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  1. #1
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    Is the tendency to get RI’s exaggerated?

    I eventually want to get a blood python but just in general I have a lot of anxiety about my pets’ health even for animals that aren't known to get sick easily. I’ve heard this a lot, I think a few years ago I even read one article saying they purposely keep low humidity because they prefer stuck shed over RIs. That does seem extreme to me but are they actually more likely to get RI’s, or is this possibly exaggerated or maybe outdated info? A lot of the posts I see saying this are pretty old. Thank you!

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    As long as you're monitoring you animal and adjusting humidity accordingly you shouldn't have an issue. If they're in blue, start adding some misting to the routine the next day until they shed. A little extra humidity for a couple of days shouldn't be enough to do anything unless the cage is already a bacteria filled mess and you're flooding it.

    Husbandry on these animals is something that 20 years ago was more of an issue. Nothing had been dialed in as much as it is now and practices weren't as strict for some keepers as they are now, at least from my perspective on things. RIs we're definitely more common because of those reasons.

    And while we hype these things up like a Boogeyman, it can be helpful because that keeps us on our toes. Personally in 20 years, I've only had one medical issue with one of my snakes. My then 17 year old male royal was bit by a feeder when he was on one of his live food only strikes. A month later he had a bacterial infection. Now as I'm keeping more animals, I try to be aware to even the smallest change. Just in case.
    Odds are it won't happen, but when you start saying it will never is usually when it DOES. Lol.

    I think it's definitely more helpful to hype it up than say they are just extremely hardy now because it makes athe new owners aware of things to watch for as well. Sure Sometimes it causes a panic over something that is a non-issue, but better safe than sorry or just brushing off some huge sign because 'they're not prone to xyz".

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  4. #3
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: Is the tendency to get RI’s exaggerated?

    I can't speak specifically on blood pythons as I've never kept them.

    However, I've had to deal with RI's 2X. It sucks. Both snakes were cured and came with them. It's very expensive and not fun for anyone - shots and nebulizers.

    One of the 2 snakes was Yafe, my Carpet Python. He was young, about a year old, and only 100G. He's now over 1,500G and doing amazing.

    If proper husbandry is given for the species and the animal the enclosure is kept clean, I do not think RI's are too common in general. They are usually caused because an animal is weakened otherwise, is wild caught and was weakened by shipping etc. and other possible infections, parasites, etc, or just poor husbandry, usually over a long period of time.

    Very important that temps be consistent and proper for the species and with humidity, remember that too little is about as bad as too much. Yafe need about 60-65% humidity normally and I raise that when he sheds. However, I see many people who overcompensate and keep humidity in the 70% range for even BP's, who need 50-60% normally. That's not good for either their respiratory system and high humidity plus deep substrate or unclean substrate = mold, bacteria, etc. and this can lead to RI's and worse.

    Again, do your research and stick within the parameters and keep the tank clean. All that should equal a happy and healthy snake.

    Also, many blood pythons in the past were imported and/or not bred in captivity for long. A lot of the stories of bitey/nippy Bloods and illness probably has to do with not being captive bred. I am guessing, but this was an issue for many species newer to the hobby. Even BP's, back when I was young, were often wild caught and came with a plethora of issues and potentially defensive behavior.

    Good luck and post progress when you get your blood python. Cool species.

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  6. #4
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    I appreciate you taking the time to respond. In my case I am already hyper aware (if I told you some of the reasons I had been worried… lol), but I understand in general wanting people to be more vigilant. I just don’t want to get an animal and be constantly anxious over something that might not ever happen, I do enough of that already.

    I will definitely be monitoring everything and I usually like to set up everything a week or two before I get the snake. Another thing I need to do research on is temps and humidity. With my woma and carpet python I found that tricky because for like for the woma, you have those that say they can’t even have a water dish because it will get too humid, then others that say they need to have high humidity. Very confusing.

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    Re: Is the tendency to get RI’s exaggerated?

    Quote Originally Posted by dakski View Post
    I can't speak specifically on blood pythons as I've never kept them.

