Can reptiles be tamed? V 1.0

[mpgt]

This is version 1 of the debate "Can reptiles be tamed?". This thread is not a place to come and insult, mock, degrade or put down members for their views. Engage the debate in the spirit in which it is meant to be debated.

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[mpgt]

This has always troubled me a little. Everyone will have their own meaning for the word "tame". That complicates this debate, but may be the heart of the matter, in the end. I think that within a species, each individual has a disposition (or personality, if you will) influenced by heredity and environment/conditioning. The animal's basic disposition may limit your ability to calm it down beyond a certain point. Others will be more pliable. Then there are some that are calm and easy to handle, even in the wild. Does that make them tame? I guess in the most basic sense, it does. Such an animal may well be more tame than the neighbor's cat or dog...or kid.

So I guess my feeling is that some can be considered "tame". I don't see why some people have the notion that they should always be considered wild animals. How many generations of captive breeding would it take to consider them "domestic" or "not wild" animals?

[mpgt]

Oh here's something else interesting. Rattlesnake roundups remove and kill individuals that give a warning rattle. The ones that don't get caught and killed, are the few that are slow to rattle. They're starting to find rattlers in such areas that will not rattle, no matter how much they're provoked. I think this demonstrates how genetics affects disposition or in this case, displayed defensive behavior.

It also makes me think that selective captive breeding of reptiles for disposition, could yield offspring that are easier to handle. I'm not saying I'd support this. I'm just wondering.

[razeraze]

Originally Posted by mpgt

Oh here's something else interesting. Rattlesnake roundups remove and kill individuals that give a warning rattle. The ones that don't get caught and killed, are the few that are slow to rattle. They're starting to find rattlers in such areas that will not rattle, no matter how much they're provoked. I think this demonstrates how genetics affects disposition or in this case, displayed defensive behavior.

It also makes me think that selective captive breeding of reptiles for disposition, could yield offspring that are easier to handle. I'm not saying I'd support this. I'm just wondering.

Do you have evidence of this? I heard it was a genetic defect that a small percentage of rattlesnakes are born with out a rattle. This means they can not warn off enemies and have to resort to biting.

Tame is a strange word I guess I use "well behaved" more than tame. I have seen plenty people bitten by "tame" domestic animals.

[mpgt]

Saw it on TV, Tom. I'll try to look it up. No, they had full rattles but the natural selection theory has profited those that don't use the rattles. Researchers actually picked them up with a hook, and got very little if any rattle.

[nicolenadia]

I believe, and this is just my oppinion, that the rattler's decline in "rattle", is evolutionary, caused by many years of roundups. I just feel that animals eventually evolve so they can continue acclimating with their environments. I do beleive that they are smart enough to know when they are in danger, and what they can do, over time, to escape that danger. I don't have any science to back that up.....just what I've read of Darwin.

[jtmoney]

My opinion on the matter is this: Domestic animals grave attention (dogs and cats) therefore I consider them actually tame. Reptiles ALLOW you to handle them, they do not need any attention. Its not like a dog which if you ignore will bark and howl at you for attention. If you left a reptile alone, without any unneeded attention, they would be perfectly happy.