Snakes have feelings too

Last week, I wrote about a cat named Luke and the grief he was experiencing a few weeks ago, when one of the snakes that he shares a home with passed away. He spent about 24 hours laying on top of the snake cage, where the remaining snake still lived, dealing with his grief. After having time to process his feelings, he seemed to be feeling better and was back to his old self again.

This week, when I was at the house, their guardian told me that Luke was back to laying on the snake cage again but she wasn't sure why. She wanted me to talk to him and see if I could find out.

When I checked in with Luke, I inquired as to whether he was still feeling sad about the snake that had passed away. He let me know that he was feeling better, but that the remaining snake wasn't. He was very lonely and missing her a lot. Luke let me know that the snake really wanted another companion. He had been laying on the cage trying to keep the snake company, as he didn't want him to feel lonely, but it was only helping so much. While the snake appreciated Luke's effort to keep him company, it wasn't the same as having another snake to hang out with.

Their guardian and I were both very touched and she said she'd make sure the snake had a new companion as soon as possible. I have to admit, I was surprised at first. I guess since I don't work with snakes, I am not accustomed to tuning into their emotions. I have not thought of them as the emotional beings that dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, etc. are, but after thinking about it, I realized it made perfect sense. Why would animals have feelings but not reptiles. After all, they are animals as well.

It also got me thinking about the fact that some animals really need another animal companion and some do not. Some animals prefer to be the only animal in a household and other animals aren't happy unless they have the companionship of another animal. Even with those animals who want companionship, it doesn't necessarily have to be their own kind. Some dogs are perfectly content to have a cat as a companion, while other dogs only want to have another dog to play with.

No two animals are the same, because they each have their own needs and their own unique personalities. I believe it is very important to treat them as the individuals they are and not make generalizations about their needs. Sure, they all need food, water, shelter and love, so some of their needs are the same, but not all of their needs. The better we understand that, the better we'll be able to meet the varied needs of our animals.

For me, thanks to Luke, I'm looking at snakes in a whole new way, and will make sure that from now on, I am always honoring the fact that they have feelings too.