Getting a blood python!!! YAY! Do you ''Got Bloods?"

[maggiee22195]

Hey guys, so I am getting a female blood on friday. I heard she has a nice temperament and has infertile eggs in her right now. She is also about 3 feet long when she is stretched out. one thing I wanted to know is, how are your bloods, temperament, feeding, and care wise? Oh, and what size sterilite or rubbermaid bin can I keep a 2 1/2 - 3' female blood in. I have a 28 qt bin.. is that big enough?

Thanks!!!

 

[maggiee22195]

 

[T-ReXx]

You're going to need a much larger container than that, at least 41 quarts for that size snake, and you will need something the size of a 75 gallon tank or larger for a full grown blood.

Good luck, generally blood pythons are moody, snappy snakes at best.

 

[T-ReXx]

Also, you might want to consider doing research about a species more than 2 days before you buy it. This is all stuff you should be aware of BEFORE YOU PURCHASE AN ANIMAL.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Also, you might want to consider doing research about a species more than 2 days before you buy it. This is all stuff you should be aware of BEFORE YOU PURCHASE AN ANIMAL.

Took the words right out of my mouth, and nothing that hasn't been mentioned before. Maybe the lack of love is the memberships way of trying to encourage you to do some research on your own.

Good luck with your new venture.

On a totally different note... how your gecko breeding program progressing? Any success yet?

 

[maggiee22195]

Took the words right out of my mouth, and nothing that hasn't been mentioned before. Maybe the lack of love is the memberships way of trying to encourage you to do some research on your own.

Good luck with your new venture.

On a totally different note... how your gecko breeding program progressing? Any success yet?

Hey! I have done many hours of research.. I mainly started this thread to get the opinions of those who closely keep and breed bloods. I mean, I have read about almost everything about the blood pythons (except breeding) and you get so many varied answers so I was wanting more of a personal answer.

Oh, and my leo breeding is going alright. My male sunglow didn't show any interest in the female at all so I moved her in with my jungle tremper albino... He got the job done, well, at least I think he did because I have seen countless mating attempts... But anyway, I think she is actually possibly gravid right now... So it is just a wait and see kind of time as of now.. Thank you for asking though! How is your leo? Eros, I think his name is. Do you ever plan on breeding him? He is a nice looking leo!

 

[gixxer3420]

I saw you put your geckos up for sale on another site? Not interested in them anymore?

 

[Dog Shrink]

Hey! I have done many hours of research.. I mainly started this thread to get the opinions of those who closely keep and breed bloods. I mean, I have read about almost everything about the blood pythons (except breeding) and you get so many varied answers so I was wanting more of a personal answer.

Oh, and my leo breeding is going alright. My male sunglow didn't show any interest in the female at all so I moved her in with my jungle tremper albino... He got the job done, well, at least I think he did because I have seen countless mating attempts... But anyway, I think she is actually possibly gravid right now... So it is just a wait and see kind of time as of now.. Thank you for asking though! How is your leo? Eros, I think his name is. Do you ever plan on breeding him? He is a nice looking leo!

Yep still have Eros... thank you for the compliment nope no plans for breeding him or acquiring any other leopard geckos any time soon. Don't 'cha hate it when there is so much conflicting information out there about any species? It's like behavior work... every one has an opinion and mostof it is generally inaccurate or incomplete. That's when it pays to know who is a reliable knowledgable source from which to gather inforamtion from. Get info from Caesar Milan... NEVER... Turris Rugaas... any day of the week, same goes for Barbara Woodhouse .

Glad to hear that your female might be producing for you soon. Good luck with that. Maybe your male might have been just a little slow developing this season but I betcha next season he'll be goin like a hog.

 

[maggiee22195]

Yep still have Eros... thank you for the compliment nope no plans for breeding him or acquiring any other leopard geckos any time soon. Don't 'cha hate it when there is so much conflicting information out there about any species? It's like behavior work... every one has an opinion and mostof it is generally inaccurate or incomplete. That's when it pays to know who is a reliable knowledgable source from which to gather inforamtion from. Get info from Caesar Milan... NEVER... Turris Rugaas... any day of the week, same goes for Barbara Woodhouse .

Glad to hear that your female might be producing for you soon. Good luck with that. Maybe your male might have been just a little slow developing this season but I betcha next season he'll be goin like a hog.

Hahah I know! It get SO annoying! And cage size is a very big pet peve of mine too! There are so many people who like to give their animals way too much space and then there are those who don't give their animals enough. But that is why I asked the question, because of there being SO much conflicting info... especially on ball pythons and now bloods because they are becoming more popular! but I am glad eros is doing well! I think he is cute!

