I can't for the life of me figure out why people call these things "pets". They aren't pets, pets can show affection back at you. Those things just see a 2 legged pig that might be just too big to swallow when you walk in the room.
I had one for a long time, years ago.
They do recognize their owners by scent. She did, once in a while, show an unwholesome interest in the cat, but there were no mishaps.
The only trouble we had was that they do sense heat, and she liked to crawl into bed with us on cool evenings. She slept on top of the blankets, but was quite heavy, and that part was a nuisance.
I would tell horrified visitors, "Think of her as a cuddly vacuum cleaner hose with eyes", but it did not seem to help much.
Keeping them well-fed is important when they grow up.
Having a pet who could be in the kitchen, the hallway, and the living room all at once was a feature.
The TV host I mentioned (Austin Stevens...don't know if you've ever heard of him) said that a mature reticulated python could,in fact,swallow a man and he claimed that there are documented cases of that having happened.
Are goldfish pets, even though they aren't cuddly, can't show affection and remain at a distance in water?