Is it not poisonous? Because of how dangerous the snakes we have here are (almost all of them are poisonous), I have developed some level of fear and hatred for snakes. When I was a kid, my dad had a bad experience with one. It wasn't funny, he almost died, the leg got swollen so bad he couldn't wear a shoe for three months.
So, when I see guys play and hold snake the way you do, it gives me the bump.