"Look but don't touch" animals?

[Bogertophis]

... some people say that even though they've worked with their animals their snake has become a "look but don't touch" sort of pet, where they limit handling because the animal is clearly not cut out for human interaction. However, others say that if you work with an animal enough at a patient, respectful speed, all animals can become pets that you can eventually handle.....

The thing is that we're all different AND our snakes have their own personalities too: some of us are undoubtedly better or more persistent & patient about handling
snakes, and some of our snakes -no matter what kind- are more receptive to being handled than even their own siblings. It comes down to both "nature" & "nurture".

Some members of any given species will naturally respond better to handling & be able to overcome their instincts than others, and some of us give up sooner than
others. Just because someone claims a snake is a "look but don't touch" pet doesn't mean that someone else might not have better luck. I've taken in many such
snakes that bit former owners but not me, but if you're happy with a snake that is "display only" that's OK too. It's not as if the snake will complain, but my personal
philosophy about keeping snakes (or any other wild animal in captivity) is that I don't want them to live in fear of the "unknown" -that's us, the big scary creatures that
keep lurking about their cage.

So I do all I can to convey to them that they have nothing to fear: that's the reason that I want to handle a snake. An animal living in fear & feeling cornered is bound
to be more stressed, & that has an adverse effect on their health. Snakes clearly learn & remember they are safe with me as I don't handle them that often, but it's
not unlike their survival in the wild: they learn their way around, where to hide from predators & bad weather or else they perish. Likewise, they learn that I'm just a
safe part of their world & not going to eat them if I pick them up. There are some snakes that truly stay hysterical about human contact, unfortunately, & sometimes
we have to accept that...but we might all draw that line in a different place.