Starting my research

I think bloods are beautiful snakes. I am very interested in getting one soon to add to my collection-not to breed, but just one to enjoy.
My main concern is feeding. I don't want to have to feed guinea pigs or rabbits, due to their size, and price...Is this a requirement for bloods or are large rats sufficient? I have not done any real research at this point, just toying w/the idea of getting one.

Any advice is appreciated, not only on the feeder issue, but any and all will be appreciated. Thanks guys

An all rat diet should be just fine: that's my plan for my two Sumatran females (one being on large rats already).

As stated above, all rats would be just fine!

Music to my ears, I'm officially one step closer...lol
Is the feeding routine for bloods relatively the same for balls? Weekly about 12% of their body weight?

I followed the 10-15% rule when mine were smaller, but when they got on ~small rats I just started eye balling the feeder size and fed every 7 days and my one girl who's on larges I feed every 2 weeks. It's easy for them to get overweight but I've read well known breeders who feed adults weekly, but I've had no problems feeding the bigger ones every 10-14 days.

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Originally Posted by SteveySingle

I think bloods are beautiful snakes. I am very interested in getting one soon to add to my collection-not to breed, but just one to enjoy.
My main concern is feeding. I don't want to have to feed guinea pigs or rabbits, due to their size, and price...Is this a requirement for bloods or are large rats sufficient? I have not done any real research at this point, just toying w/the idea of getting one.

Any advice is appreciated, not only on the feeder issue, but any and all will be appreciated. Thanks guys

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Where/how are you starting your research?

Also, woodchucks (groundhogs) are suitable feeders. And they're free. Think outside the box.

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Originally Posted by JoeNapoli

Where/how are you starting your research?

Also, woodchucks (groundhogs) are suitable feeders. And they're free. Think outside the box.

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Free? I am guessing you mean wild caught? If so you are not going to find many people here to back you on that being a good decision.


I feed my big girl every two weeks. She gets one XL rat and any feeders that were refused.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Free? I am guessing you mean wild caught? If so you are not going to find many people here to back you on that being a good decision.


I feed my big girl every two weeks. She gets one XL rat and any feeders that were refused.

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Wild caught yes, like venison, Brook Trout, etc.

Of what consequence is it if we "are not going to find many people here to back you on that being a good decision"? Are we running for political office, or exchanging ideas re somebody who doesn't "want to have to feed guinea pigs or rabbits, due to their price"?

Parasites, viruses, AIDS? Oh yeah almost forgot that free range wild caught animals are sick and should not be consumed by anyone or anything, unlike rodents kept in crowded trays, sleeping in their own feces/urine, & eating nasty pellets that would make a BillyGoat puke. Scratch that idea - back to rats everybody! Everybody back to rats! :rofl:

A good rat breeder doesn't over crowd trays, cleans the bedding regularly and doesn't feed crappy food.

Goats can chew through peoples walls in their houses so I'm pretty sure they eat anything lol.

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Originally Posted by JoeNapoli

Wild caught yes, like venison, Brook Trout, etc.

Of what consequence is it if we "are not going to find many people here to back you on that being a good decision"? Are we running for political office, or exchanging ideas re somebody who doesn't "want to have to feed guinea pigs or rabbits, due to their price"?

Parasites, viruses, AIDS? Oh yeah almost forgot that free range wild caught animals are sick and should not be consumed by anyone or anything, unlike rodents kept in crowded trays, sleeping in their own feces/urine, & eating nasty pellets that would make a BillyGoat puke. Scratch that idea - back to rats everybody! Everybody back to rats! :rofl:

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You can do whatever you want. I just don't think it is very responsible to suggest using a feeder that may have been contaminated in some way and run the risk of harming another keepers collection. I have a hard time believing you can 100% guarantee that a wild caught animal had not been exposed to some hazardous material or parasite.

I doubt you eat your venison or trout raw.

Consider the sources of your suggestions please OP.

Hey Joe....why the sarcasm man? Just because someone doesn't agree with your suggestion of feeding groundhogs doesn't mean you have to get your panties in a wad.

Here goes my opinion....

