Blood Pyton Question

[picazo505]

Blood Python Question

I just bought a Blood Python (Python curtus brongersmai) and i will like for u guys out there with Pyton to help me find a good forum,and if you could tell me a good web site with caresheets will be nice

thanks in advance

 

[Bry]

Redtailboa.net is a good place to start. Blood pythons are pretty delicate as far as snakes go. I wish you had read up more about them before getting into them. This isn't a species that you can easily purchase before setting up its enclosure, and expect it to acclimate readily. That's neither here nor there, since you've already gotten the snake.

Basically, they thrive best in humid setups, at which the humidity should be kept at 70-80%. The temperature on the hot side should be in the very low 90's Fahrenheit, and the ambient temp should be low to mid 80's throughout the day. Nighttime temps can be allowed to dip into the high 70's. Sphagnum peat moss is good to use for baby bloods, as their smaller bodies store less water, so they dehydrate more quickly than adults. The moss isn't as needed with adults, since they have more water reserves. In fact, as with T's, too much humidity and not enough ventilation can cause problems, such as blistering.

A friend of mine keeps all of his humidity-loving snakes on a layer of pea gravel with a couple inches of cypress mulch laid on top of that. Every few days, he fills up a 32 oz. plastic cup with hot water, and pours it directly into the substrate (away from the snake, of course). I have used this method myself, and IME, it works pretty well.

If you get a chance to get your hands on the Reptiles magazine January 2003 issue, I recommend picking it up. There's a great article on blood python husbandry by Robyn Markland.

Bry

 

[Hamadryad]

Blood Pythons are wicked cool...


Yes, I have to admit that I myself have been looking at the Blood Pythons with an interested eye...I have to say though that I have done a bit of research and talking to the guys down at my reptile store ( Repto-mania ) and I think the Blood Python may indeed be a tad too much for me right now both financially and with its unique husbandry requirements.I was looking at some wild caught juveniles and they have quite the nasty temperment!!! they are indeed a mean snake which I must say only adds to the appeal to me but they DO get quite large and stocky and I am not sure I am ready to deal with a fat, nine foot long snake that has an evil temper!!!

I was also looking at a smaller captive bred specimen that I would indeed like as the guy at Repto-Mania was telling me that there would be a better chance of taming it than dealing with the wild caught specimens.Only bad thing was the cost of this specimen...over $250.00 which is more than I can spend right now on a snake!!!

That is interesting information about their humidity and temp requirements....right now I am really just a beginner with snakes and I have a couple of Ball Pythons that I fawn over but I wouldnt mind a more exotic and demanding snake to work with.

The Evil Spider Hunter

 

[Phillip]

Bloods don't all have the temper that they have been stuck with over the years. In fact many of them are fine they just have to be handled properly as in not restrained and fully supported.

Phil

 

[picazo505]

Originally posted by Bry
Redtailboa.net is a good place to start. Blood pythons are pretty delicate as far as snakes go. I wish you had read up more about them before getting into them. This isn't a species that you can easily purchase before setting up its enclosure, and expect it to acclimate readily. That's neither here nor there, since you've already gotten the snake.

Basically, they thrive best in humid setups, at which the humidity should be kept at 70-80%. The temperature on the hot side should be in the very low 90's Fahrenheit, and the ambient temp should be low to mid 80's throughout the day. Nighttime temps can be allowed to dip into the high 70's. Sphagnum peat moss is good to use for baby bloods, as their smaller bodies store less water, so they dehydrate more quickly than adults. The moss isn't as needed with adults, since they have more water reserves. In fact, as with T's, too much humidity and not enough ventilation can cause problems, such as blistering.

A friend of mine keeps all of his humidity-loving snakes on a layer of pea gravel with a couple inches of cypress mulch laid on top of that. Every few days, he fills up a 32 oz. plastic cup with hot water, and pours it directly into the substrate (away from the snake, of course). I have used this method myself, and IME, it works pretty well.

If you get a chance to get your hands on the Reptiles magazine January 2003 issue, I recommend picking it up. There's a great article on blood python husbandry by Robyn Markland.

Bry

Thanks for the reply, i saw the magazine article, is great, it has some good info

 

[Lasiodora]

I think pea gravel and hot water is a little extreme. Use a moisture retaining substrate like cypress and spray the enclosure good once a day. Make sure that you don't spray too heavily. The cage should be dry by the next day. If it's not you are keeping it too wet.
Here's a caresheet from VPI:
http://vpi.com/8VPICareSheets/Pythons/bloodpython/BloodPythonMaint.htm
They are the blood python kings and have probably bred them the most in the US.
Mike

 

[minax]

Yea.........

Originally posted by Phillip
Bloods don't all have the temper that they have been stuck with over the years. In fact many of them are fine they just have to be handled properly as in not restrained and fully supported.

Phil

I agree with you Phillip, they have a rather undeserved rep. of being unreliable in temp. Most captive breds are quite docile, though I have seen some wild caughts that were kind of snappy. I have had a few over the years, and still own a P. brongersmai and a P.bretensteini. The humidity is not much of a problem if you give them a large water bowel/pan. And a frequent misting is good too. A good python forum with a lot of exp. enthusiasts is www.BobClark.com.