There tend to be two types of people – those who believe snakes can bond with their owners, and those who don’t. In reality, both are right. It depends on the individual snake to a certain extent, but there is evidence that some snakes can show emotion, and they do recognize their owners.
Do Snakes Like To Be Petted?
It depends. Some snakes do seem to like being handled, petted, and some aren’t as keen on it but can tolerate it. There are many factors that will affect this, as well as your snake’s individuality.
Here are some of those factors:
Type of snake species
Some species are more tolerant of being handled than others. Corn snakes, for example, are often recommended as a beginner snake because they tend to be easier to handle and care for.
Age of the snake
Some snakes become more laid back as they age, and will tolerate handling better as an adult. Younger snakes may not be as comfortable with handling.
Amount of handling
All animals need to be handled to become used to being handled. A guideline is to start by handling your snake once, or twice a week, and let him acclimatize to being touched. After a month, or so, he should start to seem to be comfortable, so you can increase it slowly.
The person who is handling him
Some snakes can be very uncomfortable if they’re being handled by a stranger. This probably isn’t because they recognize their owner, but because they’re used to being handled in a certain way. Strangers are unlikely to handle the snake in the same way as the owner.
How hungry he or she is
Hungry snakes probably aren’t going to be happy about being handled. Let your snake eat before handling, especially if you haven’t had him for very long.
Where are they being touched
Some snakes do not like being touched on the top of their heads. Most Ball Pythons, for example, will become fearful and aggressive if being touched on the head, or on the neck. So, how tolerant a snake is of being petted can depend on where he’s being touched as well.
Can Snakes Be Trained?
How trainable are snakes?
Some snakes are more trainable than others. Some snake species are naturally more docile than others, so a corn snake could be more trainable than a green tree python.
It can also depend on the snakes breeding. Captive-bred snakes tend to be more docile than snakes caught in the wild, as they have been around people all their lives.
The snake’s stress levels are also important, not only for training but for handling in general. Stressed snakes will not always react in the way you expect.
Even a usually docile snake can become stressed and lash out if he’s ill or in pain.
How to train snakes?
Snakes can’t be trained in the same way as a dog, or even a cat can be. They don’t have the mental capacity needed to learn how to do tricks. They also can’t really hear the human voice well enough to be able to differentiate the commands.
They can recognize when a simple visual or tactile cue leads to a predictable result, so they can be trained to recognize feeding time, and handling time.
How to train snakes for feeding time?
If you feed your snake in his enclosure, he can become trained to recognize the opening of the enclosure as a sign that it’s feeding time. This is especially true for a snake that isn’t handled very much.
This can mean that he will bite, or constrict around your hand every time the enclosure opens. In his mind, the enclosure opening means food. You can train him to change this behavior.
You should feed him in a different enclosure, such as a plastic tub with a lid. Use a snake hook and take him from his home enclosure, and put him into the feeding enclosure. Put the food item in with him, and close the lid. Leave him in until he has eaten and digested his meal.
Eventually, he will learn that the feeding enclosure is the cue for being fed, and not simply his the opening of his home enclosure.
How to train snakes for handling time
The first step in handling your new snake is to just let him get used to your general presence.
Set his vivarium up somewhere with moderate foot traffic, maybe your bedroom, or living room. This will let him get used to being around people, their smells, and their noise.
Make sure there are plenty of hides in the vivarium. It gives him places to shelter in if he becomes anxious or stressed. You may also want to put your hand in the enclosure just to move things around.
Don’t touch him when you’re doing this, but it will let him get used to your scent. Some snake owners recommend touching his bedding before you put it in the vivarium, so he will constantly smell you.
It can also be a good idea to feed him a few times before beginning to handle him. Some snake owners recommend feeding the snake every five to seven days but making sure you’ve given him at least three meals before you handle him.
When he is calmer around your general presence you can start to introduce handling.
Handle confidently
Introducing handling needs to be consistent, often, and you need to move confidently. Depending on the snake, you may want to start once or twice a week and build up to three or four times.
Although with some species, and some individual snakes, you can start by handling him three or four times a week.
- Find your snake in the enclosure. Look for him before opening the enclosure, but if he’s under a hide, open the door, and lift the hide.
- Confidently reach in and gently grip him at the midpoint of his body. Don’t hesitate, or move overly slowly. If you feel very nervous, you can use a snake hook to help you grip your snake.
- Take him out, and hold him in both hands. One hand should be around a third of the way along his body, and the other hand should be two-thirds of the way along his body.
- You can let him move over your hands and arms, but make sure to continuously support him, and make him feel secure.
- Handle him for around 10 minutes and build-up for longer periods of time.
- Gently put him back in his vivarium.
Young snakes and snakes with little handling are likely to bite as they get used to being handled. If you snake bites you, you need to continue the handling session.