Rats are wonderful. I breed my own, and they are kept in nice roomy cleaned daily enclosures. And......when they produce for me, the offspring are just as good as free. :)

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Originally Posted by JoeNapoli

Where/how are you starting your research?

Also, woodchucks (groundhogs) are suitable feeders. And they're free. Think outside the box.

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..um, well I was starting my research on the internet. More specifically the "Blood Pythons" section of www.Ball-Pythons.net

Woodchucks, eh? Never thought of that, but I ain't got the time for groundhog hunting/trapping/or any other form of obtaining them for free-even if I did, I'd probably rather not feed wild animals to my pets-who knows what they've gotten into. Especially around here on the dirty ol' beach lol.

Thank you for the suggestion, though....


I'll probably stick to getting rats from a local breeder. Thanks to all who have given me useful information, keep it coming.

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Originally Posted by SteveySingle

..um, well I was starting my research on the internet. More specifically the "Blood Pythons" section of www.Ball-Pythons.net Woodchucks, eh? Never thought of that, but I ain't got the time for groundhog hunting/trapping/or any other form of obtaining them for free-even if I did, I'd probably rather not feed wild animals to my pets-who knows what they've gotten into. Especially around here on the dirty ol' beach lol. Thank you for the suggestion, though.... I'll probably stick to getting rats from a local breeder. Thanks to all who have given me useful information, keep it coming.

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best place for internet research = youtube

have a look see @ this Blood eating chicken legs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFff4ryq3s

The problem with chicken legs only, is it is not a whole prey consisting of organs.

When feeding mammals (I would imagine reptiles are similar) raw, the diet has to consist of portions of muscle, bone, and organ to get the proper nutrients.

Feeding whole chicks or chickens would be fine IMO. You could get them from a local person who is working with a flock of chickens (personal hobby). They need to get rid of extra roosters and many times are too small to bother cleaning for human consumption.

I also think that once bloods, like balls, when they get to a certain size, they do not need as large of a prey item. My 3000 gram adult females never get large rats, mostly small/medium and they stay well conditioned.

Ryan and Kara have an awesome website with tons of information on bloods. If you don't know them check out some of her past post of what they produce. They are insane! DNACurtusK has also produced some lookers. Check out Lava. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ce-not-always-)

This is Ryan and Kara's site.
http://bloodpythons.com/cms/index.ph...ces/intro.html

Bloodpythons.com, and Curtusforum.org are both very good sites for information in their own rights in regards to this species. BE CAREFUL going off of YouTube videos. I HAVE seen a couple decent ones about this species, but I have also seen quite a few that made me cringe, lol. Best things to do are talk with experienced keepers of the species and gain as much knowledge straight from the source. :gj:

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Originally Posted by aldebono

The problem with chicken legs only, is it is not a whole prey consisting of organs.

When feeding mammals (I would imagine reptiles are similar) raw, the diet has to consist of portions of muscle, bone, and organ to get the proper nutrients.

Feeding whole chicks or chickens would be fine IMO. You could get them from a local person who is working with a flock of chickens (personal hobby). They need to get rid of extra roosters and many times are too small to bother cleaning for human consumption.

I also think that once bloods, like balls, when they get to a certain size, they do not need as large of a prey item. My 3000 gram adult females never get large rats, mostly small/medium and they stay well conditioned.

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I agree whole prey is best. Hair, bones, etc, have been going thru their digestive systems >100million years and adaptations have occurred that can't be reversed. (Now if Americans could only learn to keep the fiber intact with their meals maybe 2/3's of them wouldn't be overweight LOL). It is nonetheless, an interesting video. Few Bloods are tame enough so as to not bite the hand that feeds it while that very hand is feeding it.

And I agree with not needing large prey. I personally very much favor frequent, small feedings vs infrequent, large feedings. Ex: a 50gram feeder daily vs a 350gram weekly. The initial post I replied to read, in part, "... I don't want to have to feed guinea pigs or rabbits, due to their size, and price ..." and so my replies have been targeted to the "price" aspect, which both woodchucks and chicken thighs do in fact address.

