New addition , no name as of yet..

Here is new baby...June '16 "Batik Albino T+" male Blood Python.

No name as of yet.

Good temperament, as in, no throwing himself around with mouth wide open, defecating.

However, not handled much, so he is still very un-sure and nervous. First couple of handling sessions he was tense, watching my face nonstop.
I'm sure if I moved to fast or near, he would have struck. But with gentle, slow movements, he is getting much better already, at handling session #2. Picked him up by hand (instead of hook, like first time) and he just huffed for a second.

Going to take time, since they are no "BP's" but we are off to a good start.

Also took a rat pup a couple of days ago.

I was going to wait until I have a name to introduce him, but I still have no name, so here is "no name"

Excuse the ugly robe. We were "relaxing" and trying to get warm ;)

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...on/large/6.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...on/large/5.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...on/large/4.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...on/large/3.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...on/large/2.jpg

Thanks for looking :)

He's beautiful Zina, congratulations! :)

I sure do look forward to seeing him grow.

Sorry I cannot make better pictures yet.

There has only been a couple handling sessions and they are kept low key, just sitting together. Trying to build some trust.
The phone "in his face" made him nervous, so for now this will have to do. Plenty more to come ;)

And eventually, he will have a name, too :)

He looks like tracks made in the sand. How about Sandy?

OMG you Got Him!!! He looks so cool.. Good size Boy too. Cant wait to watch him grow and keep up on how handling is going. Congrats my friend :gj:

Oh he's gorgeous! What a great addition. Tense is normal, he will relax with time so just keep doing as you are doing.

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Originally Posted by Bassball Fever

He looks like tracks made in the sand. How about Sandy?

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I like "Sandy" but that sounds very feminine to me.

I had the name "Sandor" picked out, but wasn't sure, once I had him.
I like the character Sandor Clegane from Game of Thrones (the Hound). He is big, gruff, but good inside ;)

The more I think about it, I might actually go with that..

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

OMG you Got Him!!! He looks so cool.. Good size Boy too. Cant wait to watch him grow and keep up on how handling is going. Congrats my friend :gj:

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Haha, yes I did !! I will let you know how much Blood I will donate to him, LOL !!!!

So far not to bad, he struck at the phone once, and into the air at a fast moving shadow. He huffs and puffs when picked up (breathing hard) but not even a hiss. Yet.

I have seen some truly fire breathing dragons and how they can fling themselves around, so I'm gonna say, he's not bad ;) Really, he is just scared.

Kind of nice to just sit and relax with a snake, even my Ball Pythons are busier then him, haha. I expect that to change a bit, though, as he becomes more comfortable.
But my Borneo was fun to hang out with, too. He just kept going here and there, but always within reach of me, slowly circling me. And always returning to my hand, to shove his hand under it, "hiding", LOL. God, I miss that big doofus.

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

Oh he's gorgeous! What a great addition. Tense is normal, he will relax with time so just keep doing as you are doing.

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We have all the time !! I just hope he will turn out to be one of those that will be completely "chill" with everything, like the Borneo I used to have. If nothing else, he should become very handleable, he is not one of the spazzy ones ;)

Ok.

His name is Sandor. :)

(like Sandor Clegane)

unless I change my mind again ;)

Really nice!! So bright! I like bloods. They look like giant fat colorful slugs when they get big..

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Originally Posted by cletus

Really nice!! So bright! I like bloods. They look like giant fat colorful slugs when they get big..

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I know, right :)

You would never expect the SPEED they can have. They can strike something behind them lightning fast. And hit HARD.
Very strong snakes, too.

If you have a nice and tame one, so rewarding, though !!

I had a Borneo that got huge. They don't really "wrap" and hold on like other snakes, they are like stiff fat slugs, LOL. I used to wrap him around my waist and then use both forearms to support his upper and lower third in front of me. And we would walk around that way, LOL. He seemed to like it. ;)

Blood Pythons are one of the species that gains color as they grow. They get more colorful and vibrant, the "reds" turn deep red and vibrant.

