One Loyal Corn?

[Malaika]

Hello all!

My ten month old corn, Isha, is a sweet, mild-mannered snake. Since I live on a college campus that does not allow pets, Isha lives with my boyfriend. My boyfriend is the one who feeds him and the one that Isha sees most often. However, I am the only person that Isha allows to hold him. He refuses anyone else's hand.

I've never heard that corn snakes were loyal creatures. In fact, I've heard that snakes in general are rather cold, unaffectionate animals. Am I missing something here? Do corn snakes have loyalty or affection for their caretakers, like cats or dogs do?

[djfreebase]

My Amel, is a little like that. She is very calm when im holding her, but if my partner or son trys holding her she gets very jumpy. I think they can sense how calm the handler is.

[Rich in KY]

It is very possible that Isha recognizes your scent and does not feel threatened by you.

[bitsy]

I'm pretty sure they recognise individual people and associate them with being safe.

I left my Pumpkin at the vets for X-rays a while back. He's never so much as looked funny at me, let alone bitten me. He's always been pretty laid-back about being handled and that's what I told the vet.

However, when I went to pick him up later that day, they told me that he'd bitten everyone who went near him and thrashed around like a maniac when they picked him up. I opened the pillowcase to check him out thinking he'd been hurt, and he just looked at me, flicked his tongue and put his head down again - butter wouldn't have melted in his mouth, the little heathen! And he's been absolutely fine at home with me ever since.

It was actually kind of gratifying once I got over the embarrassment.

[v_various]

I agree with the opinion that snakes can recognize people, just from the way Amel boy relaxes when I take from people. But I seriously doubt it's loyalty or that it likes you. It might know you're not going to eat it, it might like your warmth, it might like your calm manner of holding it. But snakes aren't social creatures or pack animals like dogs, cats, or people. I don't think they're geared to feel things like we do, if they were you'd probably see packs of snakes roaming about.

Doesn't stop me for pretending, or talking to them, haha. To each their own.
: D

[Checkerbelly]

My girlfriend got bit by my cali king right away because she moved too fast and moved her hand straight toward it's head. Things I would never do, and so far I haven't been bitten.

Different people handle snakes different ways that snakes don't always appreciate.

[aztek]

They recognize scent, which would be like image to us.
So I guess you can say they "trust" you.