However, the "size" aspect may be addressed as well. Small, infrequent meals conclude my daily handling sessions, and my Bloods are well on their way to becoming PR animals. I would not feel comfortable handling them with a large lump in their gut (which weekly feedings would cause), not sure they would be comfortable either, and it can't be conducive to digestion.

Weekly feedings are however more advantageous to large scale breeders, who have large "collections" (as they refer to them), don't have tameness as a high priority, and haven't allocated the time required for daily feedings.

Joe, you oviously have a lot to learn about about snake physiology and thier evolution. daily feedings? :O
larger infrequent feeding is bad for a snakes digestion?:O
YOUTUBE is a good source for information?:O:O:O:O:O
Ive seen your youtube videos of your undersized snakes.

Joe...lack of fiber in the American diet has NEARLY NOTHING to do with most Americans being overweight...rather it is due to our lazy lifestyles coupled with increased fried and fatty foods and most foods being super over processed that make most Americans fat.

Meanwhile the rest of your above post makes me /facepalm....

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Originally Posted by bwt501

Joe, you oviously have a lot to learn about about snake physiology and thier evolution. daily feedings? :O
larger infrequent feeding is bad for a snakes digestion?:O
YOUTUBE is a good source for information?:O:O:O:O:O
Ive seen your youtube videos of your undersized snakes.

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oh yes i have so much to learn from u expert master :bow:

ur just pissed coz i didnt bid on ur garbage last month

hahahaha!

Yeah Joe, this line bred Granite sure looks like garbage to me. Especially since I put a pair up for auction to benefit a fellow blood python enthusiast that is dealing with trials and tribulations of cancer and you must have been too cheap to bid on a quality animal for a worthy cause. Instead you make youtube videos touting your limp snakes that you got from flippers and resellers. Keep tickling their heads and convince yourself they are getting "tame". You are a bargain hunting hack with the husbandry skills of a petland regional manager.
http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1e36d20c.jpg

I see Joe is typing. Stand by for some long winded, disconnected, Jibba-Jabba:banana::banana::banana:

Yes I do agree with you it does in fact look like garbage, an inbred artificial mutant far removed from what the species is supposed to look like. Would stand about as much chance in Nature as a hairless albino rat. Just admit that you are jealous that I bid on NORMALS rather than your garbage because I have zero appreciation of some weird looking snake that you worked so many years at producing. Admit it and move on already. I contributed $430 to that auction to benefit Ken the fellow blood python enthusiast that is dealing with trials and tribulations of cancer in Boston and Maine... on normals (yes normals aka Dinosaur Morphs). And get a life while you're at it, I mean a real life not the pathetic cyber life that you and that kDNA guy on this thread presume to have. I'm gonna spend another $500 tomorrow at the White Plains Expo on the limp snakes from flippers and resellers. Find me there. :P

There it is ladies and gentlemen^:gj:

Joe, do you need me to post the PM's where you expressed interest in this pair:O

Should we tell him that many of the blood morphs are starting as wild caught that were doing just fine in the wild?

The naturalist approach must be why he feeds chicken legs, its natural for them.

And this is why this 'person' was BANNED from my forum. I don't see him lasting long here either if I had to guess.

Blatent rudeness and disrespect towards others.

All this "knowledge" from someone who only owns two juvenile blood pythons, that he's stated on an open forum that he houses them TOGETHER. Shoulda took five bucks out of the money you've been spending on buying more snakes to flip and bought your second snake it's own tupperware enclosure.

All in all you have yet to contribute any legitimate information to any of the threads you have posted on. When anyone expresses a difference of opinion you go straight to personal criticism.

Dude let's be real, you have stated that you think snakes should eat daily. That does not happen in nature. Nor can they choose what size meal they eat in nature. Also, your statement in regards to most blood pythons not being tame is another joke. I am one of 'those' that have a collection as we call them, lol, and only two out of my group have a sub par attitude. I cringe everytime I think of folks who do not know better who stumble across these threads that you post on, and may actually retain any of your advice.

Oh, and I am a woman, not a guy.

You know, if you shut that trap for a little while, and open your ears, you could actually learn ALOT from the experienced and seasoned keepers of the species, who have probably forgotten more than you will ever know. Instead of relying on YouTube as your number one source of knowledge, lmao.