Corn snakes are a species that you can look after at home. Many snake enthusiasts choose to adopt a corn snake at one point in their pet caregiving journey because these snakes are known as one of the friendlier pet snake options. However, being friendly does not imply that you can suddenly become the best of friends with your pet snake.
Unlike other species, corn snakes cuddle their owners. However, there is no set answer to whether they are particularly fond of giving cuddles. They are hardly able to distinguish their owners from other humans. Consequently, they fail to form companion-like bonds with their caregivers.
For the rest of this article, I will discuss whether snakes tend to give kisses, how to know if your snake likes you, and how to bond with a corn snake. I will also explain how and when you can approach corn snakes to get the best and most interactive results. So if you want to be as close to your corn snake as possible, read on.
Do Snakes Give Kisses?
Snakes are not like other pets. They are cold-blooded, and some are unable to show affection. However, the ones that show affection do it differently from cats and dogs. They might stay in closer proximity or let their guard down, but they will not kiss you or lick you as your furry friends would.
More specifically, snakes will not do anything to you with their tongues. This includes licking, poisoning, or stinging. They use their tongues to get around their senses, like tasting and smelling.
You might think that instead of receiving a kiss from your snake, you could kiss it. While this works in theory, it is also severely unhealthy. When you kiss a snake, you subject yourself to the bacteria in its mouth. These bacteria could give you short-term sickness or a longer-term infection. For example, many healthy snakes can give you salmonella.
But if snakes do not give kisses, how do you know if your snake is affectionate towards you? Let’s take a look.
How Do Snakes Show Affection?
Snakes are not prone to or apt at showing affection. This lack of affection stems from a snake’s inability to register the owner as a dominating figure and itself as a domestic animal that needs to obey commands.
Therefore, it would be tough to pinpoint how snakes show affection, mainly because they only tolerate their owner at best. However, snakes behave differently around the people they are rather familiar with.
Snakes can recognize the people who feed them, and they have a different way of approaching such people. It is simple logic: you do not bite the hand that feeds you, and that goes true for snakes as well.
Snakes are generally calmer around the people that feed them, and they do not attempt to harm these individuals. They mainly show affection by letting their guard down. So if your snake lets you handle it and feed it without any tools, the chances are that you have earned its trust.
But earning the trust of a snake is not the same as bonding with one. Therefore, while congratulations are in order for earning a corn snake’s trust, you may still have a long way to go. So, you should know how to bond with a corn snake.
Can You Bond With a Corn Snake?
Snakes are very calculating beings and know not to harm the people who serve their needs. But their ability to distinguish the people who feed them from those who do not rely mainly on their sense of smell. Snakes can recognize you by certain scents and know that it is okay for them to let their guard down. However, they have no sense of companionship.
Therefore, while your pet snake may seem more relaxed around you, it does not allude to a bond between the domesticator and the domesticated. Yet, there are some ways through which you can remain in the good graces of your snake and perhaps spend some quality time with it.
But remember that none of this allegedly quality time will make your future interactions easier. Because with snakes, you will generally want to keep your expectations to a bare minimum to avoid getting attached to an animal that is incapable of reciprocating your affection.
How Do You Bond With a Corn Snake?
A corn snake will not yearn for affection, but you may want to interact with it at least once or twice a week. While they do not necessarily need affection, they still require contact to remain tame. Corn snake handling also works as a form of exercise for your pet, and you can do this once a day.
After you successfully handle your snake, the next step is to get the corn snake used to being in close contact with you or trusting you. A good way of doing this is gently placing your snake on a branch or a substitute so it can slither around and exercise comfortably.
Other options include creating a new home environment for your snake with lots of greenery and climbing options. The key point here is that the more your snake’s home looks authentic and forest-like, the happier it will be.
How Do You Know if Your Snake Likes You?
Just because a snake cannot show dog or cat-like affection, you cannot conclude it does not like you.
Snakes have a unique way of showing their appreciation toward human beings, and it is a lot more complex than you think. A snake will not suddenly start acting differently because it likes you. No, the changes will likely be subtle — and only noticeable over time.
However, there are a few good pointer signs that your snake likes or at least feels comfortable around you.
Some of these signs include
- Displaying comfort when being handled
- An overall relaxed attitude during feeding time
- Unhurried behavior while exploring their surroundings as you are in the room
- Not causing any trouble when it is time for them to go back to their enclosure space.
How Do You Know When a Snake Does Not Like You?
The pointer signs of being liked by your snake seem simple and easy to spot over a certain period of time. But what a snake does when it has no liking towards you will be more noticeable.
Some behaviors that might indicate dislike in your snake include
- Hurried movements
- Seeking cover
- Not eating in your presence or taking the food directly from your hands
- Discomfort when being handled
If your snake behaves rashly and seeks asylum when in your presence, the odds of you two getting along may not be high. But you can slowly change this by trying to
- Show confidence to avoid making your snake anxious
- Keep a gentle attitude
- Hand-feed your snake or remain present during feeding time
- Use tools to pick up your snake for maximum comfort.
Closing Thoughts
Snakes are not inherently bad animals, nor are they out to get you. However, they can be more closed off than other pets and require a specific approach.
Snakes will not kiss you or lick you, but they will display comfort around you to indicate fondness. This display of comfort is your sign that your snake is trying to show affection however it can.
Yet when a snake does not like you, it will keep its distance. To change this, you can alter your behavior in the presence of your snake and help it get comfortable around you.