Two things. First, I'm a horrible scardie cat, which I never expected, and here's why. I took a high school class at my local zoo. We cared for an adult bp that was already extremely used to being held. I'd put him around my neck after class and read till my ride came. I was completely comfortable with him. (I even accidently bumped his nose once, and he just pulled his head back and sat there.)

Now I have my own bp, a young CH, and I'm afraid to pick him up. Like I said, I never expected to react like this.

So anyway, I haven't been bit yet, though I have pet and held him for very short amount of times. I'm okay if his head is looking the other way, but when he turns and his head is closer or on top of my hand, I freak... like sad little chicken : P

I'm not under the illusion that I'll never be bit. Nor would I get rid of him after he does bite me. But I thought learning more about how to handle a snake bite would help. From what I understand, there are two kinds of bites, though I may have the terms off. There's the defensive bite; snake is scared and stressed, he does a quick strike and release as a warning. Then there's the feeding bite; the, 'mmm smells like chicken, let me try and eat your hand.'

The defensive bite I'm not worried about, that one's straight-forward. But what do I do if he bites and tries to constrict my hand? How do I get him off without hurting him or myself further?

I also wanted to ask about gloves. Someone posted once that he/she would rather see a confident owner wearing gloves than a nervous handler without. What kind of gloves do people use? I think I saw someone say thin leather once. Any other kinds work well?

Many thanks!