This story really creeps me out.

[The Dharma Bum]

Well, except the little kid suffocation thing.

[Winchester]

[PoS]

[The Dharma Bum]

[Professor]

I've had a few snakes. Ball python, speckled king snake, etc. Mostly while in college. I loved letting them climb up and sit on my shoulders.

Even the poisonous ones, I'll try to move them along without killing them. Now that I live in the city, never really see much beyond the random garter snake.

I do enjoy the challenge of catching the non-poisonous ones with my hands. It's a good mental exercise. Of course, most of your brain is telling you "fire! foe! flee!" But, if you can tell that part to shut up, and then distract it with your left hand while maneuvering your right close to the back of it's head or tail, you're in good shape.

Even when they bite, it rarely does permanent damage (<3' ones, that is). Never been bitten by one larger.

[Winchester]

[NAB]

Many years ago I when I was doing construction work, my construction manager was a amateur Herpetologist, and a member of some local groups involving snake research (some people have weird hobbies). I went to his apartment once and he had all these very professionally done cages built in his closet filled with all varities of snakes. Yes, some were poisonous (he had a big red x on their cages). I asked if his neighbors knew, and I think everyone knows the answer to that....

He told me the only time he was ever nervous with these snakes in his house was the time he had a black mamba temporarily (the owner was getting some work done on his home). WTF dude?

f**k creepy.

[Winchester]

[eynon81]

this thread is waffling from Alpha-male (baby rattler at the frat party!) to the male equivalent of the crazy cat lady (amateur Herpetologist).

[The Dharma Bum]

I've held a tame mangrove snake before. It's a mildly poisonous rear fanged snake. Pretty nervous. lol