Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey everyone im looking to get a nice size snake i have a ball python right now and have owned reptiles for just over 7 years.
and i thjough i mmight go with a boa or a olive pythn then i saw a blood on a site and started to like them.

so i just have some questions bc i would be looking to breed them also bc im going to be breeding my ball next season.

what is a good time of year to get a pair?And from who?
whould i be able to keep them together for their whole lives?
What would be a good size cage for one/two?
Evryone always says it has the BLOOD temper, but then people say that most are very tame, so i know that with in the first few weeks he/she will be jumpy and nippy but do they calm down with handling?
I want a pair of Red Bloods that is about a few months away from breeding so how much do you think the pair would cost me from? About $300-$600?
Does anyone have any good care sheets on any site that would maybe help me answer and more questions i might have?

thanks for all your help..
ZERO
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Zero to 4 legs
1.0 Black Rough Neck Monitor
1.1 Bearded Dargon
1.0 Ball Python
1.0 dog(black lab)
R.I.P. Bailey gone but still in my heart

First let me say that it's always nice to see more people getting into blood pythons. I think you'll find that they are wonderful animals.

what is a good time of year to get a pair?
You can usually find good CBB ones year round, but late summer seems to be when a lot are produced.

And from who?
This is key. I personally believe it is best to get a captive born and bred one FROM the breeder. If you go to the classifieds you'll see many supposide "CB" bloods available, but when it comes down to it, most of those are imports or CH bloods mislabeled. Either the person selling them knows they are imports but wants to make a few more bucks off them or they bought them from a wholesaler who "says" they are CBB.
There are plenty of good, honest breeders around. Ask around, i'm not 100% sure who has any available right now.

whould i be able to keep them together for their whole lives?
No, they need separate cages.

What would be a good size cage for one/two?
As juvi's they prefer tighter conditions, but as adults a 48" x 30" cage will usually be large enough for most bloods. Floor space key here as they don't typically climb.

Evryone always says it has the BLOOD temper, but then people say that most are very tame, so i know that with in the first few weeks he/she will be jumpy and nippy but do they calm down with handling?
I've found that their mood can vary as they grow. I've seen some that were agressive/flighty as juvi's turn out to be slugs as well as visa versa. I think the key is HOW you handle them. Bloods are very heavy bodied snakes and get very nervous when handled like most people handle a snake...meaning they need a lot of support to feel comfortable.

I want a pair of Red Bloods that is about a few months away from breeding so how much do you think the pair would cost me from? About $300-$600?
I hate to sound discouraging...but good luck finding any CBB adults that are a few months away from breeding. You're probably looking at ~$1000/pair if you can find any. You may be able to find WC adults for a lot less, but it may take longer than you think for them to acclimate and even then they will probably be VERY aggressive animals.

Does anyone have any good care sheets on any site that would maybe help me answer and more questions i might have?
NERD.com has a good caresheet as well as squamations.com and if you have any other questions, feel free to email me: matthew.hennek(AT)gmail(DOT)com.

Matt Hennek

My mistake. Brian Ott (squamations.com) doesn't have a blood caresheet up yet. A couple other good caresheets are:

http://www.vpi.com/8VPICareSheets/Pythons/BloodPython/BloodPythonDesc.htm

http://www.[url ban].com/caresheets/shorttailed/blood.htm

>>http://www.[url ban].com/caresheets/shorttailed/blood.htm

Just 'Google' this part "/caresheets/shorttailed/blood.htm" and you will get the website (and link). GOOD caresheet! Shame that it's 'banned' since that page is only about the care of 'Bloods'. Oh well...

Matt

I am also interested in a pair of red blood T hets. Those albino bloods really knock me out with that bright cherry red color! I love that girthy look too. I read all the caresheets I could find yesterday.

1. I have to get some caging together first here. I can't believe a cage with about 4' X 3' as a footprint would be big enough for two to mate in! Really? Maybe that is the minimum size? What would be an optimum size for caging?

2. Do you suggest I start with a normal blood python pair first to learn all the little species specfic things about bloods or do you recommend I just get the albino hets I really want to begin with.

3. How many years to sexual maturity for each sex?

4. Is there a variation in care for the different localities?

5. I read the malaysians are the least personable but also the ones that get that cherry red in their albino look sometimes. Are both these things true?

6. What would you say an average adult female would weigh?

Thanks so much,
Caden

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Re:

I should say I have had boas for 12 years and had 4 sets of babies, and I have had some other smaller snakes too I caught field herping as a kid; gophers, kingsnakes and garters. I have never had a python. One of my female boas was in excess of 12 feet, and even though I am a 100 pound female I think I am ready for a blood.

I am so sorry for so many posts too. And, I did see in previous posts how old they needs to be to breed, and also about their weight. I'm sorry I didn't read the whole forum before posting.

Thanks so much,
Caden