I think this goes back to whether or not they have emotions. Reptiles just don't have that capability. They can grow to trust you in a sense - because they know you bring them food and water and you haven't harmed them so they eventually stop seeing you as a danger. They sometimes do get attached to a person in the way that they get attached to their habitat or cage mates - in that they hate change and automatically see any new caregiver as an enemy. But a true emotional attachment to a person or even another reptile is beyond them.

I think because we love them, when they come to us without fighting, or to share our body warmth, we want to veiw it as though they love us too.

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"Let's eat, Grandpa!"
"Let's eat Grandpa!"

Punctuation. It saves lives.

Love is purely a Humanic emotion, attributing human like emotion to non-humans is anthropomorphism. It's nice to think that your reptile/dog/cat "loves" but they do not, that's not to say they don't have an affinity toward the hand that feeds and protects, but love no.

The real question is do we love, or is it just varing degrees of affection, as we age our individual definition of love develops, what what exactly love is if left to individual interpretation.

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~~~~ Someone is always listening, whether you want them to our not . . . now I've said to much. ~~~~

5.9.3 Leopard geckos
2.2.0 U. Phantasticus
0.0.3 D. Auratus
0.0.2 D. Azureus
0.1.0 Homosapians
0.1.0 Ratterrier
0.0.0 Cats!!! (We're Dog & Lizard People)
http://home.comcast.net/~tha3rdman

I vote yes... although I don't think reptiles "love" us in the same way we love them, I think they do learn to recognise their owners. Many of our animals show signs of recognition and this is most easily seen when another person visits us, whom the reptile isn't familar with, and acts differently with.

I think we, as humans, like to give our animals, emotions that we understand but that they don't necessarily have, but I do think they have more emotions than some humans give them credit for.

I like to think my babies love me anyway...

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

I dont think that my animals love me, they see me as the big hairy thing that brings them food and clean their mess up.

omg I just loved that video! It reminded me of the prehensile-tailed skink I used to have years ago, Guido he was soooo much fun.
He was just huge...but a big sweety.
I voted yes. But it all depends upon the reptile. Lucy definaletly loves it when I am around her but she barely tolerates anyone else. I think its trust with her cause she was so abused before I got her.
They really know who takes care of them.
But its not love like we humans love.
Its reptile love LOL

I voted yes. My reptiles show individual personalities and different likings for people and things. I know they are not considered that way by many people, but it's my opinion. Once had a pet store owner tell me women are the only ones who feel that way about their reps, because it's a "girly thing" to give feelings to animals. btw, several of the reps he had absolutely hated him. They all got removed in a state raid on illegal reptile trading anyway.

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Kat

Serves him right. I beleive Reptile's can feel some level of affection, Maybe even love, however love is a human word, i think non-human animals would consider attatchment love. How many stories are there of animals risking, or giving there life to protect a human, All animals feel the need to survive, any animal capable of giving that up indefinitly feels love, be it in a different sort of way. I dont know if id say reptiles love, but I think its safe to say reptiles Can love.

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"Nobody can do Everything, but Everybody can do Something."

My mali's love me ...................

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Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.

I think they definitely know and trust the ones that care for them. LOVE well I think thats what we want to think but not sure if any animal feels love the way humans do. But I do know they love the attention and affection that we give.