Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys, new to this forum but not new to snakes..
I am getting an adult borneo blood python (that's what the
gentleman said it was) and just looking for some handling tips.
From what I have read, it's best to let them settle in for
weeks before really trying to handle a lot? The man says he
is handlable and tame, but we'll see!
I've read they do spray feces, is there anything to look out
for or watch for before this happens? Is it just the fact
that the bloods don't like to be held for long periods?
I know to really support the body and avoid holding and
restraining the head but if anyone has any other tips that
would be great!
Also, does the girth rule apply here? I can feed my largest
adult boas rabbits, will bloods eat those as well or do they
mainly stick to rats? Is one jumbo typically enough for
an adult or because of the girth do they require more than one?
Thanks, I'm a little nervous but very excited!
I'll post some pics once I've gotten him!
-April

About the spraying thing... sometimes they'll gape their vent first, if that happens just freeze in place until they calm down. The only time my blood did that was at the vet's office, and they were scaring him horribly (and unecessarily). Odds are you'll never encounter that behavior.
I usually like to see a snake eat a few times before I start handling it for fun.

As with any snake, boid or otherwise, every snake is an individual. So for the most part, you'll just have to wait and see what he is like, and then work around that.

I have many blood pythons and no two are exactly the same. One generalization I can make (but only based on my personal bloods) is that females tend to be more laid back and even personable. I often give them big hearty full palm pats and a deep massage before picking them up. They certainly tollerate this and even seem to enjoy it. As fat as 10-11 foot female burmese, they are like short, limp firehoses when I hold them. I call them, "My giant land slugs" lol.

The males, on the other hand,........ None of them are personable, none even seem trusting. One always tries to kill me. And the rest, while never biters, despise being held and will wiggle, squirm, flail, thrash and even pee until they either get away or are let go of. Because of this I try to never hold them (or let them know they're being held) and try to keep any contact to a minimum. I respect them and their wishes to be left alone, and so I do leave them alone. They get hides and fresh soaking tubs at all times as this adds to their feeling of safety and security. They all eat like champs.

And to answer your other question,... many people have different views on this,.. but pound for pound, foot for foot, the bloods in my opinion can consume larger meals than any other python or boa. I often give my 5 and 6 foot females 3 to 4 pound rabbits. The males get a weekly large rat. If the females eat such a big rabbit I may wait a month to feed them again. As they are mature I don't want to cause them to become obese. If I am short on rabbits the females get a jumbo rat per week (cept just prior to breeding and after egglaying)

I hope this helps.

>>Hi guys, new to this forum but not new to snakes..
>>I am getting an adult borneo blood python (that's what the
>>gentleman said it was) and just looking for some handling tips.
>>From what I have read, it's best to let them settle in for
>>weeks before really trying to handle a lot? The man says he
>>is handlable and tame, but we'll see!
>>I've read they do spray feces, is there anything to look out
>>for or watch for before this happens? Is it just the fact
>>that the bloods don't like to be held for long periods?
>>I know to really support the body and avoid holding and
>>restraining the head but if anyone has any other tips that
>>would be great!
>>Also, does the girth rule apply here? I can feed my largest
>>adult boas rabbits, will bloods eat those as well or do they
>>mainly stick to rats? Is one jumbo typically enough for
>>an adult or because of the girth do they require more than one?
>>Thanks, I'm a little nervous but very excited!
>>I'll post some pics once I've gotten him!
>>-April
-----
It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Sytstems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]

The vet said he was, but he's tame as a lump of pudding.... could I count subcaudals or something? Probing such a short tail makes me nervous.

Hi April -

You didn’t say how much it weighed, or if it was wild caught or captive bred. But if I had to give you one handling tip, it would be to not worry about the end with the potential for spraying; worry about the end with the teeth. They do a short jump strike upwards without much warning. Learn to recognize the difference between the head held upward at a forty-five degree angle because it’s cocked and ready to fire, and the head held at a forty-five degree angle because that’s the one time that day the snake decided to move.

There’s just a big difference between dealing with a baby or juvenile blood python kept in a Rubbermaid tub and a twenty to forty pound adult backed into the rear of its cage. To generalize, they don’t like being picked up, but some tolerate it better than others. The standard technique of gently lifting them from behind and pointing them away from you is a good first start. Even the tamest ones can be mildly difficult to maneuver as they frequently go into reverse gear, backing up and not gripping on as most other boids do. So, yes, it’s important to support their bodies. In fact, when they’re over twenty five pounds, it can be difficult to carry them unless you put them around your neck and support them with your shoulders – not something you’d do unless you trust the particular animal not to bite. But by the time one gets to that size, you should have a pretty good idea of how tame it is.

One husbandry technique I’ve come to utilize with my adult blood pythons to make their day to day maintenance less exciting is to offer them true boxes for hides – containers with tops and bottoms, with the entrance holes cut in the lids. When I need to clean a cage or have contact with an animal, it’s easy to cover up the hole, pick up the entire box, and remove it from the cage. Then, no matter how shy the animal, I’m in control of the situation – at least until I have to lay hands on it!

Just anecdotally, my most docile blood pythons are females; my wildest are males. But I’m not convinced that this is anything other than coincidence.

Regarding rabbits for food, their heads are larger than rats and the price per pound is greater, too, so I’ve never bothered to use them. I think blood pythons would eagerly consume most any bird or mammal you can provide that they can get their jaws around.

Good luck, post pictures when you can, and feel free to ask more questions!

-Joan