I don't know if snakes are capable of the reasoning behind, "If I bite they will leave me alone".

I DO know they can learn hissing doesn't always scare us away. My first BP, Nago, hissed at me when I touched him from the day we brought him home. He was scared and it was the only thing he knew to do to show me he could be plenty tough if he had to.

Now, even though he is the tamest of my babies, he still hisses every time I get him out, but I think it is because he feels he's supposed to. Let me put it like this, at first he'd huddle down and back away from me and hiss. I'd pick him up gently anyway and hold him and show him I wasn't going to hurt him. Now, when I go to pick him up, he reaches up for me all excited to get some "mom" time, but as soon as he feels me lift on him, he pauses, and then hisses. After that he's ready for play time. Once or twice he's "forgotten" to hiss, then once I have him up in my hand, he "remembers" and gives me a little hiss. Except I call it "Huffing" since his mouth stays closed.

I do know if you are watching closely, you can tell the difference between a simple S curve that all snakes do all the time, and an 'I'm going to bite you" S curve.

Gale