I've been looking into P. curtis..

[Danny]

I gotta go but yeah I have pics of adults from last year, I gotta find the film and develop it(I know, I know but I don't like posting pics of anything unless It's important but I'll do you the favor. Cypress Mulch works great as you stated before but again don't forget to change it every few days to avoid excess bacteria growing because it grows on mulch regardless.

[emroul]

Thanks alot for all the info. I really appreciate it.

Jennifer

[Kara]

They're not nasty...they're just misunderstood. I have 70 of them in my private collection and even the evil ones are fun to have around, but only because I know what to expect from them. These are not, however, snakes for the uninitiated handler who isn't well-versed in reading snake behaviour, as they can be uppity & aren't as forgiving of husbandry errors as some other species.

K

[emroul]

Thanks alot K. I'll keep that in mind.

Jennifer

[Kara]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Malaysian/Sumatran are the same snake and "blacks" as you put it are Borneos. I've worked with both species for several years, what specific questions would like answered?

Sumatran & Malaysian red bloods - Python brongersmai. Two localities of the same species. Malaysians haven't been imported in large numbers for about 20 years. Sumatrans are extremely prevelant & make up the majority of the red bloods in herpetoculture today, including the various morphs. Don't let the name red fool you - these animals naturally occur in a range of colors from light yellow to reddish chocolate brown.

"Black bloods" - this term is herpetocultural vernacular for the Sumatran short-tail python - Python curtus. The smallest of the short-tail python group, these animals hail from western Sumatra & parts of southern Sumatra. They are considered to be more docile than red bloods and are quite popular in herpetoculture. There are a couple of different forms of this animal - the black/chrome headed type, the head of which ranges in coloration from a rich jet black to a light silver coloration from specimen to specimen, and also the orange-headed variety which is often confused with the Borneo short-tail as hatchlings. Sumatran short-tails start life fairly light & darken up within the first few years.

Borneo short-tails - Python breitensteini This is the most popular of the short-tail pythons (although reds & blacks are quickly catching up) due to their docile nature, robust adult size & ease of maintenance for the keeper with some experience under his/her belt. Borneo short-tails range in coloration from creamy tans to rich cocoa, some with stripes or melting patterns, some almost patternless. There is a population of this species that occurs in Sarawak & is considered by some to possibly merit subspecific status, although DNA work has not shown enough difference between the two populations to merit a change in nomenclature. There are, however, several folks keeping and breeding the Sarawak short-tails in captivity with a strong following. Sarawaks are fascinating snakes - very alert & seemingly active, with a rough, bumpy feel to their scales that is more pronounced than that of Borneo breitensteini or the other two short-tail species.

Just some insight.

K