OK, the pet store told us to wash our hands after handling the snake and not to kiss the him (risk of Salmonella). We held out for 2 weeks. Now, we kiss him quite often. (I think the hand washing has gotten lax, too.)

The kissing started with my 3 and 6 yr old sons. My 3 yr old kept asking if he could kiss Mr. Snake (the BP). The 6 yr old wanted to, but resisted. Finally, we broke down and said, "OK, you kiss him first, and if you aren't sick within 3 days, we'll kiss him, too."

Mostly my 3 yr old and I have kissed him. My 6 yr old did it a few times. My husband has not gone on record as having done so (yet).