I use tongs. I use a blow dryer to warm f/t rats and prescent the room and after that blow dryer has been running for a few minutes all of my snakes are out ready for food. Most of the time my snakes strike almost immediately when I open the tub (I could put just about anything in the tub and they would strike at it). I have a feeling that if I didn't use tongs, I would have a bloody hand after every feeding.