The Snake Guru
02-14-2008, 02:53 AM
(Sumatran) Blood Python, PYTHON BRONGERSMAI
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 3-6 FEET, MAXIMUM OF 10 FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-90 HIGH, 78-80 AMBIENT / 50-60%
Blood pythons can be found throughout the Malaysian peninsula and eastern Sumatra. Blood pythons are heavy-bodied terrestrial snakes. Their markings are variable, with coloration ranging from yellows and tans to bright red. Bloods are known for their color-changing heads, with some specimens having a black head in the evening hours and a light head in morning hours.
Hatchlings average 12-16 inches. The average female adult ranges 4-6 feet in length, the male 3-5 feet. The maximum size is 10 feet, with 8 being considered large. This is a very heavy bodied snake; a mature adult weight may be more than 40 pounds! Blood Pythons can live to be more than 25 years old in captivity with proper husbandry and care.
As with most other reptiles, Bloods should be housed individually. Bloods appreciate hide boxes. This can be as simple as a cereal box or margarine tub, or you can buy one commercially made for snake hides. Your snake should never have to choose between security and temperature. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage, or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity. If you are interested in breeding, you may want to consider a rack system to house your snakes. Typically, a good rule of thumb with any snake is to provide one square foot of space per foot of snake.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your snake an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be the same to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. Blood pythons can be started on rats from the time of hatching with rat pups, then gradually moving up in size as your snake grows. We recommend switching your blood to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and then the dinner becomes the diner. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Handling your blood too soon after feeding can lead to regurgitation. We recommend that you do not handle your snake for at least a day after feeding.
Bloods can reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years old. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females usually shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 8-20 eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 60 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 3-6 FEET, MAXIMUM OF 10 FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-90 HIGH, 78-80 AMBIENT / 50-60%
Blood pythons can be found throughout the Malaysian peninsula and eastern Sumatra. Blood pythons are heavy-bodied terrestrial snakes. Their markings are variable, with coloration ranging from yellows and tans to bright red. Bloods are known for their color-changing heads, with some specimens having a black head in the evening hours and a light head in morning hours.
Hatchlings average 12-16 inches. The average female adult ranges 4-6 feet in length, the male 3-5 feet. The maximum size is 10 feet, with 8 being considered large. This is a very heavy bodied snake; a mature adult weight may be more than 40 pounds! Blood Pythons can live to be more than 25 years old in captivity with proper husbandry and care.
As with most other reptiles, Bloods should be housed individually. Bloods appreciate hide boxes. This can be as simple as a cereal box or margarine tub, or you can buy one commercially made for snake hides. Your snake should never have to choose between security and temperature. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage, or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity. If you are interested in breeding, you may want to consider a rack system to house your snakes. Typically, a good rule of thumb with any snake is to provide one square foot of space per foot of snake.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your snake an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be the same to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. Blood pythons can be started on rats from the time of hatching with rat pups, then gradually moving up in size as your snake grows. We recommend switching your blood to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and then the dinner becomes the diner. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Handling your blood too soon after feeding can lead to regurgitation. We recommend that you do not handle your snake for at least a day after feeding.
Bloods can reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years old. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Females usually shed 14-20 days post-ovulation and eggs are generally laid 30 days following the shed. The average clutch size ranges from 8-20 eggs. With an incubation temperature of 88-90 degrees, the eggs should hatch in about 60 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!