Are snakes ever really pets?

[eminart]

I think it's just semantics. I call any animal I keep for my own enjoyment a "pet", although I probably rarely use that word. It doesn't matter if they're domesticated, or if they enjoy my company. It's just a word to describe the animals at my house. The only animals I keep that I don't refer to as "pets" are my falconry birds. They're used more as tools for hunting. But the main reason I don't call them pets is to discourage the constant stream of people who want to get into falconry because they think it would be cool to have a "pet" hawk.

[AlexCrazy]

Originally Posted by eminart

I think it's just semantics. I call any animal I keep for my own enjoyment a "pet", although I probably rarely use that word. It doesn't matter if they're domesticated, or if they enjoy my company. It's just a word to describe the animals at my house. The only animals I keep that I don't refer to as "pets" are my falconry birds. They're used more as tools for hunting. But the main reason I don't call them pets is to discourage the constant stream of people who want to get into falconry because they think it would be cool to have a "pet" hawk.

That exact thing hapend to me.. mi friend wanted a snake because she thought it would be cool to have a pet snake.. to me my snake would be more than a pet... a loved one.. a beeing i care for and nourish... living artwork like some would say... so a think i should give it another name than pet.. but i cant call it a hunting tool.. ha ha ideas anyone?

[sophiedufort]

There are, as expected, a lot of divided opinions in this thread. I believe that it all comes down to the owner's interaction, or the lack thereof, with the snakes. Some keep snakes for breeding, and when they have to take care of a bunch of crawlies, they would rather focus on cleaning enclosures, providing mice/rats and fresh water, removing poop and so on. Other snake owners follow the 'rules' that they learned in forums, and avoid touching their snakes, thinking that it could do harm. Therefore, their pets are display animals. I now have eight snakes, and they all are adorable. None ever bit me, and they seem to like my company and that of my husband. A lot. We take them out of their enclosures every day, put them on our bed, place hides for them all over the place, yet they still come to wrap around us. Our het ghost boa is a little grumpy when he wakes up, but then, just like the others, seeks our attention.
My answer is that yes, snakes are pets. Not only because we consider them so, but because of that primitive interaction they choose to have with us. An interaction that we cannot understand, nor properly define, for it is so different from that with other pets. One thing is clear to me: if any of my snakes didn't like my company, I would be the first to find out.