Never did get the snake-as-a-pet thing personally but different strokes and all that...
I guess they can show affection in their own slithery way. Mice and birds do. Although if I were a bird; I’d be pissed off about spending my life in a cage with my wings clipped.
I think all those canaries and parrots aren’t singing songs. I suspect, if we could speak their language, they’d be singing, “Help! Somebody get me the f*** outta here...”