What is "tap training" in snakes?

Question

In this answer I saw reference to "tap training" when handling snakes.

What is it, and do I need to learn it?

Answer 1

Tap training is a technique for condition training a snake, designed and shown to improve your safety when handling it.

The precise method can vary, but in essence it always consists of giving the snake a particular signal to indicate that you are about to handle it. Some people recommend using a hook to lift it, some recommend stroking the snake gently with a hook, while others simply tap the snake's home in a particular way before opening the door.

Whichever you do, the principle is the same: to train the animal such that it learns that the next thing which happens is neither food nor a threat. It creates a variation of the conditioned response which Ivan Pavlov famously showed in dogs.