Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I usually soak Ab (24" Blood) in a sterilite container with some driftwood. He will hang out in a corner of open water or hang his body on the wood with his head on the surface. Tonight I was setting up a spawning tank for tropical fish with Java Moss. I had read a zoo description of how Bloods hung out in swampy areas in the wild and wondered what Ab's reaction to the moss would be. It been something to see. He coils up on the moss for long time periods, then goes around the tank as usual always comming back to lay on the moss. This has been going on for about an hour. The moss is definitely his chosen spot. There is about 1" of water covering the moss. To have an animal immediately accept something totally new seems to me to be very unusual. Comments please.

Mike Peter
Vincennes Exotics

well if he likes it why not just create a setup for him based on your findings?
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python

Plan to. Just sharing info since underwater moss is not very common in herping.

well, it makes sense. bloods like to lounge around in their water dishes/bowls and if a suitable substrate is used they will bury themselves in it and leave only the front part of their head exposed. so based on these observations i find it not surprising to find that the setup you described was liked by a blood...im just wondering why nobody thought of it until now. who knows? maybe youll be a trend starter in the way people setup their blood cages/tanks. thanks for sharing!
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python

The only thing that would worry me is the amount of bacteria and other bugs that might be growing in the water. Also, moss is going to start to decompose and I would wonder if it were safe to drink, also is the moss poisonous? I think those would be the main reasons why this has not caught on.

hmmm...good point. dont know much about the use of moss in tanks but you do make a good point. perhaps this setup could be used in a short term way, such as by breeders selling at shows (to attract customers)?
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python