Edit - right out of an old Websters BTW, dictionary that is :)

[wcreptiles]

I pretty much agree, once you bring an animal into your home it's a pet. I have a bunch of snakes in cages and I consider all of them my pets. They are not the same as a dog but they are still pets. You must provide all their needs; food, water and shelter plus health care if needed. If you have a black widow spider in a jar it's a pet, one you can't play with but still a pet of sorts.

That's my two cents.

[Corran]

I agree with gonesnakee. As for snake snakes not wanting interatcion, only cases ive seen of htat is bad husbandry skills as well as lack of socialization. My snakes may not show an emotion of enjoyment, but they sure as heck dont mind hanging out while im watching tv.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b262/Corran05/DSCF0167.jpg

[SerpentLust]

they don't greet you when you come home, they dont want to interact with you, and they dont show any emotion toward you.

Actually my Spotted Python does greet me when I come to her cage. When I open the door she goes straight for my arm and wraps around it waiting to be pulled out.

And I've babied this snake since I was 16.

I know people who have "pet" Anoles, "pet" Tokay Geckos...I figure if they can be pets, so can snakes :p

Jenn

[Yve]

as Gonesnakee quoted it right from the dictionary "an animal kept for amusement or companionship"
In my situation I consider it to be amusement or better put fascination.
I can see why a breeder would not consider calling their collections 'pets'. If it is strictly business for them, then they oftentimes do not have an emotional attachment to the breeding collection. but for the vast majority it is in the true defintion of the word, simply a 'pet'.

[Shawn Fraser]

I certainly do not think snakes are 'pets' in the same sense as a cat or a dog, but they do fit into the definition given by Mark (GoneSnakee). They are not affectionate creatures. Some of them adapt readily to handling, and seem to recognize their keepers ( crocodiles, alligators and some lizards definitely recognize individual people in my experience). To a tame snake I believe we are simply a warm, familiar tree. I have worked with many snakes and have never come across one that, if left on it's own, would crawl up to me and want to be picked up. If snakes truly sought out human contact, we wouldn''t have to worry about escapees because they would eventually turn up in bed with us looking to be cuddled! Having said that, I think a snake that is comfortable with handling probably "enjoys" it (in a sense) as it provides mental and physical stimulation.

[beanersmysav]

Actually my Spotted Python does greet me when I come to her cage. When I open the door she goes straight for my arm and wraps around it waiting to be pulled out.

Jenn

Yeah I'm one of those that will fight this dispute to the death about snakes not having emotions or liking to be held. Just because a snake doesn't pant (if it does get it to the vet :-p) or jump up and down doesn't mean it doesn't show affection towards you. I agree with Jenn, I've got a 6 ft male BCI and whenever I enter the room he will climb towards me in his cage. If I don't get him out he will eventually go back to where he was basking. I've also got a couple of king snakes that are the same way, however I've got a couple of kings that will strike at me upon entering their cage? Personality? I think so...

[kronic2005]

I have to agree with what everyone said. Snakes do have personalities, some good and some bad. Like what was said about the black widow, its still a pet, even though you wouldnt ever touch it the whole time you have it. Snakes are Pets.:flick:

[monty bl python]

pet

although not like a dog

but, when i walk in to my room my snake will climp the glass until i open the cage then he'll wrap around my arm

[Phoenix]

they don't greet you when you come home, they dont want to interact with you, and they dont show any emotion toward you.

Ever seen an emotional fish? Lots of people have 'pet' fish. I mean the classic goldfish in a bowl is the typical ‘first pet’. However, except for the association with food, I doubt that a fish would fit this idea. But most people see them as pets.

I think that dogs, friendly cats, and perhaps some other mammals fit into that idea, but what does that make everything else?

They still are/can be pets. It may create different relationship perhaps, but relationships none the less.

I was asked recently to explain why someone would want to have a relationship with a pet reptile, and what exactly that relationship is… I think that most of us have an innate sense of what their answer is to that question, and don't need me to try and put words to it.
Some people say they have pet snakes, others keep snakes, others have collections, and others have breeding specimens. Those are labels/categories that might come up due to valid differences in the bond and relationship, but I see no problem with having/saying you have pet snakes (or any other reptile).

Heck, I currently have 3. And I love each of my babies. ;)

[Reticsrule]

well i guess im on the losing end of this lol:eek: i agree with the definition posted by mark but ill ramble on for a while anyway. serpentlust, you said that your spotted python goes straight for your arm and wraps around it wanting to be taken out of the cage. my boas do this as well but it seems to me that they are just seeing what the intruder to their cage is. once they have determined that my hand is not food or a threat they seem to shy back into their hide. i definitely don't look at my snakes as "business". they are there for my enjoyment. however, i feel that they would be much less enjoyable to me if they acted like a dog. my fascination with them is partly because of their individualism. for example you see all these posts that say "help, my snake is aggressive now what do i do?". i probably enjoy aggressive snakes just as much as docile ones.

[kronic2005]

Your snakes may think your food then go back to their hide, mine dont. I can open my males rubbermaid, and let him come out by himself, hell go up onto my bed from his rubbermaid, come the the corner of the bed that im closest to, and raise himself up in the air looking at me, and if i put my hand out just near his neck he'll come onto my arm. If thats not attachment, then i dont know what is.

[beanersmysav]

haha yeah try to come here and put my BCI back in his cage. He resists by climbing up my arm sometimes its a fight convincing him to get back in his cage. However I've got some snakes that do what yours do and run right back into their cage. Those are the same ones that are flighty when I try and take them out.

[Edmond Y]

An animal that you look after and care, and you love them, they are your pets. they don't like dogs and cats but they still a pet. I have nine ball pythons, three will greet me when I open the cage. The big girl Anna will lean her head on my knee and some times my shoulder. they certainly will have emotion contact with human beings. for those who have pythons and boas will know what I am talking about.

Edmond