Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?

3. What other species do you currently keep?

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...

All food for thought!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

K~
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Bloodpythons.com - Whats YOUR Blood Type?

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"
About two months now! But I have ALWAYS loved reptiles and animals, and have always wanted to have a few snakes around.
2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
I have one Blood python, but wanting more.
3. What other species do you currently keep?
A girlfriend
4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?
I havent quite found this one out yet. I switch between a sterilite and a glass for cleaning purposes and I'm not sure which my snake prefers. I like watching it all the time so I wouls say glass just for that purpose, but not for climate control by any means.
5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
Only one is that they are not docile, and they are scary. Mine is so soft and gentle and hasnt struck and me ever.

1. Been into it a good 8 years now.
2. A little bit of everything I suppose, some blacks, some reds, and some borneos. Always wanting to add more when possible.
3. There are various boas pythons and colubrids here as it is, I prefer med-large species of boids myself. To name a few other things around here there are colombian bci, hog island boas, dumeril boas, retics, ball pythons, various corns, kings, milks, rats, and so on
4. Well I definately for one thing like a few different plastic cages, Animal Plastics is a big favorite, Boaphile Plastics, Visions, aside from cages themselves I fancy a few certain rack styles from various companies as well, though I like certain cages/rack styles to match eachother.
5. Lets see number one is probably temperment, they are not all horrible animals out to get you. Number two probably I would just say is incorrect information out there about them. Lastly itself is just people judging how they are or thinking they do know it all without some experience working with at least a few of them, you can't base everything you know on them without owning them IMO, and certainly not just off of one singular animal at that because they all can be different in various ways, especially temperments and disposition.

Happy late Valentine's Day.
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-Amelia
ES Tropicals

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"

since i was a kid

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?

all three species

3. What other species do you currently keep?

western hogneses, irian jaya carpets, crested geckoes, and some spiders

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?

boahpiles for adults. hold heat and hummidity well, and can't be beat for the money.

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...

A. all bloods are created equal, i.e. that $75 animal for sale is gonna turn into a sweet red adult.

B. they are mean beasts.

C. they are hard to keep.

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after talking to people who were keeping them 20 years ago i feel very fortunate to have the qaulity animals that i do. geez, just hearing the old timer stories is crazy!

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The New Redpython.net

Since 1967, Was in the family genes..
All 3
Morelia right now..Like drugs I have No idea where my addiction
will take me..
I like the looks of freedom breeder but Will research before
buying..Currently Rubbermaid which I used to squirt..
Now I BLOW, bottles..
Tim & Teresa.

OOOOps, Just 2 I don't have any blacks Yet..
Tim.

1. Since 1998.

2. I keep P. curtus, P. breitensteini and P. brongersmai .

3. Crotalus enyo, Morelia amethistina, Morelia s. harrisoni.

4. I use aluminium cages, they are light weight, easy to clean and cheap to buy.

5. The only thing I can think about is thier temperment. Otherwise I dont know it is so individual.

Best regards Patric

Patrick,
Please tell me more about your caging.
Tim Mead.

also could you post a pic of them?
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The New Redpython.net

Well, what could I tell. The plastic material cages that are avalible in europe are quite expensive otherwise I would have bought plastic cages. But I just cant afford them at this time.
So I got in contact with a guy here in Sweden hwo makes these cages. I have both aluminium cages but most of my cages are made out of, i think it is called, sheet-metal in english. (The black cages on the pictures)
They work good, the same advantages as glas but not that heavy and they do not break easy either. The only thing that could be bad about these cages is that they loose the heat very fast if you would ge a powerdrop or something.

Best regards Patric

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"
Since my junior year of high school...About 8 years now.

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
Just a bunch of reds currently.

3. What other species do you currently keep?
A ball python, a water snake and a kingsnake. I've pretty much gotten out of everything except bloods.

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?
I have racks from Nature's Spirit and Reptile basics. I love all of my racks. I have 4x2 boaphile cages that are pretty good. I will probably upgrade to some Animal Plastics in the future though. I would like cages with a little bit more depth and height.

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
They are hard to care for. For me, my bloods are hands down the easiest snakes I've owned. So many people try too hard and make elaborate set-ups in glass aquariums and their animals get sick...Keep your setups simple and basic and your blood will be just as easy as any ball python to care for!
They need TONS of humidity. When I first started with bloods there were a lot of people that were keeping them like rainbow boas. Bloods don't need nearly that level of humidity.
They can never be 'trusted'. There is a common misconception that even the tamest bloods will just bite you out of nowhere. I've never had a blood do this...king snakes and boas, sure..but never a blood

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"
- Since I was about 5 but really got into them about 4 1/2 years ago

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
- All 3 but mostly Borneos

3. What other species do you currently keep?
- Ball Pythons, Red tail Boa, Uraplatus Fimriatus.

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?
- Animal Plastics for baby, juvie, and sub adults, because there tight, dark, and hold hummidity well, and Freedom Breeder for adults, Because of the size and I like racks, (I put a piece of clear vinyl over 75% of the screen to help hold hummidity)

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
- There all nasty... They can all be tamed... Keep the hummidity at 100%, make the enclosure like a swamp at all times.

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"

Since I was a kid, but started buying my own boids when I was 15, so realy keeping them for 15 years. My first STP purchase was in "95".

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?

All 3, and various morphs

3. What other species do you currently keep?

Too many!! Need to cut back!!
Pythons: Olive, Papuan, water, White lip, JCP, Green tree, Ball(morphs), Hybrids.

Boas: BCI(morphs), BCC, Amazon Tree, Dumerils. A bunch of Geckos, some Beardies, and a hognose snake!!

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?

