I know a lot of people are freaked out by snakes ,have any of you guys ever picked up a snake,and were you bitten?
I use to play with garter snakes all the time.In fact I had a couple of baby vipers as pets.Never was bitten though.
I've only touched them at tourist spots where you pay to get a photo taken. We don't have snakes in my country so I'm very hesitant. There was one in a bush beside our hotel room in Costa Rica. I took photos and the next day showed them to the housekeeping lady who dragged me off so I could show them to the rest of the team. I'm guessing it was unusual for them too!
I once touched the skin of a boa constrictor that was being held by a handler. Felt like leather. I have personally caught and handled eels (I know, it's a fish, not a snake.) They are very slimy and slippery. One of them was quite large and snapping/biting furiously the whole time I was trying to get him unhooked. Would have been a nasty bite, I suspect, if he had gotten me, but it did not happen.