Post by lekkie on Apr 24, 2007 8:52:00 GMT 1
Blood Python Caresheet
Latin Names
Python Curtus, Python Breitensteini, Python Brongersmai.
Common Names
The name Blood Python refers strictly to the often blood red coloration found on their bodies, however this is usually found on the Brongersmai species.
In the wild
Blood Pythons are found in several areas; Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Their natural habitat is often marsh and tropical swamps. They are a primarily nocturnal species that is usually active around dawn and dusk.
They eat a variety of things in the wild such as birds and mammals.
Size
Hatchlings range from 10 inches-17 inches, Adult males typically range from 3-5 feet in length, and females between 4-6 feet although a few 7 footers have been recorded. These snakes are however a very robust snake and almost always look overweight, but this is just their general appearance.
Lifespan
A captive bred, healthy Blood Python can live up to and over 20 years.
Locality
Blood Pythons can be found in a variety of locations, Breitensteini are often found in Borneo itself, whereas Brongersmai and Curtus can range through much of Indonesia, Malaysia and Sumatra.
When Buying a Blood Python;
The snake should have a fully rounded body. Thus shouldn’t have a pronounced backbone or rib definitions. Skin should be firm and feel muscly, free from injuries or burns etc. Remember to check the snake’s underside too.
Check for mites, extremely small insects that you can see on the skin.
Check the eyes are of normal colouration, unless in shed where they will appear a milky colour or even blue. They should also have no obvious marks or scratches.
Hold the snake, the snake should not be warm unless being cooled for breeding, or cooled to relax aggressive snakes. Check with the breeder or supplier.
The snake should be alert, and be able to support its body when lifting it’s head up a good distance.
Check the mouth for any obvious signs of Mouth Rot or other illnesses/defects.
Gently open the snakes mouth by securely holding the head in one hand but supporting the body, and gently pulling the soft skin on the underside of the lower jaw, the mouth should be an all round pink colour but occasionally can have a black throat/gullet. Check there are no visible signs of teeth missing, or any bubbly mucus which often shows respiratory infections.
Buying your Blood Python
If you intend to buy a Blood Python, I strongly recommend that you have a complete set up ready for it before taking it home, I recommend that this should be running and monitored for around a week before buying your snake.
The following are essential;
Housing - With either a lock, or a secure lid.
Substrate – Of some description depending on preference.
Thermostatically controlled Heating and Lighting.
Hides – I suggest 2
Water Bowl – Enough to almost fully submerge the snake.
Food – Frozen Rats/Mice/Chicks available from your local dealer.
Lightguard – If you have an “open” hot light.
Thermometers – To monitor the temperature in the set up.
You should also prepare a suitable transportation method for taking your snake home, a polybox is commonly used as it is a good insulator of heat, simply place your snake inside a tub and then into the polybox, depending on the length of the journey heat will be needed, this can be implemented by the use of heat packs available at your local shops.
Housing
All housing needs to be secure no matter what it is, The last thing you want is an escapee.
Juvenile Blood Pythons like to feel secure so a small tub/tray would be good to start with, around 15 inches long x 10 inches wide.
Adults however should be housed in a minimum of 3 foot long and 18 inches deep Vivaria. Larger is better, but not too big, this may cause stress to the snake.
Substrate
Newspaper is the easiest to obtain, clean and to spot clean/change. You can also use Shredded Cypress bark, Aspen shavings, Orchid bark to add a more aesthetic touch, however I recommend feeding in a separate container if these are to be used to avoid accidental ingestion.
Sphagnum Moss is also a great way to keep humidity levels up for Blood Pythons, This can be misted daily.
Lighting
Blood Pythons, like most snakes require 13-14 hours worth of lighting in the summer months and 11-12 in winter.
If you are using a bulb to keep the ambient temperature right at night - use red bulbs as snakes cannot see the infra-red heat rays being emitted.
For the day time a standard bulb is ok. Be sure to use wire light guards to prevent your snake from burning itself.
Personally I implement a Red bulb on a dimming thermostat as this will maintain the hotspot and ambient temperatures, at night this can be simply turned off if in a warm room otherwise supplemental heating will be required overnight.
Heating
Heat mats can be used, inside or under the housing but must be used with a Mat Stat to regulate the temperature of the mat.
Ceramics are used in the same fashion as ordinary bulbs however I recommend using specialist ceramic bulb holders, as these are resistant to heat and wont shatter over time. Ceramics should be used with a Pulse Proportional Stat.
