hoping to get a blood soon

[paroxysm]

hey, all.
i am falling in love with a specific blood i found on fauna.
before getting him though i am doing research to be prepared.
i already have a ball python so this would be my second snake.
this isn't really a question, but more of a hello.
let me know your experiences with bloods and short-tails

[GoingPostal]

Personality or husbandry? They like it cooler, low 80s is perfect, good humidity but shouldn't be soaking wet in the cage or anything. They can be jumpy and nippy when young but usually settle down really well although they are talkers and will huff/hiss a lot. Look at the parents to get an idea how the babies will turn out color wise.

[Aedryan Methyus]

Hi paroxysm,
I just got my first Blood back in March of this year and now I have 6 of them already if that tells you anything... lol I fell in love with Bloods and Short Tails a few months ago and watched every video and read every webpage I could find while researching them. I ended up setting out to get at least one pair of each species. So, now I have a pair of Sumatrans, a pair of Matrix Bloods and my new pair of Marble Borneos will be arriving on Thursday. I don't even want to know how many offspring I will end up holding back in the future! lol I'm pretty sure i'm going to end up on the Hoarders TV show, though... lol

The popular consensus about Bloods and Short Tails is that they aren't for beginners. Myself, I have mixed feelings about that. If people do their research and fully understand what they are getting into I don't see much reason why they shouldn't be just as good of first pet snakes as Ball Pythons or Boas. I feel like Bloods/Short Tails have sorta acquired the reputation of Pit Bulls, whereas Ball Pythons have acquired the reputation of Poodles due to misconceptions. Ball Pythons have simply been being captive bred and raised for much longer and therefor became popular for being docile animals a lot sooner than Bloods and Short Tails. An adult Blood's massive size in comparison to an adult Ball certainly must add to the intimidation factor as well. My personal experience so far has been that they can put on quite an intimidating show if you show them any signs of fear or hesitation when trying to handle them. I do think it is mostly just a show, though. I think the underlying factor about Bloods not being not being recommended for beginners is that they can take a little more patience and handling than other species to get them calmed down. I would probably agree with that. The fact is, ALL species of snakes can be a little bitey and defensive as babies, because they are still prey at that size in the wild. Once they realize that you aren't going to eat them they begin to settle down. I don't have any adult Bloods yet at this point, but it is my understanding that they continue to get more and more docile with age. All of the Bloods and Short Tails that I have came from breeders with larger numbers of animals, so none of them had much handling prior to me receiving them. My new Matrix boy has been a total sweetheart since the moment I unboxed him. The Sumatrans became total sweethearts within one month of interaction. My 2015 female Matrix was a little older when I got her and had very little handling before I got her. She definitely put on quite a show for the first 2 months every time she saw a hand heading into her tub. I claim a lot of the responsibility for that, though. She had a little size on her, so I was very hesitant and intimidated every time I would try to pick her up and she would just throw her whole body around, but never actually tried to bite. Then one day I said enough is enough. I let her know I was there with my snake hook then picked her right up. We have been friends ever since! I do recommend hook training with these guys...

As far as care goes, the only difference between Bloods/Short Tails and Ball Pythons is they require lower temperatures, more humidity and as adults, larger enclosures. You don't want to use glass aquariums with Bloods, because they do not hold humidity well. One of the awesome parts about Bloods is they only poop once every few months. None of mine have ever even pooped yet since i've had them! lol They do urinate, though. Bloods are famous for having shedding issues, but so far all of mine have shed perfectly without any problems. I use newspaper for substrate with other wadded up pieces of newspaper throughout their tubs for them to burrow under, large water dishes that are big enough for them to soak in and their tubs get misted daily. They seem to be doing fine. Personally, i'm not a fan of actual substrates for a few different reasons...

As far as personality goes, Bloods and Short Tails have much more personality and they seemingly display more intelligence than Ball Pythons in my opinion. I love the way their eyes actually move and follow you! A lot of people say Retics are very intelligent because of that. Bloods are very much the same...

Anyway, that is a basic rundown on my experience so far. What kind of Blood is it that you are thinking about getting? How old is it? Has it had any previous handling? Has the seller mentioned anything about its disposition? Definitely keep us posted and share some photos if you decide to get it!

[paroxysm]

hi aedryan.
thanks so much for the helpful reply!
i am looking into bloods because i want something with a little more personality than a bp.
i have no problem with a bit of defensiveness as long as they tame down in the long run.
and their size is something that i can definitely appreciate.
overall, even if i don't end up getting a blood it is very interesting to me to look at pictures, videos, read articles, etc.
thank you for sharing your experience with me.

i am considering this 2016 male. he is a t- albino blood python.
the seller is genuinely kind and answers any questions i have.
i have a good feeling about this.

[Aedryan Methyus]

He is absolutely gorgeous! I think I like the T- albinos better than the T+. I can definitely see a pair of these in my future! If you really want to get this guy and you're ready for him I say go for it!

[GoingPostal]

That's a nice healthy looking boy! I will say even with being more jumpy as babies, they aren't bite crazy or anything and you have to push a lot of buttons usually to get nailed, doesn't even leave a mark at that size though, have confidence is the biggest thing with handling them. I like them because they are so lazy, the captive life seems well suited to them, they have a great size and appearance, good for hanging out with as a lap snake, don't need a ton of food, only make a big mess every few months and get better with age. Most are good eaters-I have one that is a pain and the rest are absolute pigs willing to eat anything anytime.

[paroxysm]

i am slightly confused on something.
ive read that their temps should be in the low 80s. so is this for the whole cage? is there a "hot" side?
for my bp i use two heat pads bc it gets very cold in the winter. for a blood would i only use one and set it up to be at 80 degrees?
please help thank you

[Aedryan Methyus]

The hot side should be between 80 and 82 degrees and the cool side should be between 75 and 78 degrees... Humidity should be at least 60 - 70% with lots of airflow...

[paroxysm]

thank you so much! will update

[Goode05]

The hot side should be between 80 and 82 degrees and the cool side should be between 75 and 78 degrees... Humidity should be at least 60 - 70% with lots of airflow...

Humidity should be 50-60


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