Do you think your snakes can be affectionate? - Page 4

emseeKAY · 04-07-10, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

My roaches just love me, they really enjoy walking on me and cuddling in front of the TV.

sounds like a party hahaha

Feebo · 04-07-10, 04:13 PM

Thinking about a snakes perception of it`s surroundings, (and I wonder if anyone else notices this) depending on the species, some snakes are quite interested in what is going on in the snake room. To others, thier world is inside the tank, but my Corns especially, will sit next to the glass and watch me, even following me around the room....

Lankyrob · 04-07-10, 04:21 PM

My corns are just over my shoulder with me between them and the TV - it does seem quite often that they are either watching me on the laptop or watching the TV.

They will also follow me around the room from one end of the viv to the other as i nmove about.

They do seem to have an awareness of who people are. One of them shakes his tail and hisses at my wife when she gets them out of the viv - he is fine if i get him out them pass him over tho. These nuances are the things i lover about all animals and why we have so many pets!!!

citysnakes · 04-07-10, 04:47 PM

wow tons of anthropomorphizing going on in this thread.

i think im going to keep a lot of my opinions to myself on this one and simply answer the question that is the title of this thread with a "No".

infernalis · 04-07-10, 11:50 PM

One thing that I find so attractive about my little garters, they are all curious about what is going on in the room.... Very inquisitive species.

Quote:

Originally Posted by citysnakes.com

I think I'm going to keep a lot of my opinions to myself on this one

Please don't, The whole idea behind a forum is to allow everyone to speak their opinions.

fo·rum (fôrm, fr-)
n. pl. fo·rums also fo·ra (fôr, fr)

1. A public meeting place for open discussion.
2. A medium for open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a website.
3. A public meeting or presentation involving a discussion usually among experts and often including audience participation.

I removed the Roman and legal refernces... We are not a tribunal here.

gonesnakee · 04-08-10, 01:36 PM

Didn't read any of the posts above, but the answer is NO.
You are nothing to a snake but a source of heat, a prey provider, a means to escape the enclosure, something to climb on, thats pretty much it. Mark

Feebo · 04-08-10, 03:16 PM

Here`s a question I think we should add to the discussion,aside from it being slightly annoying, is there any actual harm in people believing thier snakes love them? I would say that there potentially is. I mean, if your understanding of snake behaivour is so fundamentally flawed that you think your snake wants to "come out and play" surely you can`t take proper care of it. What do you guys think of that? No offence to anyone there by the way, I`m just exploring both sides here

gonesnakee · 04-08-10, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feebo

Here`s a question I think we should add to the discussion,aside from it being slightly annoying, is there any actual harm in people believing thier snakes love them? I would say that there potentially is. I mean, if your understanding of snake behaivour is so fundamentally flawed that you think your snake wants to "come out and play" surely you can`t take proper care of it. What do you guys think of that? No offence to anyone there by the way, I`m just exploring both sides here

For sure there is IMHO
Complacency is a HUGE issue when it comes to keeping snakes IMHO & does result in people being injured, sometimes seriously.
I always Trust a snake, to be a snake that is

Its a creature of instinct & something to always respect as such, Mark

infernalis · 04-08-10, 04:04 PM

It's time for me to be serious about this, I simply do not handle my snakes aside from feeding and cage cleanings... Period.

It stresses the animal, sure there are RARE specimens, Like my departed Xena that was comfortable with handling, so much it gave the ILLUSION that she liked it.

"Playing with" your snakes is bad for them, handling them is OK in moderation, as long as you stay calm and do not startle the poor thing.

Lankyrob · 04-08-10, 04:18 PM

OK - i will stick my head above the parapet ready to be shot down.

I dont think it is a problem for people to think that their snakes "love" them as long as it doesnt make them complacent around the snake. At the end of the day all our pets are 'wild' animals and we need to learn to read them and trust them before we handle them.

I get my corn snakes out 3 or 4 times a week and handle them purely for the joy of handling them. I dont believe it causes them any harm as long as it is all done is a calm controlled manner and so far they have shown no signs of stress. They are eating, pooping and shedding in a healthy manner.

If they were older snakes when we got them and were never handled before then we would not start now but we got young snakes for the reason that we wanted them to get accustomed to handling as they grow.

We intend to use the snakes to educate local children about them and have already been invited into a nursery to show the snakes and to explain to the children how they are cared for and hopefully dismiss the perceptions of some of the children and their parents.

If i am wrong i am wrong but then we all have differing ideas and thats the great thing about this forum - we can all express our views and then make up our own minds. My main concern is always the health and wellbeing of my animals and i would never do anything that i havent thouroughly looked into and researched first. As with all things in life there will those that shoot me down and those that support but without this life would be boring!!

Look forward to hearing your thoughts......

infernalis · 04-08-10, 04:56 PM

I hear you Rob, I would chose certain animals from my collection for such educational activities, Corn snakes are quite calm and perfect for showing others.

Royal (ball) pythons are another good example of a calm snake.

I have a boatload of garter snakes, and only 2 of them accept handling without a fuss, several tolerate it, and all the rest will freak out, bite, musk and hurt themselves trying to get free from "that big ugly monster that picked them up"

Feebo · 04-08-10, 05:06 PM

Same here Wayne really. They are handled when I do a full clean of thier enclosures or when they are being periodically checked for health issues and that`s about it. I don`t think twice about getting a snake out to show a guest in the snake room mind you, depending on the snake. They certainly don`t come out for the sake of it as a matter of course. I`m responsible for all the husbandry so obviously I do get to actually handle all of my snakes at some point, but only really when health checks or housekeeping dictate.....

Feebo · 04-08-10, 05:08 PM

Royals are calm but I`d say they are easily made nervous too, they may be unlikely to make a fuss when shown but I wouldn`t say they are unlikely to become stressed, they even got thier name from a nervous behaivour.....

infernalis · 04-08-10, 05:10 PM

However, I can sit in front of those enclosures and watch all day long... I sometimes do.

I have even fell asleep in the snake room watching these beautiful animals being themselves.

The prettiest snakes in my collection bite me every stinking time I touch them, go figure.

Lankyrob · 04-08-10, 05:54 PM

We are thinking that a Royal will be our next step on the Snake ladder once the corns are a little older. Again we will try for one at the youngest stage so that we can handle regularly in order to familiarise it with being handled.

And just like to say a big thanks to Feebs for letting me and my family see all his snakes and handle a couple - lovely set up, lovely snakes (and a nice bloke too!!!).