Here is a picture of a Batik Albino t+ adult. Picture from redbloodpython.com


http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...62926_orig.jpg

Congrats on the new addition Zina. He's a very handsome fellow. I like the name Sandor but he looks more like a Brutus to me. Brutus the Big, Bully, Beautiful Blood. :)

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Congrats on the new addition Zina. He's a very handsome fellow. I like the name Sandor but he looks more like a Brutus to me. Brutus the Big, Bully, Beautiful Blood. :)

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Oh, I like that name, too !!!

My Borneo was called Conan.

I was so attached to him, I was tempted to call the new one Conan II. But then, there was only one ;) And I will make new memories with the new fatty, whatever his name ends up being.

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Congrats on the new addition Zina. He's a very handsome fellow. I like the name Sandor but he looks more like a Brutus to me. Brutus the Big, Bully, Beautiful Blood. :)

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You have such a varied and cool collection. I think YOU should get a Blood Python and call it Brutus ;) You should get along splendidly with him :)

Nice blood python zina to me it looks kinda like dave green's monsoon ball python.

That is some kinda beautiful. Awesome, congratulations.

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Originally Posted by EDR

Nice blood python zina to me it looks kinda like dave green's monsoon ball python.

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Thank you :)Never heard of that morph, have to check it out!

He's gorgeous!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by zina10

I know, right :)

You would never expect the SPEED they can have. They can strike something behind them lightning fast. And hit HARD.
Very strong snakes, too.

If you have a nice and tame one, so rewarding, though !!

I had a Borneo that got huge. They don't really "wrap" and hold on like other snakes, they are like stiff fat slugs, LOL. I used to wrap him around my waist and then use both forearms to support his upper and lower third in front of me. And we would walk around that way, LOL. He seemed to like it. ;)

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I had no idea they were so fast either. I was watching random unboxing vids on youtube and a guy tried to pull one out of the bag and it went NUTS as soon as he touched it and started flipping around and went splat on the floor. It wasn't a full grown adult but was good size. if I had to guess maybe 2000 - 3000 grams or so. They are impressive.

Such a good boy. Still nervous if we walk around or anyone comes close, but already learned the "hands" don't hurt, as he is trying to hide between the fingers as we walk, instead of trying to get away ;) Also not doing anything bad, just tensing up and looking around. When we sit down, he is happy to sit as still as a statue, LOL. If I carefully touch and stroke him (getting him used to being touched) he doesn't tense up or huff at all, I can sit there and "pet" him the entire time and he is good with that.

I swear these snakes are intelligent. He "watches" everything, and he recognizes the room his tub is in, when we walk through that doorway his head and body "head toward" the tubs direction. He also slides off the hand nice and easy when I put him in the tub. With all the snakes I like to keep my hands in their tub/enclosure until they get off by themselves, instead of "putting" them into the tubs. It seems to me it takes some of their anxiety away, when the "return" is slow and gentle.

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/1_1.jpg

That's an AMAZING new addition.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

That's an AMAZING new addition.

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Thank you, I'm SOOOOOO excited to have a fattie again.

I had a Borneo years ago, and he was an amazing snake and the only one I ever lost due to injury/illness. He got a nasty abscess in his mouth and the vet and I figured he broke a tooth and it got infected. He always hit his FT rats SO hard he made the cage shake. He was treated for 4 long weeks. Abraded and cleaned up twice, different antibiotics tried. In the end, I went every other day for shots. I can give shots to snakes, but my Borneo was an adult by then, huge and SOOOO powerful, there was no way it could be done alone. Even between the vet and I, we struggled holding him still. During all this, this wonderful snake NEVER ever threatened to bite or got in any way nasty. He just tried to get away. It broke my heart, but finally I had to put him down. The growth kept coming back and disfigured his face, his eye was being pushed out. One night I watched him restlessly cruise back and forth in the cage and I knew it was time to let him go. He was such a rewarding snake to keep, such a sweetheart and so funny. Never moody, never seemed upset. I was lucky to have him for 4 years but I sure wish it had been longer.

