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  1. #1
    Registered User Phirou's Avatar
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    Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Let me preface this by saying that I don't plan on getting into really building my collection or adding anything bigger than a BP until I'm in a place large enough for a designated reptile room and in a long enough term lease that I don't have to consider moving their enclosures for a long, long time. I just want to feel out exactly what I'd be getting into in the future, since bloods have been on my radar as a snake I'd like to have in the future for quite a while now.


    • How do their bites compare to ball pythons? Large colubrids? Is it really as bad as a lot of people tend to say it is? I've heard a lot of things about them being feisty and as with every snake I plan for the worst attitude and hope for the best, lol, so I'm under no illusion that I'm never going to get bitten?



    • How do you determine body condition? Just, genuine question, I know my balls should never look like bloods... but what shouldn't a blood look like?



    • What are your enclosures like? How much clutter do they like, and how often would I be looking at cleaning/sizing up? Is starting them in an adult sized enclosure a bad idea for stress, like some baby ball pythons, or would it be best to start them in an adult sized enclosure with plenty of clutter? On that note, what is the best option for a blood? I'd prefer a display cage to a tub, preferably the stackable PVC kind.


    Side note, large snake owners, I've been looking into caging options but have seen few recommendations for large size enclosures/tank manufacturers in Canada. The import times and fees are often ridiculously expensive on American products and it seems like there's a lot of alternatives around me (in Ontario) or just in Canada in general, but there's also not as much on them. Anyone here have brands they can recommend?
    0.1 mystery, pos normal YB? (Juniper Snubbery)
    1.0 lesser het red axanthic g stripe (Fig Newton)
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    Hopeful future blood python enthusiast. Show me your bloods!

  2. #2
    BPnet Senior Member GoingPostal's Avatar
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    I'll answer what I can. I have 5 short tails, 2 of them are blood pythons. I haven't been bit by an adult but I imagine it would mainly be the force behind it that would hurt, their teeth aren't all that big. Most of the scary temperament stories come from wild caughts decades ago. They tend to be defensive and might nip as babies but you can barely feel those. They give plenty of warning, are easy to read and calm down well with age.

    Body condition, they have a prominent spinal ridge and should be thicker in the middle, tapering off at either end. They don't need to be fed very often or large meals, my adults get a medium rat or equivalent about once a month. They shouldn't be round.

    They like it enclosed, a tub or pvc cage is best and as hatchlings would prefer a small cage. They like to burrow so give them something to hide under. I don't add any clutter really, just hides and paper. Once they settle in you can move up pretty easily. I went from 18"x24" to 3'x2' to 4'x2' for mine. They do pee a lot so a substrate that is changed easily and you can tell they have gone on is important.

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  4. #3
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by GoingPostal View Post
    I'll answer what I can. I have 5 short tails, 2 of them are blood pythons. I haven't been bit by an adult but I imagine it would mainly be the force behind it that would hurt, their teeth aren't all that big. Most of the scary temperament stories come from wild caughts decades ago. They tend to be defensive and might nip as babies but you can barely feel those. They give plenty of warning, are easy to read and calm down well with age.

    Body condition, they have a prominent spinal ridge and should be thicker in the middle, tapering off at either end. They don't need to be fed very often or large meals, my adults get a medium rat or equivalent about once a month. They shouldn't be round.

    They like it enclosed, a tub or pvc cage is best and as hatchlings would prefer a small cage. They like to burrow so give them something to hide under. I don't add any clutter really, just hides and paper. Once they settle in you can move up pretty easily. I went from 18"x24" to 3'x2' to 4'x2' for mine. They do pee a lot so a substrate that is changed easily and you can tell they have gone on is important.
    Question about feeding. When they are younger you should feed more often right? I have an 18 month old blood 2ho is about 3 foot tops. I feed a medium rat every 2bweeks. The smaller male I have is the same age but he gets a small rat every 2 weeks. I don't think they are overly round. Does this sound right to you?

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  5. #4
    BPnet Senior Member GoingPostal's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by sur3fir3 View Post
    Question about feeding. When they are younger you should feed more often right? I have an 18 month old blood 2ho is about 3 foot tops. I feed a medium rat every 2bweeks. The smaller male I have is the same age but he gets a small rat every 2 weeks. I don't think they are overly round. Does this sound right to you?

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    Yes, when they are under a year I do every 7-10 days, as long as they are good feeders I push that to every two weeks after a year old, once they hit 4 or so is when I drop to every 3-4 weeks. They grow impressively fast those first few years. Then I feed based on body condition, even among the same size feeders there's a range so if one snake is looking thin, they'll get the biggest rat or quail.

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  7. #5
    BPnet Veteran snakey68's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Hi sur3fir3,

    I have kept bloods and royals for over 20 years now and I would echo what Going Postal has said pretty much.

