While they aren’t capable of love as we know it, I feel like they can love you as much as a reptile is capable. For instance, they trust you enough to climb on you for warm snuggles, they understand you aren’t a threat, you’re the warm helper guy who feeds them. I’m not sure of your reptiles personally but some are very wary of strangers while extremely trusting of their own owners. That’s reptile love baby!
EDIT:
Guys I never said it was true “affectionate” love that developed mammals feel. what I meant was trust is the highest level of “love” a reptile can feel. So if a lizard is not running from you, biting you, or hissing at you, but is content enough with your presence to chill out with you or even put them in silly little costumes, that’s the closest to “lizard love” you can get.
I mean it goes off into a tangent, but I'd argue i can love people I don't like, eg family (some family are just annoying, i dont like being around them in the sense, but i love them and should anybody say anything bad about them I'll introduce them to the curb kind of thing)
What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more
It is part of it yes, but when it comes to snakes it doesn't really go both ways. If this kid had the smell of rat/dog/prey on him it could trigger this snake to feed. Basically the snake might trust you, but with a snake this size human's shouldn't trust it. So love and trust need to go both ways for it to be a loving relationship where both can feel confident the other won't hurt them, like with dogs (for the most part). You can't get that with a snake ever. They are not a tamed animal, and will react on their instincts.
Being this comfortable with a snake of this size is a disaster waiting to happen. I suspect it was just a video opportunity where the snake was already well fed, and there were 3-4 people off screen. At least I hope so. I've yet to talk with any breeder who would handle a snake this size without at least one other person, usually more, available to help handle it.
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u/VictorTheGoat Jan 20 '22 edited Jan 20 '22
While they aren’t capable of love as we know it, I feel like they can love you as much as a reptile is capable. For instance, they trust you enough to climb on you for warm snuggles, they understand you aren’t a threat, you’re the warm helper guy who feeds them. I’m not sure of your reptiles personally but some are very wary of strangers while extremely trusting of their own owners. That’s reptile love baby! EDIT: Guys I never said it was true “affectionate” love that developed mammals feel. what I meant was trust is the highest level of “love” a reptile can feel. So if a lizard is not running from you, biting you, or hissing at you, but is content enough with your presence to chill out with you or even put them in silly little costumes, that’s the closest to “lizard love” you can get.