Which brings me to Sandor. Definitely not as tame and easy going as Conan was. YET. He is already doing awesome in those couple sessions, though. We have all the time we need to go as slow as he needs to feel safe and not threatened. Even this process is rewarding to me.

Has he been out today or are you waiting till later? Thats a good yet simple idea you have about keeping your hand in the tub as they crawl back off.. I thought about that last week when I was putting Snappy Sully away and he went in off my hand nice and easy, turned around, "S'ed" up and hovered.. I called him a Nervous Nelly, swore at him and closed the enclosure hahahaha

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Has he been out today or are you waiting till later? Thats a good yet simple idea you have about keeping your hand in the tub as they crawl back off.. I thought about that last week when I was putting Snappy Sully away and he went in off my hand nice and easy, turned around, "S'ed" up and hovered.. I called him a Nervous Nelly, swore at him and closed the enclosure hahahaha

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You and him just have a complicated relationship, LOL !!!!

Yes, had him out for our 15 minutes of quiet contemplation ;) Maybe today one more time, then he is "off" until the next time he eats and for 2 days after.
He is being a good boy and I'm enjoying being able to sit quietly just observing. All my others won't sit still long enough LOL. I know once Sandor gets more comfortable, he will move around more, but they make great "hang out on the couch" snakes.

Sandor took his first FT meal ever perfectly :) A nice plump rat weanling :)
Such a good boy ;)

Thats GREAT!!!! Sounds like you got a good heathy boy to build a relationship with :gj:

Ohh I wanted to ask you.. are you using something to pet him with before you pick him up? I figured you are but i wanted to ask ya..and what does he do just Huff?

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Ohh I wanted to ask you.. are you using something to pet him with before you pick him up? I figured you are but i wanted to ask ya..and what does he do just Huff?

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The first couple of times I used a hook, especially since his face was turned the other way and I wanted him to know he was about to be picked up. I just do a short stroke over the back, and then pick up with hands. Last time his face was towards me and he was aware and awake, so I just picked him up.

First couple times he jumped and flinched a bit and moved his front towards me, huffing a bit. No striking. Last time he just did this short exhale sound, doesn't even count as a hiss. The pickup is best done gently hut deliberately. Not dragging it out. It's when they are most nervous and defensive in the beginning..

He's beautiful, Zina! And, wow... He is huge for a 2016! My 2016 Sumatrans are only half his size. He looks just as big as my 2015 Matrix that we've been talking about. I wish I was as far along with handling my Matrix as you are with this fella, though! lol

He really isn't all that big, he weighed 322 gr before his last meal.

And we aren't all that far ahead of you, he is still not comfortable...

You will get there. Is there a way to get in touch with the breeder and ask him if your Matrix has always been one of the more "expressive" ones? And if he was ever able to calmly handle her?

Just keep on trying. If she never gets AS calm and sweet as some do, don't blame yourself. Just like with other snake species, there are different personalities within. In Blood python the more "spazzy" ones simply put on quite a show ;)
If she never gets to where you would like her to be, you could sell her to a breeder. Someone that will take good care of her but isn't as worried about temperament. She can live happily the way she prefers, minimally handled, and do what nature intended for her. To lay eggs.

However, you aren't there at all yet. She might really just need far more time to "settle" in. Who knows, in a few month she might be watch TV with you on the couch :)

Ask if she was housed in different substrate, anything to make her feel "home" might help. Mine is on substrate he likes to bury in. He has 2 hides. He was still cruising and unhappy until I put some newspaper OVER the hides and substrate and now he happy resides inside of his hides , halfway buried in the substrate. ;)

You must just have really tiny hands that make him look bigger... lol I'm not sure what mine weigh. I just got my new scales yesterday, actually and I need to get all of my snakes weighed in.

