I have developed a strong intrest in Blood Pythons after reading the article about them in last months Reptiles mag. I have been reading everything I can find but I am reading mixed things about their temperment. I am not looking for an animal that will be dog tame, but one that will not attack every single time I need to clean, or take it out to handle every now and then. I am more than willing to work with an animal to get it acclimated to my presence and Im not afraid to take a few bites. Ugh, I need my ADD meds Im rambling on again... To make a long story short Im seeking input from some expirienced blood owners on the animals general disposition, level of difficuty (in terms of maintaining a proper habitat & healthy animal), some good reading, and any words of wisdom or input you may have. I appreciate the help!
I had a blood that I got rid of recently because of her attitude. I am like you....didn't care to take a bite but she was horrible. I messed with her on a regular basis and still the pissy attitude remained and due to the size she could get to, I could not handle her on my own....later on of course. As far as care, they are fairly easy to keep. IMO! I have seen a lot of very docile bloods too. I think it is a jackpot of sorts, some are great and some are not. I love them but they are not for everyone. Make sure you really want one before you invest in it.....as with any snake.
my blood wasnt bad for about the first 4 months I had him. Im not sure if its because its breeding season or just because but he has developed quite an attitude. He strikes at me and hisses. I still like him though. Bloods are cool snakes. All you got to keep humidity and temp right and you should be good. I know plenty of people who have good experiences with bloods. Bites suck though because they have big teeth.
mine aren't too bad at all... I don't have my blood anymore (just traded her recently and had her for over 18 months), but my short-tail was actually the worse of the two, and although I don't just reach in and grab him, he's fine. I kind of block him in case he does want to bite me while I'm reaching in to pick him up, but then after that I don't do anything special to keep him from biting me or peeing/pooing on me... I've had him 2 years now and he's only struck at me once, and it's been over a year since that happened... that's true, but it sucks even more because of their method of delivery. A blood's strike is so fast and so hard and so accurate, and their teeth are very curved, they generally rip the skin at the wound site. And if they rip a little or not, they tend to hang on from what I've seen (and even chew sometimes). So while I don't mind taking a ball python bite or something like that, I'm somewhat dreading the day my short-tail nails me... one of the guys I work with specializes in bloods, and I've seen numerous bite pictures he's taken and they are NOT pretty... And the one time mine did strike at me, even though they are really heavy bodied, he got his whole body off the ground with the snap of his strike... just to clarify, he was in a tub and I was cleaning and was going to feed him, but he took a swing at me before feeding... sorry for the long response...
I have pictures... here's a non-bloody one (well, it missed)... this was a male borneo that marcus had for a year or so and it was just crazy, it never calmed down and he finally sold it off just because he couldn't stand the pee-shooting that it always did. It tried to bite and pee on you every time you even looked at it... the pic was him just trying to pin him so he could get him back in his cage after cleaning, the towel on the ground was to keep him from getting pee all over the carpet... :wink: little inside view on the teeth...
my experience with bloods has been pretty good. My first blood has been the most docile of them all. I was told sense he has one eye that it could end up changing sense he is at a disadvantage in a way but still hasnt changed him. Then I picked up a pair of yearlings a little while ago and they just put on a huffing and hissing show but no stikes. Long as you keep their enclosure right with the temps and humidity it will be very rewarding. I love my blood pythons Gered
