the bites are more startling than anything, and they're so quick that you wont even realize it until its over with. they're not painful at all, in my opinion. especially babies; their bites feel like a pencil tapping your hand lol. getting popped isn't anything to worry about, the snakes aren't powerful enough to do serious damage. ill be honest, i used a thick knee high sock over one of my hands to pick one of my babies up when i first got it because i was super afraid of getting popped. he didn't to anything at all, just coiled up and stared at the sock like "the heck are you picking me up with?" some tips would be to just reach in at a constant speed, nothing sudden, nothing too slow, and scoop the snake up. don't wave your hand or hover it above them. THAT is what makes them nippy. reach in with confidence. its a little scary at first and the babies may suddenly jerk back or hiss, but that's about all they will do. after a few handling sessions, all that disappears. i still jump out of my skin when mine are sleeping and i reach in to get them and they wake up and jerk back really fast because they didn't know whats reaching in to get them! in all though, these guys are one of, if not, THE most docile snakes to own. they're like tiny puppy dogs (without the painful, annoying teething period- thank god) and are by far my favorite snake species. good luck!