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Anyone out there with advice on taming a young Blood Python? Just purchased a wonderful specimine from a reputable captive breeder, and I assumed he would be somewhat accustomed to handling. WRONG! He is very jumpy and foul-tempered and has nailed me several times since I first recieved him and doesn't tolerate handling AT ALL. What should I do? How can I hope to tame him if he never even allows me to hold him? Any help at all would be VERY appreciated!

whoa sapphire!

sounds like he needs to still acclimate to he new home & owner.
give him a few days to a week(s) maybe more of just the basics feeding/cleaning. once he's used to your routine he'll start to trust you to hold him....

is it a blood line snake?
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www.BadAppleReptiles.com

Why yes, he is a Blood Line Red Blood from the same breeder you mentioned. haha. thank you for the advice!

Ha too funny when you said "Just purchased a wonderful specimen from a reputable captive breeder- had to be Keith Mcpeek!

Keith's got killer animals for sure, I got a few 05's & 06's from him!
i have an albino named Mr.T cuz he pity the fool who tried to hold him, but I'll never forget the first day we held each other,aawwwwwwww how sweet it was
- now he's my main dude!

enough about me, lets see your snake once he's situated
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www.BadAppleReptiles.com

Yeah, I have nothing but good things to say about Kieth McPeek. Great guy, and he helped me every step of the way. And thanks a lot for your advice, and if you say from experience that just giving my Blood time to get comfortable will end his biting problems, Im' hopeful. Uppon further experiments, he has an uncanny ability to tell the difference between my hand and the snake hook I had to use to move him, and just the slightest touch on his tail, even though he can't see it, makes him whip around visciously with his mouth open and try to take a chunk out of me. However, he never even flinches when I touch him with the hook. Not sure how he knows, but he does, (the heat maybe?) and he is NOT pleased when it's me and not the hook. Really hoping he will change, cause im used to my gentle and sweet-tempered Ball Python who wouldn't hurt a fly, and I want to be able to enjoy my new pet up close as well as just from afar.

Is he eating for you?
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www.BadAppleReptiles.com

Unfortunately he isn't eating yet, and is still very aggressive. im continuing to work with him in hopes he will eventually let me touch him.

did you try p/k or live?
I'd offer at night too.....

don't try to hold him for a day or two before offering food...

I know it's hard not to mess with this & that and try a few different things, but first get him eating.......
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www.BadAppleReptiles.com

Pre-killed. I find it so much easier than dealing with live mice.(Plus, I have practically a lifetime supply of them in my freezer I bought for peanuts.) If I have to give him a live one to start him feeding I suppose I will.

yeah I'd try a rat, and yes live or pre killed just to start.
bloods rarely even eat mice(too small) as babies I start mine off on ratpups from the get go, maybe one or two liked mice, till they fell in love with a rat.

i assume you know the right sizes and all... you'll be fine..
you should post a pic of him for size reference & cuz I want to see him
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www.BadAppleReptiles.com

Haha, I would love to post a pic of him. Problem is I can't get anywhere near him. He has wedged himself under his hide log, and getting him out for a picture will almost certainly result in me getting a few really nice bites to the hands and arms. I need to run and get a pair of thick gloves that cover my forearms today and try to move him because the cage needs cleaning and some re-arranging anyway. After that I may be able to take a picture of him in my tank I use to hold snakes in while I clean their normal tank.

I agree. You might feel excited to handle him and work with him right away, but I think it's always best to give new snakes lots of "alone time" to make sure they settle in and feel comfortable and secure.

That being said, I also think it's always good to evaluate and re-avaluate the set-up and husbandry conditions. If you tell us exactly how you are keeping him, we could maybe offer you more advice. Sometimes improving the set-up can also make a difference in a new snake settling in and feeling calm and comfortable.

I had a baby carpet python that was a serious biter at first. After he settled in he became very calm and nice. I also had a baby corn snake that just thought he was a vicious little rattle snake. He was hilarious, so little yet so full of fight.

Thank you! Im hoping that viscious little snake turned out to not be a biter, cause right now I have a viscious BIG blood python who wants nothing more than to bury his sharp teeth in my face. Haha. But it seems the general consensus is that he will eventually calm down and let me hendle him, so here's hoping!

>>Anyone out there with advice on taming a young Blood Python? Just purchased a wonderful specimine from a reputable captive breeder, and I assumed he would be somewhat accustomed to handling. WRONG! He is very jumpy and foul-tempered and has nailed me several times since I first recieved him and doesn't tolerate handling AT ALL. What should I do? How can I hope to tame him if he never even allows me to hold him? Any help at all would be VERY appreciated!

Tell us about his set up.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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Well, he is in a very large tank. At least 5ftx2ft. He has two hide boxes, one at either end of the tank, a large water bowl(big enough for him to coil up in, which he has done), and is living on Reptibark brand cypress bedding. The tank is glass ith a plexiglass top, and I mist it a couple times daily. The humidity gauge is reading 70% and the temp probe says 89 degrees at one end of the tank and 77 degrees at the other end. I have a few scattered rocks in the tank and some fake plants like ferns and vines and a piece of driftwood to climb on. I think i have the bedding too deep however, cause he is burrowing in it and hiding under it. That's my setup.

How old is this snake? A baby? A juvie?

That sounds like a nice set-up, maybe just right for an adult blood. But baby bloods really prefer smaller enclosures to feel secure. This advice was given to me by several good people on here and I found it to really be true. I had a baby that was not eating at all. I switched her over to a smaller tub (40 square inches of space) with a smaller water bowel, and she started to do much better. Now she's eating every five days, putting on weight and growing fast. I think she's almost grown enough to move her up to a slightly larger tub now. But, for sure, baby bloods like small spaces.

