I would not worry, I don't think it hurts them much if at all. In any event they control how much or how little discomfort they end up with. Bite harder more, bite less, less. Even a tiny snake brain seems to catch on to that one!

I have also found it sort of lets them get it out of their system and speeds up the ability to handle them with out getting tagged, with sane snakes anyway.

Midwest makes great tongs and they are not that expensive. You can make your own two, old break cable from a bike and such can be employed to do it. I did that when I was a broke kid in the coal region and wanted to field herp for copperheads and timbers.

I thought Neptune was learning to chill? Sound like he is still a hand full!