A thermometer should be present at all times, an analog or digital thermometer is fine but it must be accurate either way so you can keep an eye on temperatures.
Temperatures should be maintained at 88 - 90 F (31 – 32* C) during the day at the hot spot, with an ambient temperature that mustn’t fall below 75 F. Night time temperatures can fall to around 75 F (23 -24* C)
Water
Blood Pythons should always have access to fresh, clean water, this should be changed daily or whenever it becomes dirty, whichever comes first. Blood Pythons enjoy a good soak from time to time and also like to defecate in the water.
Humidity
A quick spray once or twice a day should provide good humidity. When your snake is in shed, this should be doubled. Sphagnum moss will provide ample humidity if kept moist. Humidity should be kept at around 60-70% or higher when in shed.
Hide box
Blood Pythons are very shy and secretive. They need to feel secure, this is why I recommend the use of 2 hides in the set up, one in the hot and one in the cool end. The snake will be able to stay safe and secure under or in his hide while not having to compromise heating. I recommend the use of Cork Bark, it is cheap to acquire and can be found in a variety of lengths and sizes which you can break/cut up accordingly.
Cleaning
Spot clean in the vivarium daily. Completely clean and disinfect once a month unless it is in need of a good clean. 10% bleach to 90% water is a good solution for cleaning the vivarium, Wash with water and allow to dry before returning everything.
Feeding
Blood Pythons should be offered mice and rats in captivity, And are easily bought from your local dealer. Feeding live rodents to your snake is illegal and could very easily cause serious injury to your snake.
A hatchling Blood Python will usually start with small mice and when adult should feed on adult large rats. A general rule is you can feed a mouse or rat that is in equal width to the widest part of the body.
A slight bulge should be visible in your snakes stomach. When this bulge is no longer visible, the snake may be able to move up onto the next size food, but check to see it isn’t too big in comparison, the width rule still applies. Chicks lack the nutrients rats and mice possess. However, if your snake is a fussy feeder then a chick is better than nothing. Rats are also more nutritious than mice so the sooner they are onto rats the better.
Foods should be offered by a pair of forceps so that you are away from striking distance. As mentioned before, try tub feeding where substrate other than paper is present.
Latin Names
Python Curtus, Python Breitensteini, Python Brongersmai.
Common Names
The name Blood Python refers strictly to the often blood red coloration found on their bodies, however this is usually found on the Brongersmai species.
In the wild
Blood Pythons are found in several areas; Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. Their natural habitat is often marsh and tropical swamps. They are a primarily nocturnal species that is usually active around dawn and dusk.
They eat a variety of things in the wild such as birds and mammals.
Size
Hatchlings range from 10 inches-17 inches, Adult males typically range from 3-5 feet in length, and females between 4-6 feet although a few 7 footers have been recorded. These snakes are however a very robust snake and almost always look overweight, but this is just their general appearance.
Lifespan
A captive bred, healthy Blood Python can live up to and over 20 years.
Locality
Blood Pythons can be found in a variety of locations, Breitensteini are often found in Borneo itself, whereas Brongersmai and Curtus can range through much of Indonesia, Malaysia and Sumatra.
When Buying a Blood Python;
The snake should have a fully rounded body. Thus shouldn’t have a pronounced backbone or rib definitions. Skin should be firm and feel muscly, free from injuries or burns etc. Remember to check the snake’s underside too.
Check for mites, extremely small insects that you can see on the skin.
Check the eyes are of normal colouration, unless in shed where they will appear a milky colour or even blue. They should also have no obvious marks or scratches.
Hold the snake, the snake should not be warm unless being cooled for breeding, or cooled to relax aggressive snakes. Check with the breeder or supplier.
The snake should be alert, and be able to support its body when lifting it’s head up a good distance.
Check the mouth for any obvious signs of Mouth Rot or other illnesses/defects.
Gently open the snakes mouth by securely holding the head in one hand but supporting the body, and gently pulling the soft skin on the underside of the lower jaw, the mouth should be an all round pink colour but occasionally can have a black throat/gullet. Check there are no visible signs of teeth missing, or any bubbly mucus which often shows respiratory infections.
Buying your Blood Python
If you intend to buy a Blood Python, I strongly recommend that you have a complete set up ready for it before taking it home, I recommend that this should be running and monitored for around a week before buying your snake.