 

[maggiee22195]

I saw you put your geckos up for sale on another site? Not interested in them anymore?

I thought I was going to get some ball pythons but I stepped back and realized I am in absolutely no rush to start breeding ball pythons. So I think I am trading my male sunglow for this female blood. And I am going to try to breed my tremper jungle albino to my female sunglow. So I am just going to gain the experience of owning many different reptiles, and I am going to just start breeding ball pythons MAYBE next year or at some point in the near future. So I am just going to take down my ads because I love my leoss so I am just going to keep my one breeding pair and just keep my blood!

 

[T-ReXx]

I call BS. If you had done "lots of research" you would know the minimum size of enclosure blood pythons require, and not be asking some assinine question like "can you keep a three foot blood python in a 28 quart." You bounce around from leopard geckos to ball pythons and now blood pythons. Frankly, people like you make me feel ill. I'm sick of seeing the ridiculous threads you post here and the way you seem to work hard at getting others riled up. I'm also sick of people getting out the kid gloves and giving you the benefit of the doubt. Your one of those thinks they have great interest in something then loses interest in a week and is on to something "cooler." You don't want to get off your proverbial a$$ and do your own research. Frankly, I think you're just starved for attention. Unfortunately animals can be purchased by anyone and in an effort to prevent your hastily acquired pets from suffering people who give a crap take the time to explain correct husbandry to you and instead of shutting up and learning you get all defensive. You get caught trying to sell your "beloved geckos" on another site and you back track stumbling for reasons behind it and how you "changed your mind."

So yes, I call BS. I don't think you care about the animals beyond how "cool the new thing is." I don't think you know anything at all about herpetoculture. And I don't think you or anyone else like you should be allowed to own reptiles.

But that's just one man's opinion based on 16+ years experience with over 300 species of reptile and amphibian. I should just shutup and play nice but I really am tired of doing so.

Crap, I think I'm starting to turn into Seamus. :main_rolleyes:

 

[Krow]

Ted, I totally agree with you on this whole subject.

Plus, I know from experience when someone says this 'snake has a good temperment,' & that species of snake is known to be snappy, to not bank on it. I bought a rough scaled sand boa last year, the breeder said that she had never biten or stuck at him. So I thought I was getting a snake that I could handle just as much as my corn snake, WRONG. I still have her today, shes a year old now, & still bites the sh!t outta me, so yeah. Just know when that species of snake is known to have an attitude, dont think they are gunna be all nice & go lucky.

 

[maggiee22195]

I call BS. If you had done "lots of research" you would know the minimum size of enclosure blood pythons require, and not be asking some assinine question like "can you keep a three foot blood python in a 28 quart." You bounce around from leopard geckos to ball pythons and now blood pythons. Frankly, people like you make me feel ill. I'm sick of seeing the ridiculous threads you post here and the way you seem to work hard at getting others riled up. I'm also sick of people getting out the kid gloves and giving you the benefit of the doubt. Your one of those thinks they have great interest in something then loses interest in a week and is on to something "cooler." You don't want to get off your proverbial a$$ and do your own research. Frankly, I think you're just starved for attention. Unfortunately animals can be purchased by anyone and in an effort to prevent your hastily acquired pets from suffering people who give a crap take the time to explain correct husbandry to you and instead of shutting up and learning you get all defensive. You get caught trying to sell your "beloved geckos" on another site and you back track stumbling for reasons behind it and how you "changed your mind."

So yes, I call BS. I don't think you care about the animals beyond how "cool the new thing is." I don't think you know anything at all about herpetoculture. And I don't think you or anyone else like you should be allowed to own reptiles.

But that's just one man's opinion based on 16+ years experience with over 300 species of reptile and amphibian. I should just shutup and play nice but I really am tired of doing so.

Crap, I think I'm starting to turn into Seamus. :main_rolleyes:

Oh, I am sorry you feel that way. But the sad part is I take great care of my animals. And I didn't backtrack when I was "caught" trying to sell my leopard geckos. And frankly it isn't your business what I do with my reptiles. I did my research and I actually went in to look at him and he is NOT 3 feet long. So I do know what I am doing. If you would actually have read what I wrote in my other responses instead of trying to attack me like you have done before you would know that. I don't understand why you have to pick and pick at something. DO NOT REPLY IF YOU CAN'T STAND PEOPLE OTHER THAN YOURSELF OWNING REPTILES! I really also find it offensive that you think I dont give a crap about my animals. I actually care about them more that anything else. I make sure they have the best care and when I do happen to sell some of them (which everybody does.. sorry it is reality buddy) I make sure they go to good homes. I even keep in touch with some people who I gave 1 of my snakes to. I have only sold 3 animals.... it's not like the world will blow up when people in the reptile community decide to sell their pets or breeders that they no longer need. EVERYBODY DOES IT! I do know the minimum and max sizes for enclosures but like I said to kelly, I WANTED PERSONAL EXPERIENCES!!! YOU CAN READ ALL YOU WANT ON THE INTERNET FROM PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT BUT IT MAY NOT BE TRUE!! So please do not reply to any of my further threads. I don't understand why you need to start commotion like this. You are the one who started this. Not me. So thank you for your inaccurate input. :main_thumbsdown:

 

[Dog Shrink]

Crap, I think I'm starting to turn into Seamus. :main_rolleyes:

I can think of worse people to be like :main_yes: Surprised it took this long to ban honestly. On to better things...

 

[T-ReXx]

It's starting off to be a great day...

lol.

 

[gixxer3420]

Good post Ted, I couldnt agree more.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Crap, I think I'm starting to turn into Seamus.

I think it's probably something akin to "rescuer syndrome."

Rescuers see such a large proportion of abused and neglected animals that it tends to strongly color their perception of what is average and expected. They get bad things brought to their attention so often that they have finely honed responses and are often somewhat pessimistic when confronted with yet another case.

Deal with the public discussing reptiles (or aquariums or birds or ant farms or whatever) long enough, online or in person, and you will be exposed to a very visible minority of people who have poor practices and little or no sense of why anyone else might not like what they are doing. They ask questions not because they want an answer but because they want some external confirmation of the thing they were planning to do anyway. They flip animals like baseball cards and not only do not understand why it irritates others but actively refuse to pay any attention when it is explained. They are frustrating.

Some of them just need a bit of a kick in the ass to realize what they're doing and straighten up. A bit of tough love as it were, strip them of their ego and they become willing to learn. Some will simply never get it, no matter how gingerly or roughly they are treated.

I've got a long, involved rant about how I miss the concept of personal responsibility. It usually starts off talking about what it really means to do research and then goes off sideways hollering about the warning labels printed on stickers on the side of a hair dryer.

All in all it really makes one appreciate the people who pay attention to discussions. The ones who read or listen, try to understand, bring their own experiences and knowledge to a conversation, ask follow-up questions when they need clarification and who are genuinely open to learning; they become a real pleasure to interact with.

Ted, I totally agree with you on this whole subject.

Plus, I know from experience when someone says this 'snake has a good temperment,' & that species of snake is known to be snappy, to not bank on it. I bought a rough scaled sand boa last year, the breeder said that she had never biten or stuck at him. So I thought I was getting a snake that I could handle just as much as my corn snake, WRONG. I still have her today, shes a year old now, & still bites the sh!t outta me, so yeah. Just know when that species of snake is known to have an attitude, dont think they are gunna be all nice & go lucky.

There are... ways to mitigate some of that, sometimes, for some species, to some degree.

Most animals that have a reputation for being snappy or aggressive are going to be displaying behaviors that are associated with predatory instincts or defensive instincts (or both). They have evolved in an environment where the most appropriate response to various stimulus is going to be to bite at it; either because that is how they eat or because that is how they drive away things trying to eat them. There are specific triggers that prompt the behaviors. If you modify the stimulus you expose them to, sometimes you can modify their resulting behavior. Though sometimes the trigger is broad enough so that not much can be done to work around it.

While the instinctive dictates of an animal can be fairly complex, with changes resulting from all sorts of minor differences in what they are being exposed to, the process of learning and adaptation generally happens with the person who's trying to handle them.

To use blood pythons as an example, since it's a blood python thread even if Little Miss Flavor of the Week is no longer participating... in the wild they spend most their time partially or completely buried in leaf detritus. When something approaches them or makes contact from above, it's usually going to be something to eat or something dangerous to them (either predatory or simply big enough to step on and injure them) and in most instances the appropriate response is to bite at it. If an owner is going to handle one and comes in from above, they trigger those instincts and often get bitten. If an owner slides a hand underneath the animal mid-body and lifts slowly, supporting the weight without restraining the head, without looming over the animal or making contact with its back or face they are less likely to be bitten. Less likely is not "won't be" but by changing the experience the animal has, they alter the probable behaviors that will be displayed.

As someone owns or works with a species over a longer period of time or with multiple individuals, we as people start to recognize patterns and subconsciously adapt our approaches to handling and interaction. So an animal sold with the label "has never bitten" probably hasn't bitten... the breeder, who owns dozens or hundreds of them and who has perfected the nuances of technique that allow them to get away with handling and avoid those triggers.

