I have a metal band. Can that hurt my baby?

[Lizardlicks]

although I agree with everything you said... I've owned a few ball pythons for a while now and will sometimes hold them for hours at a time (like when watching TV or a movie) and I'll just let them chill in my hands or on my lap, and not any of them have ever seemed the least bit stressed out during or after doing that, in fact - they love the attention and getting out of their cage. I've also found that the more you hold your bp, the less skittish they will be. this is just what I've noticed after a while with all my girls, I think ball pythons do best when given lots of love and attention, so that's what I do and I couldn't have better bp's (look and personality wise)

Handling ball pythons regularly will certainly desensitize them to human interaction, and I do think there is some merit in taking your pet out of it's enclosure for some enrichment, but BPs are a shy, retiring species. They do not seek human interaction, they are not mammals and do not need socialization to be happy the same way you or I, or a dog or cat would. Every time you handle a snake, you put at least some stress on it. Each animal is an individual, and will handle the same level of stress differently than the next, same as any living thing. Stress is also cumulative, and can add up over time. You might not see any behavioral changes right away. You might not even see it at all in the snake's life time other than having your animal live only 20-25 years, rather than 25-30+.

Hold your snake, enjoy your snake, by all means that's why we keep them! But also remember to take your pet's needs into consideration, and put them before your own personal gratification.