I have 2 ball pythons that have been living in a 60 gal terrarium quite happily for many years. One is very even tempered, the other (admittedly) is a biter and has a more unpredictable temper.

I'm pregnant (almost 4 months) and need to de-bunk some myths about snakes, pregnant women and babies so that my husband doesn't try to force me to get rid of my snakes. I'm aware that these may be very stupid questions, but my husband seems to need answers coming from someone else's mouth.

1) If I handle my snakes in the coming months (which my family is already trying to get my not to do), will the snakes be more likely to try to strangle me because they "smell" the pregnancy as a weakness?

2) Are there any potential diseases that they might carry that will affect me?

3) Are the snakes going to smell the baby after it arrives and smash their way out of the tank to kill and eat it? In other words - are they somehow going to see the baby as prey and be a danger to it if they aren't kept securely caged?

4) Is there any reason - no matter how slight - that I should not handle my snakes regularly during my pregnancy?

Thanks in advance for the answers.