Angelica, I have never had a snake as a pet either, but I believe that all animals are capable of knowing who is their "owner", the person who cares for them and shows them affection, and that they are capable of showing affection in return.

I have a pet turtle, and even though he is not snuggly and cuddly like my cats, he definitely knows me from anybody else. He is more comfortable around the people he knows than around strangers. He shows plenty of social behavior, but I also believe that it is because he is not caged. He roams the apartment and is free to interact with us.

As far as love, well there are people who will argue that cats and dogs don't really love their humans, either. These people will argue that these animals are simply responding to the person who feeds and cares for them. Personally, I don't believe this.

My turtle likes it when I hold him close and scratch his head. Sometimes he will close his eyes and lean his head into my shoulder. I believe that this is his way of showing affection. He doesn't always do this, but sometimes my kitties also don't feel like being held. My turtle certainly doesn't show affection the same way my cats do, but it doesn't mean he doesn't love me. He just shows it the only way a turtle can, LOL.

I may be silly, but I like to believe that he loves me just as much as I love him. To a snake owner, it's probably the same.