do pythons know who you are?

[Snowman]

Powered by Google Docs click link to read article about snakes recognizing keepers.

 

[briiiziii]

Haha kawasakirider that cracked me up!
Peanut, my jungle python definately comes back to me when someone else is holding her. She lives in my room too so I really believe that they get used to a non-threatening scent

 

[shea_and_ruby]

i would say yes. we have a blonde mac, and every time she hears me or i come close to her when hubby has her out she gets super agro and tries to strike at me. other can go over to her, but when she hears/smells me she ***** - crazy pyscho snake :S

 

[ozziepythons]

I once had a coastal carpet that was ok with me handling her and would cruise around pretty relaxed. I had two friends over one day to have a look, I picked her up and to her it was all the same routine. That was until she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw two unfamiliar people standing still watching her a few meters away while on my arm, then swung around to slither off at a panicked pace away from them!! Occasionally an animal will react in a way that will leave no doubts to its thought pattern and resultant behaviour, and this was clearly one of them. So yes I think snakes respond to familiarity with keepers and different handlers, but this is subjective.

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

pythons know who you are :|

and they know where you live :shock:

they watch you through your windows

 

[SnakeyTroy]

I do believe that they know you. Not at an emotional level but they do know you as a familliar part of their environment. Snakes don't have the ability to show 'love' or loyalty to their owner like a dog or a cat or a parrot can.

 

[Suenstu]

Really interesting article Snowman, thanks for sharing

 

[Bel03]

I 2 wondered if my Bredli Matilda would grow to recognise me.....well at least know im a 'safe' person anyway.......& although i have only had her for 3wks when i handle her she is really placid, & doesnt bite, however......my partner handled her last night while i was cleaning her enclosure & she bite him at least 10 times! :lol: I dont think she likes him much!

 

[Suenstu]

I didn't think they really cared who had them, but I'm changing my mind. Our Stimmie while very tolerant, behaves in a very different way when handled by anyone other than me or Stu. He also seems to make his way back to us as soon as he can if someone else has him. The baby Bredlis are settling really well, and seem much more comfortable with us now too. I don't necessarily think it's affection, more that our scent perhaps represents a "safe" place? Interesting tho. Makes you wonder.

 

[SteveNT]

I work out bush during the week but usually get back on weekends. My bhp can not come out all week but 10 minutes after I get back he is out. I pop the lid and out he comes and becomes a scarf for an hour or two. (With intermittent attempts to strangle me). There is no question he recognises my scent. Perhaps I should have two showers a week

 

[SYNeR]

Agree that they come to know their surroundings. I thought my Jungle Python had become quite placid. However, I accidentally broke a glass panel on her enclosure and have moved her to a tub whilst I come up with a solution (unsure if I can somehow fix it DIY style, or just buy another enclosure).

Last night I tried to clean out her enclosure. She struck at me, so I tried to grab her to move her out of the enclosure. She then hissed and did this..



Whilst she may 'know' me as far as my scent, etc.. She didn't seem to care last night. The new surroundings were enough to upset her.

 

[user 29560]

There's not much to contribute that hasn't already been said (sense of smell is likely how the snake identifies its familiar handler and in cases where the snake is well cared for, it likely demonstrates greater comfort being handled by that person than with others).

Something I have started to find recently, though, which might be of some relevance to the discussion is that having really friendly, docile snakes may be a cause for inexperienced owners to handle them excessively and treat the snakes more like people.

Granted, there is a world of debate about anthropomorphism with reptiles, and I'm certainly not a staunch opponent of handling reptiles. I handle all of my larger/older snakes at least weekly at some point between feedings and poopings just to maintain an understanding that occasionally they must be willing to be handled and it has always worked out quite well. I've never had aggression problems.

I think having an unfriendly or delicate snake may be an important step in a snake handlers development to accept that we can't turn every reptile into a family pet and some of them either will not handle well or simply shouldn't be handled. I am keeping a young chondro now, and because of the delicate build on these small snakes, I won't be doing any avoidable handling for quite some time. It's the very first "look but don't touch" snake, I've had (even though it seems quite docile when I've had to work close to it during daylight hours). I think the new experience has been very good for me because I'm starting to foster a different kind of connection with the animal. I don't feel any less connected to it than I do with my "pet" snakes (ball python, corn, etc), I just have a different KIND of attachment. My GTP is more like a prized species in my garden and I show my affection for it by proving the best husbandry possible. I get all of the enjoyment I need from this snake by simply having the pleasure of viewing it in a natural looking environment, seeing it exhibit natural behavior (changing perch stances with light cycles, luring every night after dark).

