Considering getting a blood...love 'em or hate em'?

[tsealock]

From what I can dig up, people either love them are hate them. Are these really bile shooting hell-beasts or sweet wittle cuddly sausages with heads? And what kind of pets do they make? I'd love to hear more opinions from owners considering the crazy stuff I've found on Yahoo answers...

Thanks everybody!

P.S.

I think bloods are by far some of the most beautiful and impressive snakes I've ever seen, but I can't enjoy an angsty snake

[purplemuffin]

I've heard they get a bad reputation mostly from people who get wild caught animals, those are supposedly near impossible to tame down. I got to hold some real docile ones at a show, and I know some people who really enjoy them.. But they are a bit more feisty, so you'll just have to be more careful! As long as you learn to read your snake for stress most animals do tame down, just not every animal will(same is true for all species!)

[2kdime]

They're just like any other snake

Some are feisty, some are puppy dogs.

Proper housing is a must to helping them feel secure and happy.

Handling them as babies really helps as well.

I LOVE them!

[tsealock]

That is a gorgeous blood! I want one even more now! They look massive, but really are not that long it seems.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Getting them from a good source and working with them from a young age really helps, in other words avoid getting a wild caught animals from someone that does not take the time to work with them.

They are less forgiven when it comes to husbandry than other species which means do your homework.

I have loved blood for a long time and took me a while to decide on getting one (I wanted to make sure I was ready for one), I had the opportunity to handle some large adults and it sealed the deal.

I only have one blood and I adore him, hard to resist that face

[tsealock]

Ya, I've been doing a lot of research on their humidity requirements. I've been waiting for the expo this weekend so I can handle some and get an idea of what I'll be dealing with.

[kristan]

Love them...as a species I haven't found them to be any more feisty than the avg boa or bp. I've had bloods for about 6 years (although I've always had very small collection) and have yet to be bitten or musked despite handling them frequently. Most of the bloods I've owned were calm from day one but I had an albino a few years ago that was sold to me as a *insert bad word here*..the seller's wife thought she was the nastiest of the lot. She was absolutely terrible for the first 3 or 4 months that I had her, striking at the side of the caged when you walked by, whipping you with her tail, etc. But after those few months of careful handling (and throwing one of my old T shirts in with her) she calmed down considerably and was very easy to handle, she actually turned out to be the one my friends and family members would want to "pet" (I don't think anyone I know is really too fond of actually holding any of my snakes). I'm still regretting selling her.

[Monster Dodge]

I had a Sumatran Black Blood a few years ago. He was cool when he was small and I didnt care if he nailed me but he was just always mean. When he got bigger I was completely intimidated by him. The constant striking and hissing..... I just could no longer deal with it and sold him. It was just no longer enjoyable, so I did us both a favor.
That was my first and only. They are awesome looking though

[aahmn]

Absolutely love them!! I got my first pair of red blood babies almost 9 years ago after keeping ball pythons for 6 yrs. One was really feisty and always tried to bite, and the other bit on occasion. When they matured, they both calmed down and are easy to handle - one a bit more than the other, but I use them at educational events and they do very well. My Sumatran short tails (black bloods) are perfectly sweet and didn't even try to bite as babies. I have 6 short tails now, and not a single one is hard to handle. I even feel comfortable letting my little nieces and nephews hold them - with supervision, of course. I realize that a few may be very defensive, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

If you're comparing them to ball pythons, I'd say that they are harder to get out of the cage because they are very food motivated, but once they're out they are more curious. They seem to watch you a little closer and have a bit more 'personality.' I just like everything about them!

[tsealock]

I can see it really depends on the snake, the thought of a great eater is enticing!