I use Visions, Freedom Breeder, and various rack systems from different Companies to test the water so to speak, but would like to switch to boaphiles or AP cages, and ARS racks.

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...

"They are all mean, owwwwww!!"

"They need it VERY hot."

"They need super high humidity."

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"
since the 70's, full tilt keeper early 90's
2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
brongersmai, breitensteini (including sarawak locality and other mysteries)
3. What other species do you currently keep?
Too many to list
4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?
Tough one, Visions and any rack that works
5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
- They must have just ate, they are so fat (mine aren't)
- There evil, nasty, vicious killers
- They only grow to their cage size!

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Support your local herp society
www.chicagoherp.org

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?
since i was little

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
just a couple sumatran reds

3. What other species do you currently keep? none right now but i did have a couple corns, western hogs, a bullsnake, and back in highschool some green agamas and an australian water dragon

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why? i have a boaphile and some rubbermaids

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
they're inherently mean
they're hard to keep
they're unpredictable...i only have 2 so i dont have a lot to base this on...but its been my experience with my female who was pretty nippy when i first got her that i always had ample warning before a strike, and my male always comes to the front of his cage and lays right in front of his door every 2 weeks to get fed or if he poops, so pretty much when he wants something

>>1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"

When I was a kid I kept a lot of lizards and turtles from around 8 to 14, then dropped off it in HS and picked back up in college early 1992 and went FULL Tilt to present!

>>2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?

Just the Borneos, but have kept all three. The people on this forum (you KNOW who you are) post pics of the most INSANE reds and blacks are making me NUTS! I think they may be in my future to revisit.

>>3. What other species do you currently keep?

Ball Pythons (boo hiss), GTP and a LOT of tortoises. More torts than anything else actually. I also have a couple projects under wraps until later this season or next.

>>4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?

Freedom Breeder for everything larger than a baby (BARRS PVC shoe box racks for babies). I've used pretty much every type of cage there is from melamine front door cages, Vision, rubbermaid boxes, glass tanks, etc... They all fall short of the FB racks in my opinion. WELL worth the little extra they cost. They make cleaning and dealing with jumpy animals SO much easier than with front loaders. I also have an ARS rack and the construction quality blows everything I own out of the water, period. Living in Florida also helps minimize humidity issues with the FB racks. I usually shed larger animals in a warm soak inside a rubbermaid container to make cleaning up very easy.

>>5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...

- CHI (captive hatched imports) are as good/do as well as CBB (captive bred and born) animals. Yes, a fair number of CHI will likely do fine, but a lot won't. CBB are just plain the way to go in my opinion having worked with all three types (CHI, WC and CBB) since 1994.

- ALL bloods/STP are nasty (same as everyone else)

- They are hard to keep. If you just know what they need they do VERY VERY well and usually never let you down at feeding time (like my boo-hiss Ball Pythons sometimes do).

Matt

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"
My whole life Ive had osme sory of herps, geckos, green snakes, ribbons, then corns, ball pythons, kings, rosys, etc
2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?
2 22" Sumatran Bloods
3. What other species do you currently keep?
Kings, Kenyans, Columbian rainbows, rosys, glossys, balls, leapord gecks, med gecks, various spiders and scorps
4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?
Racks when applicable, take the snake out bag em, house and clean tubs outsidem way better then wipin glass
5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails...
havent had enough experiance with my pair
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Ricky

lots of everything im not gonna list it

Started with boa constrictors in the early 70’s and observed my first blood python in the collection of a friend in Kansas City in the late 70’s. I was able to acquire the first blood python for my own collection in the early 80’s.

I have mostly dealt with P. brongersmai over the years.

I additionally work with mainly green anacondas and Sri Lanka molurus.

I really like Neodesha cages, and fortunately acquired quite a few before they shut down production.

The early imports were very aggressive and difficult to acclimate. It was really amazing to see the first captive born specimens that were totally the opposite.

I really love blood pythons, but these guys are my favorites. This photo was taken last year of a young female from our first captive bred and born litter in 2001.

Kelly

1. How long have you been into the "herp thing (thang?)?"

2. What blood/short-tailed pythons do you currently keep?

3. What other species do you currently keep?

4. What kind of caging do you prefer? Why?

5. List 3 of the most common misconceptions you've encountered/overcome regarding bloods & short-tails

1. I've been collectiong frogs, turtles, lizards ever since I can remember. When I was a kid if you saw a turtle on the road my parents HAD to stop, no choice. I've been keeping snakes, bloods imparticular on a more intensive level for about 6 years, and enjoying every minute of it.

2. Currently just alot of Breits and several Brongs, though Curtus are some of my fav's I have still yet add some.

3. None!

4. My own. It's cheap, effective, lightweight, I can tailor it to the species/individual snakes needs, and I know how it's put together if there is ever a problem, can make it for certain areas other cages might not fit.. the benefits go on and on.

The biggest misconception that I see is that there all mean on an individual basis. I can't tell you how many tame wonderful snakes I've handled that I was warned at shows were "nasty" or that I might loose a finger. I think alot of people just don't know how to handle them and end up paying for it!

Another is that bloods are "fat" snakes. While they can be hefty if you've ever tried to hold on to a 6 foot long thrashing blood.. thats not fat that is making you loose your grip! They are very strong, muscular, stout animals and will let you know that if you need to be told.

Lastly is that bloods can climb. I don't think this is a misconception with the keepers as much as it is the snakes. They will crawl around and get on things like oooh look at me I'm not in a cage I can crawl on this thing. Don't let them do this! Bloods cannot climb on things, there too big, and too short. They will just end up knocking something over, trust me! Don't let them fool you!

J
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"It's my snake, I trained it, so I'm going to eat it!" - Mad Max, The Road Warrior