I'm almost 100% this is wrong.

Follow these e-mails from me to LLLReptile about my blood python who will still not eat. Read what they tell me on the last e-mail.

From: Me

Okay I don't know if you remember me but here's my story. I ordered a blood python and anery Kenyan sand boa and they arrived on 03/04/09. The blood python was D.O.A and was reported. I then payed shipping again and ordered another one. This one came alive on 03/06/09. He has yet to eat except for the times assisted. Now I'm NOT asking for a refund or exchange because that warranty has long gone. But I'm just asking what you guys fed them and how you guys fed your problem feeder ones. I'm SO scared for him. He eats when assisted but I feel SO bad doing this. PLEASE reply.

From: LLL

Sammy,

What are you offering it?

Sincerely,

Kevin Scott

From: Me

I've tried everything! From mice hoppers, adult mice, rat pups, and even chicks! NOTHING! I've also tried everything in the book to encourage eating.

From: LLL

Yea, unfortunately blood pythons are picky feeders and can be difficult to get feeding sometimes. We were feeding them small adult mice in paper bags, but they will usually take rat pups as well. What is the temperature inside of your cage?

Sincerely,

Kevin Scott

From: Me

Hot side fluctuates from 81F to 84F.

From: LLL

That's probably why it isn't eating. Blood pythons like it really hot, I would bump the basking spot up to 95 or 100 degrees.

Sincerely,

Kevin Scott
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Okay so I'm not sure but isn't that WAY to hot?

According to the sheet on ball-pythons.net, the temps should be: hot side-88-90, cool side-78-80. Your temps are too low right now.

Describe its setup to me. What are the ambient temps at? Cool side?

NEVER heat a Blood up to ANYTHING over 90 degrees.

My hot spots are at 86, my babies are at an ambient temp of 81 to 82 with NO hot spot, 1 hide, and a water dish, and they're eating machines. They don't like it hot that's for sure!

Goes to show you what LLL knows about they're snakes:D

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

Describe its setup to me.

NEVER heat a Blood up to ANYTHING over 90 degrees.

My hot spots are at 86, my babies are at an ambient temp of 81 to 82 with NO hot spot, 1 hide, and a water dish.

Goes to show you what LLL knows about they're snakes:D

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SEE! Also if I recall correctly, you are the one who helped me out with my setup. And you told me that same thing and I said okay well no hot spot and low 80's. But now I'm being told different. UGHH!

Listen to me, not LLL. I'm no expert, but if you heat your Blood up to even 85, I doubt they'll even feed. And if they did, and were exposed to a hot spot of the mid 90's, you'd get a regurgitation.

Can we run through the setup again? Or maybe a picture?

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Originally Posted by PythonBreeder

SEE! Also if I recall correctly, you are the one who helped me out with my setup. And you told me that same thing and I said okay well no hot spot and low 80's. But now I'm being told different. UGHH!

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I wouldn't go much higher than 90 degrees on the hot spot. Keep the humidity high.
You may try the filling your enclosure with crumpled paper and adding several feeder rodents of the correct size. I had this work on a couple of noneating ball pythons of mine.
I don't know about your setup,but, I'm sure that blood pythons would prefer a smallish enclosure as babies/juvies. If it is really small, maybe just a ten gallon aquarium.
It makes me sick to hear that the first one arrived dead. I received a very sick snake before that later died. It was from a big reptile store also. I'd recomend every one to stick with reputable breeders.

I agree with 2kdime, LLL is wrong. Here is an episode of Reptile Radio, where Kara Glasgow talks about Blood Python Husbandry, etc. You can definitely trust Kara, she knows her stuff when it comes to Bloods.;) And this cleared up alot of confusion that I had too at first.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/reptile...-Blood-Pythons

I wouldn't even give it a hot spot at this point. Babies sometimes seem to be freaked out by hot spots which can be one more stresser.

Best setup is just an ambient of 81 or 82, a small hide, water bowl, and that's it. Humidity not TOO high, 60 to 70% should suffice.

Since you've got him in a tank, can you cover 3 sides of the tank with paper to really darken that cage up?

What are your ambient temps?

Ever had him to the vet for a fecal?

