Blood/Short-tails

[Tash]

I haven't been able to find the answer I'm looking for on the Google's so I thought I'd ask here, and it's only a question out of curiosity.

I've taken an interest in the Short-tails but whenever I look them up the adults seem massive in girth. I know they are a thick snake but some of them, especially the blood pythons, look like giant slugs. Are they supposed to look like you can roll them down a hillside? Or is it possible that they are just too easy to overfeed?

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[AriSilvermoon]

They are thick bodied snakes but that being said they are easy to over feed from what I could gather talking to people I know that own them. I got a male a week ago and he's a baby so I am trying to figure out the best feeding schedule for him so he doesn't end up over weight. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer too.

[Tash]

They are thick bodied snakes but that being said they are easy to over feed from what I could gather talking to people I know that own them. I got a male a week ago and he's a baby so I am trying to figure out the best feeding schedule for him so he doesn't end up over weight. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will answer too.

Congrats on the new addition. I've been itching for a new snake. Not sure if it will be a short-tail or not though. I feel like I don't know enough about them to pick one up just yet.

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[Lady mkrj58]

Bloods and short tails are nice chubby snakes with that said they are good at eating, my babies started with 2 F/T Rat pups and as they grow you want to see the girth, 2 years later mine are eating small Rats now. Last nite I feed my Snakes kids and my Borneo Short Tail is really in the Blue but he didn't let not being able to see bother him and found his Rat and had his meal. I do know the Females get larger than the males. Now the nice thing they don't poop for months but when they do its a big one. My Sarge went 6 months before he left me a surprize.

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[Tash]

Bloods and short tails are nice chubby snakes with that said they are good at eating, my babies started with 2 F/T Rat pups and as they grow you want to see the girth, 2 years later mine are eating small Rats now. Last nite I feed my Snakes kids and my Borneo Short Tail is really in the Blue but he didn't let not being able to see bother him and found his Rat and had his meal. I do know the Females get larger than the males. Now the nice thing they don't poop for months but when they do its a big one. My Sarge went 6 months before he left me a surprize.

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That is actually my biggest worry. I don't care about getting bit, it comes with the territory. It's all these stories I keep hearing about these massive explosions every 6 months. Lol

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[GoingPostal]

They are a big bodied snake but it depends greatly on how heavily fed they are too, like all species there are no shortage of overweight ones being kept. They should be smaller at the head and tail and not completely round in shape. I feed my 1.5 year old borneos every 2 weeks and my 2 & 3 year old short tails every 3 weeks. Will probably move the older ones to monthly when they size up in feeders again. Under a year I feed weekly. I keep mostly males that ideally will stay around 10-15 pounds but females usually a bit bigger.

[aahmn]

Yes, they are heavy bodied, but a LOT of them are overweight or obese. With how slow of metabolisms they have, they don't need nearly as much as some people think. I try to shoot for the widest area about a third of the way down, and a taper starting about a third from the tail. If they are not coiled tightly, I don't want to see rolls. Also, when laying on a flat surface, the spine should be visible, but not sunken around it.

I have to admit that my Sumatran Short Tail girl is on the chunkier side - she has the craziest feeding response and I hate when she's hitting the glass because she smells food for the others.

14 yr old male - my ideal for body weight


14 yr old female - good body weight


6 yr old female - thin, post egg laying


11 yr old female SST - on the chunky side for my taste

[Tash]

Yes, they are heavy bodied, but a LOT of them are overweight or obese. With how slow of metabolisms they have, they don't need nearly as much as some people think. I try to shoot for the widest area about a third of the way down, and a taper starting about a third from the tail. If they are not coiled tightly, I don't want to see rolls. Also, when laying on a flat surface, the spine should be visible, but not sunken around it.

I have to admit that my Sumatran Short Tail girl is on the chunkier side - she has the craziest feeding response and I hate when she's hitting the glass because she smells food for the others.

14 yr old male - my ideal for body weight


14 yr old female - good body weight


6 yr old female - thin, post egg laying


11 yr old female SST - on the chunky side for my taste

Yes! See those snakes look attractive to me.

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[Goode05]

shes on the thinner side


male on the thicker side but a great breeder