Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I can't seem to find a caresheet on blood pythons. How do bloods compare to ball python? What's different about them? How big do they grow, what temperatures/humidity do they need, are they snappy, etc.

Thanks all,
Ben

HI BEN, PRO EXOTICS HAS THE BEST INFO ON KEEPING BLOODS I HAVE EVER FOUND. ROBYN KNOWS HIS STUFF. THIS ARTICAL WAS ALSO PUBLISHED IN REPTILE MAG. A FEW MONTHS BACK.

first of all let me start out saying, bloods are wonderful snakes to work with...then let me add, they are not at all begginers snakes. they can be great big sleeping kittens or a tiger defending itself, or anywhere in between, in terms of temperment. my male hardly huffs and puffs when i take him out, kinda funny to watch baby bloods huff and puff, and my sub adult 3.75 foot female is very huffy, not at all bitey, but very "vocal", shes very good at telling me what i can and cannot do. captive raised animals can be very docile and the highlight of a collection, i know i cant personally see myself without atleast 1 blood python, or possibly one of the short tails.

in terms of relating them to ball pythons, i cant, theyre not balls! that said. keeping bloods does not have to be difficult, in fact id say its really the opposite! i think the most confusing aspect of blood keeping is humidity, and that far too many people place far too much importance on it! yes, these are tropical snakes that come from high humidity. high humidity in the wild and high humidity in captivity are 2 very different things. in fact, if bloods are kept too humid their scales dimple, it can lead to u.r.i. problems, the list goes on. too much humidity is often times worse than not enough. i er on the dry side, i keep all of my snakes at about 60% humidity, whatevers comfortable in the house, and i add a humidity hide. simple rubbermaid box small enough to fit in the cage, with a hole cut in it, filled with damp long fiber sphagnum moss. ive yet to have a bad shed, or humidity related issues, and thats including my white lipped python, bloods, scrubs, carpets, and whatever i keep. i also use plain newspaper as substrate. i keep them at normal python temps, 78 on the cool end, about 88 on the warm end and a slightly cooler basking area thats around 92. rubbermaid sweater boxes are the best housing for younger bloods, and larger rubbermaids as needed. i just moved my larger female into a 4 x 2 x 1 cage, shes ok with it, i like it, and it will hopefully be her last cage.

bloods are great for the intermediate keeper, real gems. its hard to beat a nice cb blood, well, unless its a cb scrub python!

J
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Jaymz
"got a bowlin ball in my stomache, got a desert in my mouth. figures that my courage would choose to sell out now..."