    Bloods are very interesting and a bit more lively than royals. They have a unique gaze that differs from most snakes in that they follow you around which can freak some people out.
    They are generally very good feeders as adults, I fed mine a large rat sometimes 2, once a month on average. Also I found that if you provide enough water they will bathe frequently which aids in shedding process particularly if you have a larger tank that is more challenging to maintain consistent humidity levels. Regarding if their bite differs from culubrids and royals it most certainly does as I can personally attest to.
    If a large adult Blood tags you it will depend on 2 things. 1. if it was a defensive strike 2. If it was a fedding response strike. The latter is profoundly more painful let me tell me lol

    I have experienced bites from hatchling to adult, both defensive, and feeding response, the latter was my fault entirely ( many years of keeping snakes can sometimes lead to a lapse of concentration ....thats my excuse anyway lol )& I would recommend getting one from hatchling and handle it regular so you attain confidence as it grows and also you learn to read it far better as an adult.

    If a Royal ( ball ) tags you even as an adult it is nothing too bad you just gently dislodge from your arm or hand or whatever area it grabs. When an adult blood tags you full force think baseball bat hitting you with teeth on the end then the coils trying to get round you if it is a feeding response. Also they are far stronger than royals this will become evident when you handle them.

    Now don't be alarmed or put off my bloods were great to handle I raised from hatchling to adult and over the course of 15 years was tagged twice as adults, as I said both times my fault. As youngsters like any snake they can be a little jumpy and reactive but quickly become accustomed to regular handling. My female blood when I 1st got her would leap out my hand like a coiled spring biting anything , I used to wear gloves the 1st couple of weeks to let her just get it out her system then when she stopped with the nervousness and started to calm down I removed the gloves. They will often hiss and make a fair bit of noise and this can intimidate some people so they think the snake is crankier than it actually is. I call this character and they have that in abundance.

    So in short lol get one, or two, you will not be dissapointed. Like any snake get the husbandry right, don't over feed them, handle them with confidence and enjoy experience of a giant python in smaller package lol.

    ps: I will have alook see if I can post the bite pics but I don't want to put you off as they are great snakes imo.
    There is a moose loose aboot this hoose !

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  9. #6
    Registered User Phirou's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Thank you guys so much for the insight! I'm a pretty small girl so the force behind an adult bite does sound a tiny bit concerning for me. I would love to see bite and enclosure pics, if possible! I'm glad that people here have had good experiences with them. Very interesting that their adult enclosures aren't terribly large, either. Really convenient since I was looking at getting some stacked AP enclosures of a similar size to get big bioactives going for my space loving adult balls.

    I'm in love with how alert and active they sound. Not that my balls aren't! But... my girls do like their naps. Must be amazing to feed such a strong animal, too. Do you guys use anything other than standard feeding tongs? I use ten inch tongs to feed my balls, would something 16 inches or up be preferable?
    0.1 mystery, pos normal YB? (Juniper Snubbery)
    1.0 lesser het red axanthic g stripe (Fig Newton)
    0.1 yb spinner blast (Honey Udon)

    Hopeful future blood python enthusiast. Show me your bloods!

  10. #7
    BPnet Royalty Zincubus's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    They are gorgeous.
    I’ve always preferred the Black Bloods oddly enough






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  12. #8
    BPnet Lifer Lady mkrj58's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Omg beautiful

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    BPnet Lifer Lady mkrj58's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by Zincubus View Post
    They are gorgeous.
    I’ve always preferred the Black Bloods oddly enough






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    I live the black...

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  15. #10
    Registered User lisalombs's Avatar
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    Re: Genuine questions about blood pythons: what to expect?

    Quote Originally Posted by Phirou View Post
    Thank you guys so much for the insight! I'm a pretty small girl so the force behind an adult bite does sound a tiny bit concerning for me.
    I'm also a small woman and only have experience with my one female blood, who is an adult but not very large yet. She was captive bred and I got her as a yearling and she only close-mouthed struck at me once around when I first got her. I think it's pretty obvious when she's pissed fwiw so I just don't bother her when she is. Sometimes she "speaks" in short little puffs just to tell me I'm a bother, but when she doesn't want to be touched at all it's pretty frickin clear I'd say, sounds like a rattlesnake except a furious air leak instead of rattling. That typically only happens just before she turns blue so it's actually a very convenient indicator for me. I've never been accidentally struck feeding her either, I know I shouldn't but I've always just dangled rats by the tail for her, she grabs them pretty consistently by the head. She's like pure muscle, you can really tell when you hold one, but she's a sweetie when her boundaries are respected.

    The cool thing I've noticed with her as she's gotten older is that she's really quite smart, or maybe just more curious. I can put her on the ground and sit down and hold my hand out and she'll come right over. She's just a very cool animal to watch, she really likes to swim, she likes to burrow through her substrate, she likes to look around.
    Last edited by lisalombs; 01-02-2021 at 03:24 PM.

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