Your misting before handling is a good idea. I never thought of that one. Picking up with a hook works good too. One they're out it's usually easy to trnsfer them to your hand.
This is my experience too with all carpet subspecies. It's amazing how fast they figure out that biting does them no good. Carpets are among the smartest of pythons, IMO. My adults will even come up and check out whatever's entering their cage to see if it's food first before striking. When they smell me they let me do whatever I want, clean, change the water, change a bulb.