How old is the snake and how long off feed?

This is what he said when called on even LLL's care sheet saying not to go that high.


"Most care sheets and books say that, but Ive noticed that keeping them hotter really helps with the feeding response. When I provide a basking spot of 95, they are always right under the light. Try warming it up a little bit and obviously don't hold him or anything.

Sincerely,

Kevin Scott"

Listen to 2kdime, he knows what he's talking about. Bloods have a slower metabolism, so if you get them too hot the rat will start to rot in its belly before it digests. Not a good thing. We keep our slugs over here at an ambient of 83 without a hotspot and they're bottomless pits when it comes to feeding.

if your having trouble feeding high humidity and heat usually helps to get them started again. like it said... 95 ish on the hot side

Yea definitely listen to 2kdime.. He knows what he is talking about... Bloods are his thing.. And i dont mean to sound rude, but... this is what you get from ordering from LLL..... I think i even did a post about them, with another kid thats bloods came with eye infections...

Not a smart idea at all. Not for Bloods at least.

We CAN get this little guy eating.

We still need to know the AMBIENT temps inside the cage.

How old he is and how long he's been off feed.

Whether or not he's ever had a fecal.

And if you can cover 3 sides of the tank with a dark material to add extra security to this little guy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

if your having trouble feeding high humidity and heat usually helps to get them started again. like it said... 95 ish on the hot side

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They're ALL I've got!!

I don't know it all, but I'll help where I can.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DBD

Yea definitely listen to 2kdime.. He knows what he is talking about... Bloods are his thing.. And i dont mean to sound rude, but... this is what you get from ordering from LLL..... I think i even did a post about them, with another kid thats bloods came with eye infections...

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OMG! I can not believe you said that 2kidme. "we CAN get his blood eating!" It sounds corny to say but that's really nice. Ummm.... the ambient is reading 79.8F. I don't know how old he is since LLL never told me. But he has been off feed since I got him, which was March 6th I think. He's eaten a couple times when assisted just because he was looking really lethargic and skinny. And I'm on the covering up thing right now. Oh and he's never had a fecal.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DBD

Yea definitely listen to 2kdime.. He knows what he is talking about... Bloods are his thing.. And i dont mean to sound rude, but... this is what you get from ordering from LLL..... I think i even did a post about them, with another kid thats bloods came with eye infections...

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You in NO way are being rude. You're right, I should have never purchased from them. I bought animals from them before and was disgusted with the quality but I was stupid enough to buy from them again. NEVER again will I though.

LLL reptiles are crap when it comes to knowledge, animals welfare, shipping, and customer service. They buy wholesale reptiles dirt cheap and turn around and sell them for high prices. Half of those animals have issues with their health. Lots of poor animals don't even make it alive to their new owners. Please listen to 2kidme! He knows his stuff when it comes to bloods. You may really want to get a fecal done on him due to where he came from and their rep not being all that good. His not eating could be cause he is worm / parasite ridden.

I highly dislike LLL. So if I offend somebody by posting this I appologize.

LLL has no regards for their customers, they are a horrible business, and I would never recommend anybody buying anything from them. Everybody I know that has done business with them has always had something bad happen. When you got your DOA they should of taken care of that, also for that guy saying 95-100, he obviously should be in a totally different business as he is totally clueless and now considered a moron.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by andwhy6

if your having trouble feeding high humidity and heat usually helps to get them started again. like it said... 95 ish on the hot side

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Wrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I wouldn't even give it a hot spot at this point. Babies sometimes seem to be freaked out by hot spots which can be one more stresser.

Best setup is just an ambient of 81 or 82, a small hide, water bowl, and that's it. Humidity not TOO high, 60 to 70% should suffice.

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DING DING DING!!!

2kdime knows what he is talking about.

I second (or third) the request for how you provide the heat, how you measure, what you use as hides, how large the enclosure is, and how you offer the food.

Bloods aren't known for being picky eaters, and LLL is 100% wrong. No bloods should be kept over 90F.

Its in a 5.5 gallon tank with a hide, water bowl, and some plants.

The tank could go, but the OP is having better luck maintaining temps and such in the glass tank. Thats fine...