I like blood pythons and have interacted with a pretty fair number of them. I stand a good chance of being able to do what I need to do most the time without incident. I just know the approaches and have a fair ability to read their body language and weight shifts and mostly keep them from biting the crap out of me... but not always.

Someone who works with them extensively, like say... the guys at Pro-Exotics who got into the species a decade ago and have kept hundreds of them have handling experience and expertise well past what I have. The ratio of time handling blood pythons to bites is going to be substantially lower than mine is.

Someone who has never even seen one in person before, interacting for the very first time with an animal they just got mailed to their house is almost guaranteed to be bleeding within minutes.

Which really ties back in to half of Ted's point; blood pythons are a wonderful, beautiful and rewarding species for a person who is experienced and knowledgeable enough to deal with their behaviors and an absolutely terrible pet for someone who hasn't got the background. They have big heads, with thick (for pythons) powerful jaws and that girth is not a bunch of squishy fat, it's mostly heavy, explosive muscle. Being bitten by one in the three foot range (and they can get up to about six) feels a lot like getting punched by a fist made of needles and if they should wrap after biting (thankfully something they rarely do, but not never) they can be very difficult to remove one-handed by the person being chewed on.

I am a guy in every sense of the word, including a tendency to deny or downplay physical pain, I've walked off and ignored a lot of injuries in my life and I am telling you... as a man who once got shot in the knee with a nail gun and only swore a little bit while hobbling around... being bitten by a blood python hurts. It hurts badly enough where someone experiencing it when they weren't expecting it stands a very good chance of becoming afraid of the animal. Once that happens, it's all over.

It is absolutely not a species that should be owned by anyone who has lingering questions about basic husbandry and can't figure out what size tub is appropriate on their own. Definitely not a species that should be considered by a wishy-washy, flavor of the week, impulse driven, flighty, amateur flipper.

 

[T-ReXx]

Makes a lot of sense. Sadly this particular instance is only one of MANY I have seen similar examples of.

I agree completely about the bloods. I've been bitten by a 4 foot adult wc male and that hurt like hell. Very much the worst snake bite I've ever gotten(and I've been nailed many times by adult retics). Just to add a bit for those who may look at this and are considering a blood python; keep in mind these snakes aren't particularly long but they are large. They are very heavy bodied and strong and a 6 foot blood python just about quadruples the weight of a 6 foot ball python. All muscle. Long teeth and usually short tempers. It's not that bloods are always trying to eat your face like say, an amazon tree boa, it's that they're "every once in a while I'm in a bad enough mood to try to eat your face and today might be that day." Handling them without being experienced to the nuances of snake body language is pretty much like russian roulette. I love the species, they're gorgeous and impressive animals, but they are not beginner snakes as Seamus said. And the fact is when you own a blood python no matter how "tame" the animal might act one day there is no guarantee it will remain so the next, or even 5 min from now. They're very moody and can change seemingly without provocation. A great species, but if you've never owned a snake, do yourself a favor and get a ball python.

I think it's probably something akin to "rescuer syndrome."

Rescuers see such a large proportion of abused and neglected animals that it tends to strongly color their perception of what is average and expected. They get bad things brought to their attention so often that they have finely honed responses and are often somewhat pessimistic when confronted with yet another case.

Deal with the public discussing reptiles (or aquariums or birds or ant farms or whatever) long enough, online or in person, and you will be exposed to a very visible minority of people who have poor practices and little or no sense of why anyone else might not like what they are doing. They ask questions not because they want an answer but because they want some external confirmation of the thing they were planning to do anyway. They flip animals like baseball cards and not only do not understand why it irritates others but actively refuse to pay any attention when it is explained. They are frustrating.

Some of them just need a bit of a kick in the ass to realize what they're doing and straighten up. A bit of tough love as it were, strip them of their ego and they become willing to learn. Some will simply never get it, no matter how gingerly or roughly they are treated.

I've got a long, involved rant about how I miss the concept of personal responsibility. It usually starts off talking about what it really means to do research and then goes off sideways hollering about the warning labels printed on stickers on the side of a hair dryer.

All in all it really makes one appreciate the people who pay attention to discussions. The ones who read or listen, try to understand, bring their own experiences and knowledge to a conversation, ask follow-up questions when they need clarification and who are genuinely open to learning; they become a real pleasure to interact with.



There are... ways to mitigate some of that, sometimes, for some species, to some degree.