I'm still holding on to hope that my Matrix will calm down, because my Sumatrans were acting just as schizo as she is and I seem to have had a break-through with them. I've been planning on getting her a boyfriend for the future as soon as another breeder I know has some ready within the next couple of months. I would love to make some Ivories and Albinos with her in a couple of years. If she doesn't settle down, I will probably try to trade her off for a different one that is calm. I definitely don't want a 30 or 40 pound loose cannon! lol I was actually planning on speaking with the breeder directly soon to find out exactly how much handling she has had and what her temperament was before I got her. She was just one of two that were left when I got her and i'm always a little skeptical about getting "leftovers"...

Some breeders also like to hang on to the best until last..haha.

She may very well calm down nicely. She may just need more time then the young-ins. Until she starts eating, I would do nothing more but the most basic maintenance. I would leave the other little one that isn't eating be, as well. You now know they will do nicely.
Perhaps you can try "leaving" a dead rat with the Matrix to see if she will take it once she has privacy.

Do they have privacy on the sides and back of the tub? Layer more newspaper on top of them, and make sure they are enclosed sides, back and top. They will eat once they feel safe and comfy.

If you want the Matrix for breeding, she should calm down enough to be handled for sure, she may not get to be puppy dog hang out with you for fun tame, but handle-able? Absolutely! And who knows, she may surprise you. But first things first, get them eating ;)

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Originally Posted by zina10

Do they have privacy on the sides and back of the tub? Layer more newspaper on top of them, and make sure they are enclosed sides, back and top. They will eat once they feel safe and comfy.

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Yeah, the sides and back of my rack are closed in... I'm betting that all three will eat on Monday. I shouldn't have even tried to feed them last Monday. It was too soon...

Here is a pic of her tub:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...s%2Fmatrix.jpg

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread and make it about me...lol

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

Yeah, the sides and back of my rack are closed in... I'm betting that all three will eat on Monday. I shouldn't have even tried to feed them last Monday. It was too soon...

Here is a pic of her tub:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...s%2Fmatrix.jpg

Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack your thread and make it about me...lol

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Oh, don't feel bad. I LOVE having someone to talk "Bloods" with :)

Try putting some newspaper on top of the hide and the crumbles. Mine calmed down a LOT right after I added sheets on top of the substrate and hides. Since then he is snug as a bug and happy ;) The sheets are a bit "droopy" now, since I just misted. They covered almost all the area but the very front, covered both hides, in front and in between them. Btw. the tape that holds the probe cable is on the outside of the tub ;)

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/1_2.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/2_2.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/3_2.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/4_1.jpg

You have 2 hides, huh? Your snakey poo is spoiled! >8>)=

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

You have 2 hides, huh? Your snakey poo is spoiled! >8>)=

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Yeah, I had to clutter up that space...the Tub is bigger then the one he was in, didn't want a big open space ;)

I feel ya... It's hard to have exactly the right size tub for every size, species and stage of growth. Right now, i'm trying to accommodate all of the needs of adult Balls, 2 different sizes of Bloods and a year and a half old Boa all in the same rack (temporarily). I'm getting ready to build a new 10 - 41 qt. rack then I need to build a hatchling rack and a few 6' x 2' x 2' display enclosures for the future. And, I still need to build an incubator. This is definitely not a cheap, easy venture to get into! lol

Little Man today..

Picking him was easy, barely an exhale. Can't wait to make some outside pictures, the camera definitely doesn't pick up his gorgeous colors well...

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3760/...3be29d27_c.jpg

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3735/...a765a35b_c.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2867/...7f37487a_c.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/...2f4808d0_b.jpg

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/591/3...818480ec_c.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2810/...e5d8a0f2_b.jpg

Excellent, Zina! Glad to see you're still making progress with him! :)

Cool, extraordinary blood Python zina! Great pickup. He looks amazing...:gj:

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Originally Posted by Albert Clark

Cool, extraordinary blood Python zina! Great pickup. He looks amazing...:gj:

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Thank you :) I'm already quite partial to him!