I use snake hooks for my balls and boas. I would rather not get bit, so I hook-train them. Many times when snakes strike while in their cage, it is a feeding response. Once hook-trained, they know that I am not feeding them when I touch them with the hook. I normally do not actually get them out of their enclosures with the hook, but occasionally will with an aggressive animal. I usually just move them around with the hook, so I can grab them from the back. Needless to say, I hardly ever get bit. I have only been bit twice in the eleven, or so, years I have owned snakes.