Most animals that have a reputation for being snappy or aggressive are going to be displaying behaviors that are associated with predatory instincts or defensive instincts (or both). They have evolved in an environment where the most appropriate response to various stimulus is going to be to bite at it; either because that is how they eat or because that is how they drive away things trying to eat them. There are specific triggers that prompt the behaviors. If you modify the stimulus you expose them to, sometimes you can modify their resulting behavior. Though sometimes the trigger is broad enough so that not much can be done to work around it.

While the instinctive dictates of an animal can be fairly complex, with changes resulting from all sorts of minor differences in what they are being exposed to, the process of learning and adaptation generally happens with the person who's trying to handle them.

To use blood pythons as an example, since it's a blood python thread even if Little Miss Flavor of the Week is no longer participating... in the wild they spend most their time partially or completely buried in leaf detritus. When something approaches them or makes contact from above, it's usually going to be something to eat or something dangerous to them (either predatory or simply big enough to step on and injure them) and in most instances the appropriate response is to bite at it. If an owner is going to handle one and comes in from above, they trigger those instincts and often get bitten. If an owner slides a hand underneath the animal mid-body and lifts slowly, supporting the weight without restraining the head, without looming over the animal or making contact with its back or face they are less likely to be bitten. Less likely is not "won't be" but by changing the experience the animal has, they alter the probable behaviors that will be displayed.

As someone owns or works with a species over a longer period of time or with multiple individuals, we as people start to recognize patterns and subconsciously adapt our approaches to handling and interaction. So an animal sold with the label "has never bitten" probably hasn't bitten... the breeder, who owns dozens or hundreds of them and who has perfected the nuances of technique that allow them to get away with handling and avoid those triggers.

I like blood pythons and have interacted with a pretty fair number of them. I stand a good chance of being able to do what I need to do most the time without incident. I just know the approaches and have a fair ability to read their body language and weight shifts and mostly keep them from biting the crap out of me... but not always.

Someone who works with them extensively, like say... the guys at Pro-Exotics who got into the species a decade ago and have kept hundreds of them have handling experience and expertise well past what I have. The ratio of time handling blood pythons to bites is going to be substantially lower than mine is.

Someone who has never even seen one in person before, interacting for the very first time with an animal they just got mailed to their house is almost guaranteed to be bleeding within minutes.

Which really ties back in to half of Ted's point; blood pythons are a wonderful, beautiful and rewarding species for a person who is experienced and knowledgeable enough to deal with their behaviors and an absolutely terrible pet for someone who hasn't got the background. They have big heads, with thick (for pythons) powerful jaws and that girth is not a bunch of squishy fat, it's mostly heavy, explosive muscle. Being bitten by one in the three foot range (and they can get up to about six) feels a lot like getting punched by a fist made of needles and if they should wrap after biting (thankfully something they rarely do, but not never) they can be very difficult to remove one-handed by the person being chewed on.

I am a guy in every sense of the word, including a tendency to deny or downplay physical pain, I've walked off and ignored a lot of injuries in my life and I am telling you... as a man who once got shot in the knee with a nail gun and only swore a little bit while hobbling around... being bitten by a blood python hurts. It hurts badly enough where someone experiencing it when they weren't expecting it stands a very good chance of becoming afraid of the animal. Once that happens, it's all over.

It is absolutely not a species that should be owned by anyone who has lingering questions about basic husbandry and can't figure out what size tub is appropriate on their own. Definitely not a species that should be considered by a wishy-washy, flavor of the week, impulse driven, flighty, amateur flipper.

 

[M_surinamensis]

I agree completely about the bloods. I've been bitten by a 4 foot adult wc male and that hurt like hell. Very much the worst snake bite I've ever gotten(and I've been nailed many times by adult retics). Just to add a bit for those who may look at this and are considering a blood python; keep in mind these snakes aren't particularly long but they are large. They are very heavy bodied and strong and a 6 foot blood python just about quadruples the weight of a 6 foot ball python. All muscle. Long teeth and usually short tempers.

I'm kind of wiry but there's a shot of a short-tail in front of a human arm for a quick comparison and an idea of adult proportions for anyone who may not have seen them before. Thick snakes, almost all muscle. They leave bruises anytime they bite, there's an impact that goes along with the teeth.

Incidentally, not the best way to hold them, she was being tilted forward for the shot intentionally to make her patterning and color visible. Even there, you'll see that I am not restraining the head and that there's a section of her forward weight being supported from underneath across my wrist and up along my forearm.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Finally a glimpse of the mysterious Seamus... had to cut off the head in that pic tho didn't ya

It's almost a shame that the majority of this useful information on Bloods comes AFTER she's banned but...c'est la vie I guess...

Thank you for going into such detail tho on bloods... hopefully it'll help the next person looking to get into these wonderful animals.