by Professor » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:00 am
I've had a few snakes. Ball python, speckled king snake, etc. Mostly while in college. I loved letting them climb up and sit on my shoulders.
Even the poisonous ones, I'll try to move them along without killing them. Now that I live in the city, never really see much beyond the random garter snake.
I do enjoy the challenge of catching the non-poisonous ones with my hands. It's a good mental exercise. Of course, most of your brain is telling you "fire! foe! flee!" But, if you can tell that part to shut up, and then distract it with your left hand while maneuvering your right close to the back of it's head or tail, you're in good shape.
Even when they bite, it rarely does permanent damage (<3' ones, that is). Never been bitten by one larger.