The following are essential;
Housing - With either a lock, or a secure lid.
Substrate – Of some description depending on preference.
Thermostatically controlled Heating and Lighting.
Hides – I suggest 2
Water Bowl – Enough to almost fully submerge the snake.
Food – Frozen Rats/Mice/Chicks available from your local dealer.
Lightguard – If you have an “open” hot light.
Thermometers – To monitor the temperature in the set up.
You should also prepare a suitable transportation method for taking your snake home, a polybox is commonly used as it is a good insulator of heat, simply place your snake inside a tub and then into the polybox, depending on the length of the journey heat will be needed, this can be implemented by the use of heat packs available at your local shops.
Housing
All housing needs to be secure no matter what it is, The last thing you want is an escapee.
Juvenile Blood Pythons like to feel secure so a small tub/tray would be good to start with, around 15 inches long x 10 inches wide.
Adults however should be housed in a minimum of 3 foot long and 18 inches deep Vivaria. Larger is better, but not too big, this may cause stress to the snake.
Substrate
Newspaper is the easiest to obtain, clean and to spot clean/change. You can also use Shredded Cypress bark, Aspen shavings, Orchid bark to add a more aesthetic touch, however I recommend feeding in a separate container if these are to be used to avoid accidental ingestion.
Sphagnum Moss is also a great way to keep humidity levels up for Blood Pythons, This can be misted daily.
Lighting
Blood Pythons, like most snakes require 13-14 hours worth of lighting in the summer months and 11-12 in winter.
If you are using a bulb to keep the ambient temperature right at night - use red bulbs as snakes cannot see the infra-red heat rays being emitted.
For the day time a standard bulb is ok. Be sure to use wire light guards to prevent your snake from burning itself.
Personally I implement a Red bulb on a dimming thermostat as this will maintain the hotspot and ambient temperatures, at night this can be simply turned off if in a warm room otherwise supplemental heating will be required overnight.
Heating
Heat mats can be used, inside or under the housing but must be used with a Mat Stat to regulate the temperature of the mat.
Ceramics are used in the same fashion as ordinary bulbs however I recommend using specialist ceramic bulb holders, as these are resistant to heat and wont shatter over time. Ceramics should be used with a Pulse Proportional Stat.
A thermometer should be present at all times, an analog or digital thermometer is fine but it must be accurate either way so you can keep an eye on temperatures.
Temperatures should be maintained at 88 - 90 F (31 – 32* C) during the day at the hot spot, with an ambient temperature that mustn’t fall below 75 F. Night time temperatures can fall to around 75 F (23 -24* C)
Water
Blood Pythons should always have access to fresh, clean water, this should be changed daily or whenever it becomes dirty, whichever comes first. Blood Pythons enjoy a good soak from time to time and also like to defecate in the water.
Humidity
A quick spray once or twice a day should provide good humidity. When your snake is in shed, this should be doubled. Sphagnum moss will provide ample humidity if kept moist. Humidity should be kept at around 60-70% or higher when in shed.
Hide box
Blood Pythons are very shy and secretive. They need to feel secure, this is why I recommend the use of 2 hides in the set up, one in the hot and one in the cool end. The snake will be able to stay safe and secure under or in his hide while not having to compromise heating. I recommend the use of Cork Bark, it is cheap to acquire and can be found in a variety of lengths and sizes which you can break/cut up accordingly.
Cleaning
Spot clean in the vivarium daily. Completely clean and disinfect once a month unless it is in need of a good clean. 10% bleach to 90% water is a good solution for cleaning the vivarium, Wash with water and allow to dry before returning everything.
Feeding
Blood Pythons should be offered mice and rats in captivity, And are easily bought from your local dealer. Feeding live rodents to your snake is illegal and could very easily cause serious injury to your snake.
A hatchling Blood Python will usually start with small mice and when adult should feed on adult large rats. A general rule is you can feed a mouse or rat that is in equal width to the widest part of the body.
A slight bulge should be visible in your snakes stomach. When this bulge is no longer visible, the snake may be able to move up onto the next size food, but check to see it isn’t too big in comparison, the width rule still applies. Chicks lack the nutrients rats and mice possess. However, if your snake is a fussy feeder then a chick is better than nothing. Rats are also more nutritious than mice so the sooner they are onto rats the better.
Foods should be offered by a pair of forceps so that you are away from striking distance. As mentioned before, try tub feeding where substrate other than paper is present.