I think the ambients could be bumped up a degree or two...

No hot spot

And covering 3 sides of the tank could be a good start.

I'm pretty sure it gets above 90* in the rainforests of southeast Asia?

Later, Matt

Sure, but you wont find feeding Blood Pythons out in it.

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Originally Posted by DutchHerp

I'm pretty sure it gets above 90* in the rainforests of southeast Asia?

Later, Matt

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Dutch, while malaysia, sumatra and borneo can get very hot, these animals spend most of their time under leaf litter in low forested hills, around and near wet marsh or farm land, where they are likely not being kept at 90 degrees constantly, but probably for a short peak during midday. The evaporation of water cools, and being under this leaf litter, I hazard a guess it is quite comfortable for them, or they seek out cooler areas.

Different animals need different temps. Blood pythons in captivity thrive in the 80's, they do not thrive in the 90's and it can lead to regurges or not feeding. While a short period of time in the 90's is not terrible, any long periods like this is not good for them. I brought this question to Dave Barker once, and he said just as much. I trust his wisdom!

DING DING DING!!!

2kdime knows what he is talking about.

I second (or third) the request for how you provide the heat, how you measure, what you use as hides, how large the enclosure is, and how you offer the food.

Bloods aren't known for being picky eaters, and LLL is 100% wrong. No bloods should be kept over 90F.[/QUOTE]

same here, i have mine 20" male in a 10 gal with ambient temp of 82-86, water bowl and a hiding. he ate two mice today =D

LLL reptile is a joke!!!! I was just in there the other day and they told me because I did'nt cool my female that is gravid right now, that I only had a 30% chance of getting eggs. I bought a female BP from them a couple months ago and it had mites. I would not buy animals from them ever again. Though they do have good prices on other stuff, they should not be selling animals IMO. Sorry bout you dealings with them.

You have already recieved some great advice, but I just wanted to add on a bit. A plastic tub may be tricky at first to get temps/humidity just right, but once you get the hang of it they are excellent for housing young bloods. Mine is kept in a Sterilite plastic tub with ambiant day time temps in the low to mid 80s. He has a hot spot at 86, but I never see him on that side. Humidity on average is 60-80% and he has never refused a meal. Also he is kept on cypress mulch with moss, which he loves to burrow under. Good luck with your blood, I'm sure he will come around soon.

Whatever happened with this little guy? Did you get him eating?

Ok im glad i read the thread i want to get a blood python as a pet i have 15 BP's now im trying to breed but love the bloods - Can anybody help me out with a tank set up i have racks for my BP's but think a tank might look really nice . Just looking for something that get bigger then a BP's but wont get 8 to 10 feet !

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Originally Posted by Haydenphoto

Ok im glad i read the thread i want to get a blood python as a pet i have 15 BP's now im trying to breed but love the bloods - Can anybody help me out with a tank set up i have racks for my BP's but think a tank might look really nice . Just looking for something that get bigger then a BP's but wont get 8 to 10 feet !

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I can't help you with a tank setup because I think it would be too difficult to keep the humidity correct. I have a juvenile borneo in a tub currently that it kept at an ambiant of 82* (no hotspot) with a steady 66% humidity as was recommended on some other forums and he's doing wonderfully. There is no way I would be able to keep steady humidity in a tank. When he gets large enough, he'll go into an AP T10 for life.

Have you joined www.bloodpythons.com yet? Tons of info there. I read every post on that forum and all the posts in this subforum and it helped a great deal.

I had a blood baby that had to be assist fed for a few months. She just never showed interest in food, while the male was eating like crazy. She did end up catching on though. Once she did, she turned into a great feeder and is now 7 yrs old, 6'7" and over 21 lbs. If nothing else works with yours, maybe it will just need help for a little while.

got pictures of her?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by aahmn

I had a blood baby that had to be assist fed for a few months. She just never showed interest in food, while the male was eating like crazy. She did end up catching on though. Once she did, she turned into a great feeder and is now 7 yrs old, 6'7" and over 21 lbs. If nothing else works with yours, maybe it will just need help for a little while.

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Ambient of 83 degrees...60 percent or so of humidity. 90's to 100 is waaaay to hot.