My acceptance of this animal as being a display animal has allowed me to ditch some of the tendencies I used to have to treat my other snakes like household pets. I used to handle them all more frequently because that was how I interacted with them, but now I interact more simply by watching and am finding it more rewarding than I once did.

Just some loosely connected thoughts while I wait for the workday to end.

 

[mattyg]

when i first got my bredli if i needed to change a globe in his enclosure or do somthing he wouldnt like it and would try strike but now if i go in there to get his water bowl or move somthing hes really fine with it and even comes over and climbs on me while im trying to do somthing. i know that he knows my scent and he trusts me but it all depends on the snake

 

[mungus]

Mine does..........

 

[kawasakirider]

Today has been a rough day for me. I went outside to see an empty carport this morning. My car had been stolen, but the funny thing was, my keys were missing. I filed a police report, which raised their eye brows, as apparently I'd been pulled over earlier that morning. I assured them that I wasn't the culprit and they let me look at the in board video that all the patrol cars have these days.

I have no idea how he got away with it, but to me it was clear that it was Georgie my jungle python, impersonating me. He even had the audacity to recite my license number off the top of his head, which left little doubt in the officers mind that he was indeed me.

He cost me 3 demerit points and a $200 fine. When the police dropped me home, the car was back in the driveway and I came in to see Georgie using my laptop, he was looking at the female jungles FS on APS with my bank details laid out next to the computer, at this stage I lost it, and threatened to take him off my license if he didn't pull his head in.

Needless to say, he has been a little angel in his enclosure ever since.

 

[Foxthor]

Today has been a rough day for me. I went outside to see an empty carport this morning. My car had been stolen, but the funny thing was, my keys were missing. I filed a police report, which raised their eye brows, as apparently I'd been pulled over earlier that morning. I assured them that I wasn't the culprit and they let me look at the in board video that all the patrol cars have these days.

I have no idea how he got away with it, but to me it was clear that it was Georgie my jungle python, impersonating me. He even had the audacity to recite my license number off the top of his head, which left little doubt in the officers mind that he was indeed me.

He cost me 3 demerit points and a $200 fine. When the police dropped me home, the car was back in the driveway and I came in to see Georgie using my laptop, he was looking at the female jungles FS on APS with my bank details laid out next to the computer, at this stage I lost it, and threatened to take him off my license if he didn't pull his head in.

Needless to say, he has been a little angel in his enclosure ever since.

Ur crazy, lol... So did ur car actually get stolen, or is this all just part of the story?



Also just to add to this Thread, My Stimson Definitely knows me and will tolerate handling very well, but from anyone else and especially females, she hates it and tries to get off them ASAP. Around males she tends to be more tolerant. My Carpet on the other hand is pretty tolerant of everyone.

 

[XKiller]

LOL at this thread common sence will answer the question for you, snakes Dont know you... there snakes. They tolerate you... and some wont, i disinfect my hands before i handle any animal i keep with F10 i can safely assume thats what there useto not my good looks, or great personality....

Reminds me of a frequentley asked question "can snakes sence fear"

 

[Firedrake]

I disagree, even if you disinfected your hands, the rest of you would still smell of you. Does that mean they're happy to be handled by anyone else if only their hands are washed with F10? What else would you call it if they recognised your smell over a random guy you pulled off the street? I think that means they 'know' who you are, if they would rather crawl to a familiar scent than one that they don't recognize. JMO

 

[SpilotaFreak78]

If you're studious enough you can talk to them in snake language. It sounds weird yes, but I spent ten years of my youth learning dog and cat, another animal is no different.

What do they call it in that Harry Potter series, 'parselmouth' ?

And no I'm not crazy, I just love animals!

 

[RickLeekong]

My baby always comes back to me if i hand her over to somebody else, so i would say, yes, they do know who you are