Ball or Blood?

[dboeren]

I used to keep snakes in the past (mainly boas and corns) but it's been quite a few years. Anyway, I'm interested in having a snake again and I think I've pretty much got it down to either a Ball or Blood python and I'm hoping you guys can help me decide.

I'm either looking to get one snake, and maybe get a second someday down the line if I decide I want to try a breeding project. Obviously you can do a lot more variety of projects with Balls than Bloods but a lot of the fancier morphs come with bigger price tags and you're looking at two of them of course. Not a deal-killer though and there ARE some less expensive ones that look pretty nice on morphmarket if you browse around.

Bloods look pretty cool even as normals though and even a T- or Ivory isn't that pricy. I could probably even drive down to RepTillis to pick one up in person since we get down to Florida periodically.

If I get a Blood I will go with a male since they are a bit smaller and therefore more wife-acceptable With a Ball it doesn't really matter that much as both genders are not so large. Initially I'll have a tub setup but I also own a 4x2x1 Boaphile cage I can use down the line - leftover from my last Boa Constrictor quite a few years back.

I've been doing a lot of reading and watching videos about Bloods and I know that their reputation for aggression is misleading and outdated - they seem to be pretty mellow snakes although there may be some hissing/huffing. However, I've also heard some claims that because they don't climb they need to be more supported and don't wrap around you like a boa or corn so you have to be careful they don't make a quick move and fall which undermines their trust. Is that accurate?

How long do they like to be handled? In my experience a boa or corn is fine to hang out quite a while. Is a Blood sort of a "lap snake" that will chill out with you watching TV or will they want to go back in their tub after a few minutes?

I have a 6 year old son, is a Blood pretty cool with children (supervised)? As in I'd be holding the snake but he can pet it, and I can tell him to touch it away from the head.

Is it pretty easy to keep the humidity at their preferred level? I'm planning to do some tests with my Boaphile cage and monitor the humidity with a water bowl and/or some misting for a few days to see how well it holds stable.

I'll be attending Atlanta Repticon this weekend to gather more information and hopefully get to see some Bloods in person as well as some Ball morphs but I'm not looking to rush into things and plan to purchase later on.

Thanks for your help!

[PythonBabes]

Looking forward to answers, blood pythons are my favorite snakes. I'm looking forward to owning one.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I'm sure Zina will be able to address this when she is on. She has both. I really like bloods but they are out for me right now. My reptile room is geared 100% to balls and my temps are too high to keep bloods.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Depends on your experience level and expectations, bloods are not a beginner snakes and even a male can reach a good size (think 28 lbs for example which is a big difference compare to a BP)

Lots of bloods out there are imports and it is very important to get a blood from a reputable breeder who works with them, those are again not beginner animals and need to be work with on a very consistent basis unlike BP which could stay in a cage without ever being pick up and not have any issue, do that with a blood and you are in for a nightmare.

If you are thinking about a BP or a Blood some serious research and not do not make an impulse buy especially not a blood impulse buy.

Here is a good source of info for you.

http://bloodpythons.com/cms/index.php/husbandry

http://www.bloodpythons.com/forums/

[rock]

I have two kids, 5 and 8 years old. Each of them have a Ball Python of their own that they are able to handle easily and I feel very confident each time. Your 6 year old will want to be involved and you will want him to be.

I now have a Bredli for myself. The kids are fine with not handling him at the moment because they have their own. It would have been difficult to start with anything else that wasn't a known "beginner" snake with the kids as curious as they are.

[dboeren]

Thanks for the links Deborah, I will read through all of them. Yes, I will only be looking at animals from reputable breeders no matter what I get and taking my time with research. For a Blood, that would likely be RepTillis as we pass very near their location when traveling down to Florida from Atlanta which we typically do several times a year.

28 pounds sounds large for a male, most of the documents I've read cited 30 pounds for a large female and that males were more like maybe 20 pounds. Is this for an animal that was power fed, or just natural variation?

My prior snake experience includes several boas and corns, one California Kingsnake, and a Spotted Python. I've also had a trio of Bearded Dragons, a Spiny Tailed Monitor (which we still have), and a variety of tarantula species. The snakes were all quite a while ago, I started with the boas back in college and I'm 45 now. I feel confident that I can provide proper living conditions, but if Bloods require handling every day to stay friendly that might be an issue.

I'm also potentially open to other species recommendations (that don't get TOO large) but I know very little about Morelia and prefer the look of Bloods over the Sumatran Short Tails as I'm told they turn black with age and I'd prefer a pattern of some sort. Borneos may be OK and I understand they're a little smaller than Bloods but I haven't found a lot written about how they change appearance as they age and they seem quite a bit less popular. I think visiting Repticon this weekend will help a lot to get a clearer picture of what I like and don't like as well as what adult sizes are like for various species. Again, just going to look and learn, not purchase. Anyway, if you think I should look at something else it needs to fill these criteria:

1. Must be friendly to handling
2. Must be able to live in a 421 Boaphile cage at max size (I'm willing to select the smaller gender which is typically males)
3. Should be attractive in appearance, which basically means some sort of color & pattern and not plain mud-brown or something
4. Needs to be available at a reasonable cost from quality captive breeders
5. Having at least a few color/pattern morphs is probably a plus


Back in the old days when I was single, the easiest solution would have been to get a Ball first and then potentially add more snakes of different species later on if I wanted to grow my collection. At this point though my wife wants to limit to one snake which of course puts some pressure on my choice. There may be more leeway down the line, but it's hard to predict so I want to keep to the assumption that I'm only getting one.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

28 pounds sounds large for a male, most of the documents I've read cited 30 pounds for a large female and that males were more like maybe 20 pounds. Is this for an animal that was power fed, or just natural variation?

Actually no, nothing ever larger than a retired breeder rat every 10 to 14 days, just like in BP you do not need to feed them a ton for them to grow steady and get big, genetics have a big part in it, yet there are still people out there that feel like they really need rabbits

[CALM Pythons]

From what I've seen of Bloods they are not a Snake for young children to be around for touching ect... They pack a punch like Mike Tyson and that will be the end of a child's interest and your wife's understanding period lmbo
Id say a cool Ball is up your alley... The Russo White Diamonds amaze me.. There are some gorgeous Balls out there... Then next year if you want another snake get one you want thats off limits to the fam...


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[dboeren]

From what I've seen of Bloods they are not a Snake for young children to be around for touching ect... They pack a punch like Mike Tyson and that will be the end of a child's interest and your wife's understanding period lmbo

Id say a cool Ball is up your alley... The Russo White Diamonds amaze me.. There are some gorgeous Balls out there... Then next year if you want another snake get one you want thats off limits to the fam...

That's a good point, perhaps it's better to take the long view here. Concentrate on getting something that is foolproof and will help break down the one snake barrier.

I think this is my favorite Ball I've seen so far:

[CALM Pythons]

That is cool !!!!


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