Bite me!

When these snakes bite do they hold on and "chew" or do the bite and just not let go?

Also some people have said if you tap a snake on the head (with maybe a snake hook) it gets them out of feeding mode...Is this true for bloods? All snakes? or no snakes at all?

Also where can snake hooks be purchased from online

or do they sell them at pet stores?

I've never heard of any snake "chewing" it's food. Constrictors latch on and don't let go until the prey's dead, then swallow whole.

Also, about the hook thing... false.

You can get some great hooks and supplies from www.tongs.com

I would suggest hook training a blood. I never used to think about hook training until I started dealing with several adult retics and saw the results.

The best way to go about picking bloods up is gently scooping them up from their belly with your hands, and No they do not hold on and chew when they give a defense bite, they just hit really hard as adults....I suggest to try not to touch their heads or tails at any time, seeing as that is what tics them off....just gently scoop them up and do not give them a target like your thumb or finger and let them settle down and do what they want to and go where they want to go.
As soon as they realize that you are not a predator, you can usually free handle them just as you would any other constrictor....Hope this helps

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I've never heard of any snake "chewing" it's food. Constrictors latch on and don't let go until the prey's dead, then swallow whole.

Also, about the hook thing... false.

You can get some great hooks and supplies from www.tongs.com

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oh i meant like i think ppl have said how green tree pythons move their jaws from side to side or back n forth in the swallowin motion?

i though that would be considering chewing seeing as how they do that motion on your arm but your arm stays in the same place as their jaws move back and forth.


ok thanks for the responses.

also i'm worried that once a blood gets to a certain size you cant use the hooks any more because they might break bones or mess up organs because the snakes get so thick and the hooks are skinny

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Originally Posted by mcbrayerreptiles

The best way to go about picking bloods up is gently scooping them up from their belly with your hands, and No they do not hold on and chew when they give a defense bite, they just hit really hard as adults....I suggest to try not to touch their heads or tails at any time, seeing as that is what tics them off....just gently scoop them up and do not give them a target like your thumb or finger and let them settle down and do what they want to and go where they want to go.
As soon as they realize that you are not a predator, you can usually free handle them just as you would any other constrictor....Hope this helps

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yes that did help thanks a lot.

No worries mate!!:gj:

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

Also, about the hook thing... false.[/url]

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Doesn't the existence of "hook-training" for retics and other large pythons mean that the hook thing is true? I've never owned any giant snakes, but I've seen people with hook trained retics and burms, and pretty much yeah they tap the snake with the hook when they enter the enclosure and it lets the snake know that it isn't being fed.

no they dont chew but they may give the impression of chewing as they try to let you go and get there teeth unhooked. I speak from experience :D

Snake hooks you need to be careful with especially a big fat heavy blood adult as you can damage them if not careful. I personally dont use snake hooks on my larger bloods preferring to just lift and pull them out carefully.

Never tap any snake on the head imo Bloods especially dont like you messing with the head or tail, and never panic if you do get tagged they will in general try and let go right after but it can be like getting a fish hook out when they get a good hold.

I wouldn't recommend using a hook to lift a blood python of any age besides maybe a hatchling. You need to work with them and get them used to you lifting them with both hands, firmly supporting their weight.


Trying to use a hook to lift a blood is going to hurt them.

When I go into my girls cage, I make sure she knows I'm there. I stroke her back with my hand and get a feel for her mood. Then just like Justin said, I gently pick her up using both hands supporting her belly and length and keep from putting stress on her spine and organs by completely supporting her weight.

Then when she is out of the cage, I support her length wise on my arm, and hold her upper half with my other free hand. This makes sure she is controlled, and I have all of her weight on me, rather than letting it swing freely which would put unnecessary weight and tension on her spine and ribs.

Connie and Snakey are right. Tapping a blood on the head with a hook will probably have the opposite reaction that you're looking for. I personally won't use a hook for any of my bloods, even the meanest ones. When I'm having to handle my meaner bloods, I wear a Carhartt coat and leather gloves and pick them up like any other snake. Back to the original question a little bit though, I've never had a blood chew on me. I've had a few hold on, but most of the time they let go pretty quickly. They just hit really hard. If you are going to get a hook, make sure you use one designed for large snakes. They are wider and don't have a pointed end.