Well, I thought when I bought him that he would be smaller. he is just about three and a half feet long right now, and at least half a foot to a foot longer than I thought he would be. I assumed that a 3 and a half foot snake in a 5 foot cage with lots of junk in it would be a good fit, but all I have experience with is Ball Pythons, and my Ball is a sweetheart and doesn't care where I put it, so I wouldn't be surprised if im wrong.

A few things.

Bloods like it TIGHT. That very well may be too large.

You mention TANK. Is this a fish take with all sides clear? That is instant stress to bloods as they are a secretive snake. Go buy some construction paper and cover those sides. Bloods are also known for not climbing. They are a heavy snake and tend to prefer to stick to ground level. Burrowing into the mulch is a comfort thing. Hides should be as small as possible for them to wedge their bodies into just barely. I would also look at lowering that high end a few degree.

Too much room can easily lead to a nippy STP.
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Cindy Steinle
PHFaust
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Wow, thanks! That was probably the most helpful info I have gotten yet. It makes sense about the tight quarters, cause I temporarily put him in my Ball Python's enclosure, which I thought was WAAAYYYYY too small, just to hold him until I set some things up in his tank and he wedged himself into the ball python's little wooden hide box and I was amazed he even fit! even though he is easily twice the size of my Ball Python. He is in a big glass fish tank I got for free and converted into a terrarium specifically for my next snake purchase, and if you think glass on all sides is bothering him I can easily cover the sides to make him more comfortable. I also have an expandable mostly air-tight and non-see-through tank devider I was origionally going to use to house my Ball on one side of the tank, and my Blood on the other since I was under the impression he would arive as a hatchling and the divided tank sections would be the perfect size for both and I could then use my old tank to put them in for cleaning time. I can use that devider to make his living aria in the big tank smaller, and then move it as he grows to make room for him. I have a couple questions though: should I let him burrow in the mulch, or should I try and discourage that, since it makes him hard to feed and get out to handle? Also, how do I begin to get him out for handling without making him mad and constantly getting bitten if he is always hiding under something? Should I use a pair of elbow-length leather gloves and just let him bite them till he realizes biting isn't getting him anywhere and he quits? That was suggested by a friend. Thanks!

I have read you need to give the short-tailed pythons like borneos, blacks, and bloods ample cage size due to their mass. The general formula I heard was to provide a cage the size you would keep a snake like a boa or other species of python of similar WEIGHT in, not length. Something to do with their bulk and potential respiratory issues if kept in a cage too small. According to that info, a 10 pound blood python that is four feet long would need the floor space a 10 pound boa that is six feet long may require (as an example).

I kept a baby borneo for a short while many moons ago. It was a VERY reclusive snake. I would leave the mulch and feel they are very ambush oriented snakes that like to remain out of site. You could offer snugger hides as suggested in an appropriate sized cage. After all, they do their thing in the middle of the jungles and rice paddies in Asia, just use secure and reclusive hiding spots.

You say it appears to be less aggressive towards the hook. A solution would be to hook it and place in your hands. The gloves would provide safety to you so you can keep the snake in your hands if it bites. Putting any snake back into its cage immediately after being bit reinforces the reason its biting you. Thats to be left alone!!! When it realizes biting isnt doing anything, but its also not being harmed, it should get accustomed to it after awhile. I think approaching snakes like the bloods head on with a hand also causes feeding reaction. Its nice and concealed waiting for prey to come by, and here comes your warm hand LOL!! You can lay the prey with tongs next to its head where hiding if using frozen/thawed. Live prey will inevitably check out the hides in the cage and encounter the awaiting snake!! My baby borneo fed like that. It never rushed out its hide when live prey was put in the cage, but waited til the prey came up to its hide. It would lay there with just the tip of its nose at times poking out!!

Well, there seems to be some dissagreement on cage size, so I propose just giving him lots of hiding places and clutter in his cage for him to feel comfortable??

In the paper back petshop book Pythons by P. Bartlett and E. Wagner, they state the cage of any short tail python species should allow the snake to stretch out near full length, and be able to turn around comfortably. They state too small a cage, or humidity issues may cause respiratory problems. Maybe the husbandry has changed since this book was published and more folks have more intimate short tailed python knowledge. Sure, babies do well in a 10inch x 4inch cage, but then again they are probably less than 10 inches long at birth, or close to it. Just something I have read. Shrug??

Mine never bit me, but it bit the people who were first taking care of it.
I think Babies are naturally nippy. Mine now just hisses loudly if displeased.

Matthew

Hmmm...well he isn't exactly a baby, but everyone has told me their tempers improve with age and handling, so im very hopeful.

They should, depends on the snake though.

Matthew
Of course, Bloods do have THAT reputation..

In addition to letting him settle in, take an unwashed old t-shirt and cut a few strips from it. Place the strips in his cage with one in his hide. Snakes pick up scent very well and he will soon associate your scent with the safety of his cage and not the threat he feels you are now. This has worked very well for me in calming new snakes. Best of luck with him. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

That is an excellent idea. Never heard of that before, but i see how it would work, because they are so sensitive to smells. Thanks!

You are welcome. I heard of the t-shirt trick years ago and I started doing that with every new snake. Seems to calm them down quickly and impacts positively to tame the snake. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

Now that suggestion has some merit, I'd like to try that someday myself.

Matthew