Bloods As A First Snake
Once a keeper has the proper setup, and good husbandry practices, Bloods and Short Tails make remarkably easy captives. They are the lowest maintenance reptile of any kind that I have kept. I've heard countless times that they are an "intermediate" or "advanced" snake to keep, and I've always scratched my head at that. In fact, the idea of ranking the ease of keeping animals in terms of the owner's experience has never held water with me. Are certain animals more forgiving of husbandry mistakes than others???... of course. However I've always felt that it is the duty of every keeper to provide the most ideal situation for their animal(s) to not just exist, but thrive. Acquiring an animal that has a higher threshold for what it can tolerate, simply to "get by"with a certain setup, or limited knowledge, is simply irresponsible. Conversely, if one learns everything they possibly can about the husbandry requirements of a certain species, and provides the animal they choose with the all of things they require to thrive, then the animal will thrive... it's really that easy. That is just as true for Retics, Monitors, and Chondros as it is for Colubrids, or Ball Pythons; regardless of what arbitrary set of criteria one places on what "level" of keeper they are. If you want a Blood, (or any reptile for that matter) learn what it needs to thrive, provide it with those things, and they will do well. That'a the case whether you've been keeping herps for 20 years, or you're thinking about your first snake.
Caging
The cage you keep a Blood in should provide four major things:
1.) Security
This seems like the most basic function of a cage, and it is. To provide a
suitable, secure enclosure that the animal can't escape from, and can't injure
or burn itself in.
2.) Space
Another very basic function. For hatchling and juvenile bloods, smaller
actually tends to be better. A feeling of security is extremely important
for babies, and too large of an enclosure tends to stress young snakes out.
To keep them feeding, shedding, and growing normally, their stress needs to
be at a minimum, especially while young. I keep babies in shoebox style
racks for the first 9-12 months of their lives. When they outgrow their
shoeboxes, I'll move them into a subadult rack with Iris CB75 tubs.
Oftentimes I'll use a hide in these tubs for the first 6 months or so after
the move. The jump in enclosure size from the shoebox to CB75 is a pretty
big one, and the use of a hide tends to make the transition a bit easier. Many
keepers use an intermediate step between these two box sizes with very good
success. I've found it easier to skip the step of using a "grow out" box, and
thus skip the need for an entirely separate rack. You can accomplish
essentially the same thing using a larger tub with a hide. As they outgrow the
hide, I remove it, and just use the CB75 tub. Many keepers have had good
results using hides at various stages of a Blood's life, as well as throughout
it, but for me, this is the last time that any of my animals are offered a hide.
I just haven't seen the need for one, nor have I noticed a difference in the
results when a hide is offered. That's not to say that hides are bad, just
that in my experience they are not necessary throughout a Blood's life. That
tub is sufficient to house subadult and small adult Bloods. At around 10 lbs.
or so they will need to be moved to the adult cage that will house them for
the rest of their lives. Some unusually small males will spend their entire life
in a CB75, but that is the exception rather than the rule. An adult enclosure
needs to accommodate an animal that could grow to over 6 ft. and 30 lbs. A
cage with a 4'x2' footprint will work for about 90% of the adult Bloods out
there. Only an incredibly large individual would require say a 5 or 6 ft. cage
but that is very, very out of the ordinary. In the wild, Bloods are completely
terrestrial, so height/climbing space really isn't an issue. As long as you can
easily remove the snake, and it has the vertical space to wrap a prey item
without touching the cage ceiling, the height is good.
3.) Temperature
This is another pretty easy thing to accomplish with the right setup. An
ambient temperature of 80-82 degrees, with a basking spot of 88-90
degrees works very well. You can also experiment with a temperature
gradient between the high 70's and high 80's; or not using a basking spot at
all. All of these situations work, though some keepers swear by one or the
other. As long as the ambient air temperatures stay in the low 80's, adult
and juvi Bloods and Short Tails do very well.
4.) Humidity
This is probably the one aspect of Blood and Short Tail husbandry that there
are the most misconceptions about. They need a slightly higher humidity than
most other constrictors. However this is often misconstrued as needing
extremely high humidity, to the point that the cage is actually kept wet. A
wet cage is as bad if not worse than the humidity being too low, and
unfortunately is an all to common problem. In my opinion, humidity issues are
one of the main reasons that bloods have gotten the unfair label of being an
"intermediate" snake to keep. 60%- 70% humidity is the ideal range that
they need to thrive. In the wild they have the luxury of being able to adjust
their surroundings, either wetter or drier, depending on what they need. In
captivity, they obviously can't do this, so it's extremely important that we as
keepers keep the humidity as close to perfect as possible. If it's too low,
the snake will develop respiratory issues, with a full blown upper respiratory
infection being the worst case scenario. Proportionate to other constrictors,
Bloods have enormous lungs and can be very "vocal", so the first signs of a
respiratory issue can be difficult to spot to the untrained eye. All too
often, these vocalizations are confused with wheezing or popping, and the
keepers in turn will often up the humidity to fix the "problem". In truth, too
high humidity will also cause respiratory issues, and the keepers are
actually causing a problem where there wasn't one. Dimpled scales are
another indication of a problem that can throw a keeper off. They also are
caused by both too high and too low of humidity. Achieving the proper
humidity range of 60%-70% is really very easy. The larger the water bowl,
the higher the humidity. Similarly, the closer the water bowl is to the heat
source, the higher the humidity will be. If you "tinker" with different sized
water bowls, and change it's proximity to the heat source, it's generally
pretty simple to achieve the desired range. In extremely dry environments,
or in the winter, it may be necessary to mist cages from time to time. The
best thing to do is get a good hygrometer, and adjust your setup accordingly
to get the correct humidity level.