Hognose and other rear fanged colubrids do chew, not in the same way as mammals.....they work the fangs into place by chewing back and forth.


I have "hook-trained" some of my more aggressive boids.....not to pic them up or by tapping them on the head, but instead by gently rubbing the hook down the side of them right before I reach in, that gets them awake and knowing its not a nice rat laying on em....lol

thanks everyone for your responses. it seems like more likely than not I'll have to use use my regular old hands to do the job of letting a Blood get to know me and I'll probably just wear some gloves or something to that effect.

I think I'll be getting it sometime today, if I do Ill take pictures as soon as i can and put them on here for yall.

One more question please,

I'm kind of confused about how many bloods species/genus there are..Are there two of them? and one species gets much bigger than the other? or are there two genus(es) of them and one genus get bigger than the other.

Also to tell the difference between two species it goes by how deep the red is? or if its more orange- like?

Ok here he/she is.

It did hiss at me but I'm going to leave her/him alone for a day or two.

The woman I got it from said it eats frozen thawed so thats what I'll be feeding it.

I already covered the floor of the bin with newspapers so the snake isnt directly on the UTH.

Can someone let me know exactly what genus/species of Blood I have here.
thanks in advance.


http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...Picture001.jpg

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...Picture002.jpg:banana::banana::D

It looks to me like you've got yourself a brongersmai.

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Originally Posted by Ballpython2

One more question please,

I'm kind of confused about how many bloods species/genus there are..Are there two of them? and one species gets much bigger than the other? or are there two genus(es) of them and one genus get bigger than the other.

Also to tell the difference between two species it goes by how deep the red is? or if its more orange- like?

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There are 3 species of bloods:
p. brongersmai (bloods, reds)
p. breitensteini (borneos)
p. curtus (blacks)

With brongersmai generally being the largest, and curtus generally being the smallest. Color is not an entirely accurate way to tell the difference. I have red, yellow, and brown brongersmais.

Congrats on the pickup

Sorry for the double post, I should have mentioned this the last time, but you need temp control on your uth. Almost all of my bloods spend more time under their newspaper than above it.

You'll fry your snake if you don't control your temps

very nice, yes I agree with George definately a Brongersmai by the looks of it. As said make sure and regulate the temps leave well alone for a while to settle in and find out what you have Male or Female.

The males you have to slap on the back when they do something good and the females you need to stroke their back and talk nice to them just like the real world :P ......I am obviously kidding please dont slap your snake:D

Ok yea I had what i think was a thermostate but i dont think i kept it so ill get a new one how much are those temp guns???

http://www.tempgun.com/main.html

those arent bad prices at all, i thought they were gonna be crazy high.

She also said (the woman i got him from; she said its a him) this stuff below:

He is approx. 6 years old (he is def. male, and is approx. 6 years old, I had a friend at the herp society sex him for me and get an approx. age.).

I feed him one adult rat every other week.

Does it seem right that this snake could be 6 years old and only this big??? :weirdface

do these snakes grow slowly? :confused:

sounds like its growing as slow as a rose hair tarantula

(and yes people i know these are 100% different animals no need to get into all that its just a general growth comparising. stating that rose hairs take forever to get big)

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Originally Posted by mcbrayerreptiles

The best way to go about picking bloods up is gently scooping them up from their belly with your hands, and No they do not hold on and chew when they give a defense bite, they just hit really hard as adults....I suggest to try not to touch their heads or tails at any time, seeing as that is what tics them off....just gently scoop them up and do not give them a target like your thumb or finger and let them settle down and do what they want to and go where they want to go.
As soon as they realize that you are not a predator, you can usually free handle them just as you would any other constrictor....Hope this helps

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this is exactly how i have to handle my blood scoop from the bottom VERY slowly i pet him a little till he stops hissing then i scoop and never touch his tail or head he hates it and will light you up if u go there with him. other than that u respect him and he is the most gentle thing in the world.