If you stop, he may learn that you will put him back in his vivarium if he bites.
Most pet snakes are not venomous, but bites can cause bleeding. Clean the bite with soap and water, use some antiseptic cream, and bandage it if necessary.
It’s unlikely for snake bites to become infected, so in most cases, you won’t need an antibiotic.
Tap Training
As you feed train your snake, you can also tap train him. When you’re taking him out for handling, but not for food, use the snake hook to gently tap his head and neck area. Tap him a few times, and then take him out. He will learn that the tap means that he won’t get any food, and he’ll be less likely to bite.
How To Tell If Your Snake Is Uncomfortable
Your snake may become uncomfortable with being handled. This can be especially true of young snakes, ore snakes who haven’t been handled regularly. You should learn to recognize the signs that show he would prefer to go back to his enclosure.
- He may move his body into an ‘S’ shape.
- He may hiss.
- He may ‘fake strike’.
- He may actually strike and bite you.
- He may try to move away from you.
- He may constrict his stomach quickly, which indicates nervousness.
Any of the above signs can show that your snake is uncomfortable, but you should also watch for his own individual signs of discomfort.
One thing you do need to be aware of is that there is some debate over whether arm squeezing is a sign of distress or not.
Some believe that when your snake squeezes your arm, it is a clear sign of distress. Others say that it’s a method of your snake making himself feel more secure as you’re handling him.
Whichever is true, you need to spend time getting to know your snake so you can recognize when he isn’t feeling comfortable.
If you notice your snake becoming uncomfortable, return him to his enclosure, and don’t handle him for a few days. You should still let him see you from inside his safe space, so make sure you stay around his vivarium.
Can Snakes Bond With Their Owners?
As one of the factors in how well a snake will tolerate being handled is who is doing the handling, you would assume that this means that they can bond with their owners. The truth is that nobody is really sure. It’s possible, but again, it can depend on many different factors, from age to breed, and how long the snake has been with his owner.
Do Snakes Have Emotions?
Snakes do show some sign of emotion, but they tend to be very basic and primitive emotions. They can show aggression by hissing, or coiling their bodies. They can show fear by trying to get away, or by showing behavior similar to aggression.
They don’t show emotions like love, or pleasure. They don’t show an owner bond in the same way as a cat or a dog would.
However, as there haven’t been many studies on the subject, that doesn’t mean that they don’t feel it to some extent. It’s possible that they do, just on a much more basic level. Although most experts find this unlikely.
Some theorize that how involved an animal is as a parent affects how much emotion or bond they can feel and exhibit.
Some snake species give birth to live young, some lay eggs. Some stay with the eggs until they have, and for a short time after to protect the babies. Most species do not do this.
Snakes have little involvement with their young after laying the eggs. This means that they don’t feel the protective instincts that other reptiles do.
Some theorize that this may impact their abilities to bond with other animals and people, as they are designed to be pretty much solitary animals.
Do Snakes Like Their Owners?
Snakes don’t really have the range of emotions needed to show a preference for one person over another. However, they can become uncomfortable if being handled by a stranger.
This is because they are used to being handled a certain way, and the person who does the most handling is usually the owner.
Different people can handle an animal in a completely different way to what they’ve been taught.
As there hasn’t been much research into this, it’s impossible to say definitively, but the evidence there seems to suggest that snakes simply don’t show a preference to one person over another, but they do show a ‘preference’ to one way of being handled over another.
The important thing for most owners is that they feel that they have a bond with their snake, and not that their snake has a bond with them.
Can you bond with your pet snake?
Even though your snake may not be able to feel a bond with you, you can still build a relationship with him. Consistent handling will be key to this. When he’s comfortable being out of his vivarium with you, you can spend time with him in other ways.
You can leave him on your lap as you watch TV, or read a book. Only keep him out for around 30 minutes before putting him back in, so that his temperature doesn’t drop too low.
Exercise
Take him out of his vivarium a few times a week to let him exercise. This may be that you let him explore a room with a closed door. If he can swim, maybe you’ll let him explore a paddling pool for a while. If he can climb, give him access to a pole or an artificial tree.
Always supervise your snake when he’s exercising. Smaller snakes can be quick, and hard to catch if you aren’t supervising.
Enrichment
One of the ways that you can interact with your snake is through enrichment in his enclosure. You can change items, and add new ones every few weeks. Even just changing the layout of his vivarium may entertain him. Many snake owners enjoy watching their snake explore and test out new items in their homes.
Snakes are great pets. They don’t really need much maintenance, in fact, some snakes like the Ball python only needs to be fed roughly every two weeks. They can be really entertaining to watch. They don’t need or crave human company or touch, but some can tolerate it. Always watch your snake when you’re handling him for signs that he would prefer to be back in his vivarium alone.
