Title says it all

Like, do snakes even know youre their friend? From the people ive seen, they are still trying to kill you and wrap themselves around your neck, so why do people still keep them and talk to them as pets?

My guinea pig still sometimes runs away from me, but she at least likes me and and my voice and just stops eating if I dont speak to her every day to the point that I needed to force feed her nutrient slop, she lets me cuddle her, etc

And snakes are just like: I will kill you the second I see you

  • python@lemmy.world
    22·
    18 hours ago

    I have one and love her very much!!

    I don’t have time to elaborate on all questions at the moment, but snakes definitely don’t ever try to kill people out of aggression. Little nips can happen if your snake is defensive/ fearful or mistakes you for food (which, food for them is usually the size of a rat), but there is never malice behind it.

    Most snakes aren’t really social, so they probably don’t even recognize different people as anything more than warm trees that smell slightly differently. Which for me personally is perfect, since I couldn’t care for a social pet whenever I fall into depressive episodes. It’s also just nice how clean and low maintenance they are. My snake only eats every 2 weeks or so, and poops maybe every 2-4 weeks. If I go on a trip for a few days, she doesn’t even notice that I’m gone. Plus, she’ll live for 20-30 years.

    edit: more snake pros I just remembered:

    • They just hang around, so no zipping after a hyperactive pet. I find it quite calming.
    • They don’t bite or scratch anything in their enclosure, so you don’t have to constantly change out decorative items (you should still rotate them for enrichment)
    • Completely silent, except for the occasional fart at night
    • Probably can be kept solitary, I’m actually still waiting for the scientific consensus on that. In comparison, having a solitary rat, bunny or guinea pig is just plain unethical because they’re so social.
    • They’re trainable! Not to the extent that a dog or a horse is, but you can teach them basic shifting behavior which really helps reduce stress from handling. Lori Torrini is the biggest resource on snake training right now, it’s amazing what she achieves with her own snakes!