    However, I've had to deal with RI's 2X. It sucks. Both snakes were cured and came with them. It's very expensive and not fun for anyone - shots and nebulizers.

    One of the 2 snakes was Yafe, my Carpet Python. He was young, about a year old, and only 100G. He's now over 1,500G and doing amazing.

    If proper husbandry is given for the species and the animal the enclosure is kept clean, I do not think RI's are too common in general. They are usually caused because an animal is weakened otherwise, is wild caught and was weakened by shipping etc. and other possible infections, parasites, etc, or just poor husbandry, usually over a long period of time.

    Very important that temps be consistent and proper for the species and with humidity, remember that too little is about as bad as too much. Yafe need about 60-65% humidity normally and I raise that when he sheds. However, I see many people who overcompensate and keep humidity in the 70% range for even BP's, who need 50-60% normally. That's not good for either their respiratory system and high humidity plus deep substrate or unclean substrate = mold, bacteria, etc. and this can lead to RI's and worse.

    Again, do your research and stick within the parameters and keep the tank clean. All that should equal a happy and healthy snake.

    Also, many blood pythons in the past were imported and/or not bred in captivity for long. A lot of the stories of bitey/nippy Bloods and illness probably has to do with not being captive bred. I am guessing, but this was an issue for many species newer to the hobby. Even BP's, back when I was young, were often wild caught and came with a plethora of issues and potentially defensive behavior.

    Good luck and post progress when you get your blood python. Cool species.
    I did read your thread about Yafe before I got my carpet python, that must have been so stressful but I’m glad he pulled through.

    Thank you for all the advice. I have a lot of research to do still. Blood pythons have always been on my list but I never looked too in depth since I knew I wouldn’t be getting one for a few years. Plus care requirements have most likely changed slightly in those years anyway. My current plan is sometime in 2023, if I can maybe in the beginning of spring when it’s still cool enough to ship (I live in AZ), but if not there’s always fall. I will definitely post pictures.

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  9. #6
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    I've got five short tail pythons ranging from 6-9 years old and never had an RI issue, my cage humidity usually sits around 60 and I have a room humidifier for the cold season but they regularly flood the cages with pee or by playing in the water dish and turn it into a swamp. Keep your temps stable and steady and humidity high enough for health and they'll be fine. Some of them shed badly no matter how high or low the humidity is though.

    2.0 Python brongersmai
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  11. #7
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    Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind! So 60% is a good level for blood pythons?

  12. #8
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    "Some of them shed badly no matter how high or low the humidity is though."

    I have only kept two brongersmai, purchased as started hatchlings and raised up and bred once (I wanted to experience maternal incubation, which is really cool), but I agree that troubleshooting their shedding issues can be a wild goose chase. Giving mine periodic soaks (every week or two) seemed to help. I recall running RH closer to 80%.

    I only had one health problem with one of mine, which got mouth rot out of nowhere once, and it cleared up fine with a vet visit and antibiotics -- so, make sure your vet is good with bigger snakes. They seemed pretty tolerant of reasonable environmental parameters, though good equipment is a must (PVC enclosure, RHP, quality thermostat) -- they seem unlikely to deal with a fish tank with a heat mat.

    Neat species, but can be a handful even when they're well behaved -- which mine always were, like puppy dogs. They're just a lot of snake. The hatchlings I produced were pretty miserable, though (just really defensive).

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  14. #9
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    Thank you for the tips! I have all of my other snakes in PVC cages with heat panels. I usually use a tub with a heat mat for babies, would that work or should I plan to get a PVC cage from day 1?

  15. #10
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    I kept my brongs (both my original pair, and their offspring) in tubs in solid sided racks as hatchlings, which worked completely fine. If your ambient temps are low, or your tubs aren't in a rack, this might not work as well. They're not going to appreciate the big temp gradient that the hog in your avatar might.

    Be aware that they're a bit more particular about temps than balls are (or likely whatever else you're keeping), so running them in the same rack (after QTing the bloods in a different room, of course) might be a bit more complicated.

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