i use tongs for my girl only because she's starting to get big.. ( not terribly big, 500 grams or so ) but i feel safer feeding her with tongs. she's always been on F/T but she's missed before and when my hand is a similar temp as her rats and probably smells like them because i've been "preparing dinner" i'd rather not have her latched on to me in a feeding strike. poor girl, she missed the memo on her prey being already dead ( she constricts for at least 5 minutes, then decides she's done a good job, and eats her rat).