Most of the commercially available plastic caging will work just fine for Bloods. I personally use custom built racks and tubs, and Freedom Breeder racks, but in the past have used Animal Plastics, Boaphile, and Vision, all with good success. Basically if it has at least a 4'x2' footprint, and holds heat and humidity well, it will work. Everything else is just a matter of preference. Fish tanks on the other hand, do not work. Fish tanks with locking lids, fish tanks with screen lids, fish tanks with a section of the lid covered up, fish tanks with ceramic heaters, fish tanks with heat lamps, fish tanks with heat pads, and probably a dozen other combinations that I'm forgetting are all sub-standard. Fish tanks are for fish, frogs, and lizards... not snakes. There's just no way to simulate the correct environment practically, using a fish tank. Do yourself and your animal a favor, and get the idea of acquiring a snake to fill up that empty fish tank in the basement, out of your head. I can't stress enough that they just don't work.
Substrate
This is a subject that you can ask 10 keepers about and get 11 different answers. Many different types of substrate, or no substrate at all, have successes and failures, and you can find someone who swears by every different sort. I use a product called red rosin paper. It can be found at most hardware stores, is relatively inexpensive, and holds up very well against the various messes a snake can make. Regular old newspaper works just fine as well.
Feeding
Bloods and Short Tails will eat rats their entire lives. I start hatchlings on rat fuzzies. I offer all babies frozen thawed for their first several feedings, but only half or so are willing to take it. The rest will have to be started on live, but I switch them over to frozen as quickly as possible. Generally by the time they reach 3 months of age, they are consistently feeding on frozen thawed rat fuzzies and pups. After I switch babies to frozen, I'll never again offer them live prey items throughout their lives. Only an occasional problem feeder will need to be fed live later in life, but I've yet to meet the Blood that simply couldn't be switched. Throughout their lives it is important to keep a large supply of fresh water available at all times. Bloods can and do drink a LOT, and will often refuse water that is a couple of days old, even if it is clean. Many keepers provide water dishes large enough for the animal to soak in, or soak them in outside tubs of a regular basis. While this practice has absolutely no detrimental effects, and in reality it may do them some good, I've never seen any benefit to soaking in my collection. As long as the snakes are kept in proper humidity conditions, and kept well hydrated, soaking is in my opinion unnecessary. I maintain a weekly feeding schedule of appropriately sized prey items for the first 2 years. At 2-2 1/2 years old I scale the feeding back for about the next year; or when they reach adult size. After their 3rd birthday, the feedings are scaled back all the way to every 3-6 weeks. This sounds like very little food... and it is. Bloods have an incredibly slow and efficient metabolism, and just do not require much food. In fact, obesity is a real problem in captive animals, because keepers are not accustomed to feeding so little. However, they will very easily become obese if fed too much. Many of the Bloods seen online and at shows are overweight. They are by nature short and fat, but they shouldn't take on the "stuffed sausage" appearance that so many unfortunately have. The drastically slower metabolism that Bloods have is part of the reason I feel that they are so easy to keep. They don't eat much, and in turn, they don't defecate much either. Which brings me to my next topic...
My Blood Python Won't Poop!
Almost without fail, every neophyte Blood keeper has the same moment at some point in the first few months they have their new snake, where they begin to worry because it won't defecate. Don't worry, they will... sometimes it just takes a looooonggggg time! As long as your Blood is fed appropriately, is kept well hydrated, and is not fat, there is nothing to worry about regarding their regularity. My oldest, largest females might only defecate 4-6 times a year. Part of the wonderfully low maintenance part of keeping them!
Handling
If you've never handled a Blood Python, they can be a bit tricky compared to other captive constrictors. Animals common in the pet trade such as Boas, and Ball Pythons, will tend to "hang on" to the person handling them. Many of these snakes are at least somewhat arboreal in the wild, and have evolved the need and ability to climb trees, or other obstacles. That is why you can drape a Boa around your shoulders, and it will usually stay there. Bloods on the other hand are completely terrestrial, and have no interest in climbing anything. Not only will they not "hang on", but they will actually writhe, and on occasion "jump" out of your hands. Handling an adult Blood is most certainly a two-handed task, and takes a bit of getting used to. You need to support their body evenly, and kind of follow their lead, rather than steer them where you want them to go. If you provide enough support for their entire body so as to make them as secure as possible, and don't "throttle" them, or try to make them do what you want them to, Bloods are an absolute joy to handle. They just take a bit of getting used to.
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