The hard truth is, if it has a mouth then it will eventually bite you! In my opinion, snakes are no more or no less inclined to bite than any other animal but if you push them too much, they will defend themselves. Take it slow and learn to realize that if its hissing then it's not the best time to play.
As for the lifting bit, that's called "periscoping" and it's exactly what you think it is.
On live vs. F/T, I would suggest you try F/T first and maybe pre-killed if you get no dice on that, then go to live rat fuzzies/pups/weanlings (depending on the size of your BP) because they're much less intimidating than an adult mouse and typically can't do much harm when you're supervising the feeding.
Good luck!
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