Blood questions!

[A&S Reptiles]

Hello! We are thinking about getting a blood python, maybe a sumatran, and just have a few questions!

1. What do you keep your adult bloods in? A rack, cage and how big?
2. Do females get bigger than males normally?
3. What type of food and feeding schedule is best?
4. Is shredded aspen bedding okay for them?
5. Are they okay being in close proximity with ball pythons?

This last question: We have a ball python collection in our closet right now (limited space). Will the blood be okay in there along with them or should it be in our bedroom away from them? I don't want to harm either snakes so this is an important question for us!

Thanks in advance for any answers and more advice is encouraged.

[Anna.Sitarski]

1. I keep my blood in a tub (they have a higher humidity requirement than balls)
2. Females and males will be big they are short but girthy snakes
3. Feeding schedule depends on age/size Bloods are great eaters. Right now mine is about 10 months old and already on medium rats. He eats once a week but I was feeding him every 4-5 days till he hit around 500g. Full grown adults can eat small rabbits.
4. Aspen should be fine. I have my guy on papertowel just because its easier to clean and keep some good humidity in his tub
5. He is housed right along on the same rack as my ball pythons and hopefully his new girlfriend as well

I would look up some care sheets on them. They are very rewarding snakes to keep but a little more difficult than balls. Here is a good one to start with

http://www.vpi.com/publications/bloo...ation_and_care

[Kara]

Just some notes based on our collection/experience:

1. Currently we keep all of our bloods & STP's in racks. The adults are in VE-175 racks from Animal Plastics, and these tubs are 52" (L) x 20" (W) x 12" (H). In the past, we've also successfully kept and bred these snakes in cages measuring 48" (L) x 24" (W) x 15" (H). While the height of such a cage is a matter of personal preference, we feel that the 48" x 24" footprint is appropriate for most adults of all three species.

2. Typically yes, but this size difference is negligible until you start dealing with some older animals. Some of our 12-15 year old females are around 7' in length, while our largest males are just over 6'. Our biggest animals are bloods & Borneos...most of our Sumatran STP's are smaller, although our largest female is an easy 6' in length at 11 years old.

3. We feed appropriately-sized rats from the time they hatch. New babies may need hopper mice at first, but they're usually switched over to rats within few meals. We feed babies & juvies every 7 days, young adults every 10 days, and large adults every 14 days depending on time of year. Our very biggest snakes get retired breeder rats from time to time, but for the most part our adults get medium or large rats on that schedule.

4. Depending on your setup, shredded aspen can be a decent substrate. As with most substrates, you have to keep an eye on humidity & change any bedding that becomes moldy. Paper is still one of the best substrates you can use for bloods & STP's, and we use a combination of kraft paper & coarse grade aspen chips throughout our collection.

5. Shouldn't be an issue.

Just a side note - bloods & short-tails do best at ambient temperatures of 80-84 degrees, without supplemental heat. It's not necessary to keep them very, very warm, but at the same time it IS important to have even, consistent temps within an acceptable range for the species.

Good luck!

K~

[A&S Reptiles]

Thanks to both of you! Now Kara I know you don't do hybrids. So would a borneo and a sumatran pairing result in hybrids? I don't want hybrids either. Your sumatran Jackson is sooo awesome! So if we were to get a female like him or something I wanna make sure we know to get a male sumatran as well so avoid hybirds.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

1. What do you keep your adult bloods in? A rack, cage and how big?

Large VE175 tub also know as Christmas tree box can be found at walmart and target around Christmas time

2. Do females get bigger than males normally?

Yes

3. What type of food and feeding schedule is best?

My 3 years old male get a XL large rat (retired breeder male or female) every 10 to 14 days

4. Is shredded aspen bedding okay for them?

Bedding depends on your setup some are better than other depending on the setup you provide.

5. Are they okay being in close proximity with ball pythons?

Yes it's ok just remember when bringing in a new animal, the new addition must be quarantined away from your established collection which means in a different room.

[Kara]

Thanks to both of you! Now Kara I know you don't do hybrids. So would a borneo and a sumatran pairing result in hybrids? I don't want hybrids either. Your sumatran Jackson is sooo awesome! So if we were to get a female like him or something I wanna make sure we know to get a male sumatran as well so avoid hybirds.

Yeah...I'm very anti-hybrid when it comes to bloods & STP's. I just cannot think of any good reason to cross them, and have never seen a cross that compares to the beauty of a fine, selectively bred pure blood or STP. To answer your question, Borneo STP x Sumatran STP would be a hybrid. There are no natural intergrades between the two species, and they are considered separate species (i.e. no longer subspecies of Python curtus).

Stick with reputable breeders who know their stuff, and offer good guidance and support, and you should do fine.

[A&S Reptiles]

Yes I understand good quarantine practices. I was just wondering if after quarantine they are okay to be in the same rack as the balls.

[A&S Reptiles]

Yeah...I'm very anti-hybrid when it comes to bloods & STP's. I just cannot think of any good reason to cross them, and have never seen a cross that compares to the beauty of a fine, selectively bred pure blood or STP. To answer your question, Borneo STP x Sumatran STP would be a hybrid. There are no natural intergrades between the two species, and they are considered separate species (i.e. no longer subspecies of Python curtus).

Stick with reputable breeders who know their stuff, and offer good guidance and support, and you should do fine.

Yeah I've never seen a point to hybrids. I've been on your facebook and your bloods are so jaw dropping. Like I stated before, Jackson is a handsome guy! I'll email you asking about his offspring after this.

And I was just planning on getting as much information from you.

[kylesreptiles]

You could also pick up Reptiles USA 2012 issue and read Kara's article on caring for Blood and Shot tail pythons. It was a great article that I enjoyed reading since they finally got it on our base in Okinawa Japan.

[shawn388]

is there a link to the article if so could you post that would be great . i have a sumatran blood myself so any info on how to take care of her would help thanks again