I don't let people handle my snakes if they're being jerks about it. But if they're curious about snakes and show a respect for the animal, I allow it.

I'm there to watch and make sure that both the snake and the handler are safe. I've had many people who were afraid of snakes hold my snakes over the years and it's often the first snake that they have ever touched. It happened again yesterday and I never get tired of watching their expressions change as they find out that snakes aren't slimy or nasty or mean.

Usually I start them out with the snake on a table in front of them and letting them touch the snake's back and tail. Within a few minutes I place the snake in their hands and explain how to support a snake so that it is not afraid. If I approach them by letting them just touch the snake first and work up to holding it, I find that a whole lot of people who are "afraid" of snakes end up liking them.