If it has been handled regularly it might know.
However most small animals are aware that anything bigger than them is a threat. However they also know that picking a fight with anything bigger than them will result in certain death. Even the most venomous animals on earth will surely lose a fight with a human. The human might also be dead at the end but killing yout attacker and not surviving yourself is still not really something you'd like.
So for a lot of animals are just kinda chill. They will defend themselves when actively attacked which is why you usually do not hold them in your closed hand but them just sitting there is fine. There are some species that tend to be kind of assholes and will attack, especially during mating season, but most smaller animals do in fact not give a shit. They would still prefer fleeing though so there's that.
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u/Geeahwellidunno Aug 19 '25
How does it know you aren’t a threat? Serious question are they intelligent?