what to do

[lanceinhispance]

i am hopefully getting a blood python in febuary and was wondering if anybody had some big tips for me, any websites to go to, or things to use for them. i have been fasinated by them for years and have been doing some research but can't really find anyone with goo d experience. i am not a begginer but not an expert with snakes, but do own a baal python getting bigger by the second.

[Invictus]

Grant Van Gameren (Grant vg on this board) is pretty much the resident expert on blood pythons. He can help you a lot more than I can, but this much I will tell you - if the only snake you've ever owned is a ball python, I strongly recommend against getting a blood python, unless you get one that is puppy dog tame right from the get go. Even then, their temperaments can be somewhat unpredictable, and they are WAY more powerful than a ball python when fully grown. I personally only recommend them to people who have more experience than just corns or bps.

But, if your mind is made up, here's the basics:

1) Keep them VERY humid. I have mine on damp sphagnum moss at all times, and their scales do tend to dry very quickly.
2) Give them a water dish big enough to soak in. Sometimes the damp moss even isn't enough for them, so they'll take a bath.... FOR DAYS. Trust me.
3) Temps quite similar to other pythons - 88-92 for a warm spot, 75-80 for a cool side. They should never fall below 75 EVER in my opinion unless you are cycling them for breeding.

But the biggest thing is to make sure your cage is big enough. A fully grown blood will require at least 2 feet of width, so a 5x2x2 (or bigger) is what you should have. Luckily, they grow a bit more slowly than their cousins.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but like I said... Grant is the expert. That's how I keep my blood, with good success so far. He might have different views. So may some of the other blood owners here. If you have a SPECIFIC question, that would be more helpful to us.

[lanceinhispance]

is there any way for me to contact grant?

[lanceinhispance]

i have looked up some caresheets and others have different opinions and even one said that they are mostly dosile which i find is way off, and im just looking for the right person to show me the right road to take.

[ohh_kristina]

I agree with everything Invictus said. I keep mine in a tight fitting, very humid rubbermaid and she is finally thriving. They can take a while to acclimate and can sometimes be very shy about feeding. Also, the temperment that the snake has when you first get it DOES NOT mean that that is the temperment it will have for life. My blood was very shy and nice when I first got her and two months later she was snapping at me every now and then. I know the amount of power she has right now, even as a neonate, and it's nothing like getting bit by a ball python!

[Invictus]

I've been lucky. In the few months that I've owned my blood, she has not shown even a HINT of shyness or aggression. She is actually the tamest snake I own! However, this is definitely the exception, NOT the rule. Most bloods are at the very least a little shy, even they don't have an overly large tendency to bite. But, even my little sweetheart could change any time, so I make sure to handle her often, but without mauling her. Seems to be working so far. When I pick her up, she's just like "blah." Big wet noodle.

[Mark]

I keep my blood on bark chips with a humidity of 90-100% with great success. I havn't notice any attitude issues with mine so far but I still keep the hands away from the pointy end if possible . I don't find them as hard to care for as a lot of people make them out as but they are harder then a BP. Still they are a great snake.

[Grant vg]

i think when it comes to caging for bloods, you really have to go with what works for YOU in YOUR situation.

I kept my bloods in rubbermaids and custom enclusures, with newspaper/paper towel for substrate with 60-75% humidity 79-80 cool end, and 87-88 hot spot.
Above you see that others use other substrates as well as different temperature and humidity ranges.

But theres one thing in common......all of them are healthy...well, im assuming everyones bloods are healthy

chances are ...someone in florida will use different housing then someone in moscow.
ambient humidity levels differ, temperatures of different seasons, etc... all can have an effect on keeping your blood happy.
so theres not one housing standard for this species.

And perhaps thats why your finding it hard to come up with some sort of recipe to follow.

personally, if you have previously used rubbermaids and paper towel for your snake(s) in the past with good success on maintaining humidity levels as well as ventilation and a healthy animal, perhaps thats the route you should go.
Others have used aquariums for years to keep there snakes in, and i have no doubt in my mind that someone who has used aquariums for 10+ years, and has housed numerous species of snakes, probably would not have a problem maintaining humidity for a blood python.

keeping a blood is similar to incubating eggs.
some ppl use hovabators with great success, others use coolers, some ppl use fridges, and guys like Roy Stockwell builds them out of wood...

Now.... give me a couple sheets of wood and tell me to make an incubator, i wouldn't have a clue where to start.

But roy has obviously had success incubating his eggs this way so why change?
Because he obviously knows that in order to incubate an egg, you need to have the temperature and humidity levels right, and all other things mean nothing.

Same goes for bloods.
Get the temps right, get the humidity right, provide the neccessities like water and hides, and whatever you choose to keep it IN and ON, is really what will work for you in your position.

Cages which i would recommend are rubbermaids, melamine enclosures, and plastic cages.
Substrates id recommend are newspaper or papertowel. and perhaps cypress mulch and/or spagnum ( if your dealing with low humidity levels).
Heating wise,... heat pads, heat tape, or heat panels.
You'll obviously want to use a thermostat with anyone of these heating devices, because rarely do they hover around the exact temperature you need them to be at.

So since you dont plan on getting it till feb.
find a reputable breeder who captive PRODUCED the bloods for sale, then set up the best enclosure for your situation and have everything running smoothly for a couple weeks. then buy your snake last.

In the time being, buy a digital thermometer with hygrometer.
Place it in the room where you would want to keep the blood.
check the temperatures during the morning, afternoon, night, etc....as well as the humidity levels.
this will give you a better idea of what your up against.

that temperature will more then likely be close to your ambient in the cage.
if your like my place, no corner in my apartment is less then like 80 degrees even during winter... or perhaps you live in an old house where temps are very unstable and can reach into the low seventies (or lower with drafts, etc..) where perhaps a melamine cage will aid in keeping in the warmth as well as using a heat panel to boost up ambient temps in the cage.....

See where am i going with this???
caging , heating, size of water bowls...etc... really depends on the variables you CAN'T control....
figure out that first....than come back and ask more questions...

hope this ramble has been of some use and not confused you even more...

Gvg

[Invictus]

LOL... awesome post Grant! That's why I recommended you to him.

[Grant vg]

Thanks Invictus!

gvg