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NERD
Herpetocultural Library
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| Name:
Blood Python Scientific name: Python brongersmai AKA: "Red blood python, Malaysian blood python, Sumatran blood python" |
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General
Information
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| Distribution | ||
| This Indonesian species is found in palm plantations, tropical forests and marshes in the Malaysian peninsula, eastern Sumatra and outlying islands. | ||
| Wild Status | ||
Widespread
throughout their range but diminishing in numbers, blood pythons are
extensively exploited in the skin trade, and large numbers are slaughtered
for their meat & hides. Over 60,000 blood & short-tailed python
skins are harvested each year, a grim and sickening fact. |
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| Description | ||
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Blood
pythons are squat,
heavy-bodied serpents with variable markings. The body ranges in coloration
from yellow, tan &brown to a bright red, cherry red or oxblood,
with lighter tan, gold, orange & black blotched markings. The head
is typically gray, although specimens may exhibit black, light gray,
or even red heads. Blood pythons are well known for their changing head
colors - what may be a black-headed snake in the evening could have
a very pale, faded head in the morning and vice versa. Some blood pythons
exhibit broken dorsal striping. Wild-caught bloods tend to be nervous, irritable and even aggressive; on the other hand captive-bred specimens often mature into docile, placid animals that are a joy to handle. This is a species where choosing a good, CB animal can make a huge difference in your snake-keeping experience. |
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| Size | ||
Hatchlings
approximately 12 - 16"+/-. Females average 4'- 6', males average
3' - 5' adult size. Maximum reported size is around 10 feet, although
8'+ specimens are considered EXTREMELY large. Blood pythons are heavy,
robust snakes that may exceed 30 pounds in weight as mature adults.
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| Lifespan | ||
| Blood pythons may live 25 years or more in captivity. | ||
| Color Mutations | ||
Color
& pattern mutations of Python brongersmai include Striped, T+ albino,
T- albino, Ivory (white body with gray & black dorsal speckling
- amazing!) and hypomelanistic. |
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| Captive
Maintenance Guidelines |
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| Difficulty Level | ||
Intermediate.
Not an animal for the beginner, a blood python can make a rewarding
captive for the intermediate keeper who has successfully kept other
species for a length of time. This is a species that requires prior
experience & some ability to perceive and understand snake behavior.
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| Enclosure | ||
Enclosures
can be as simple or elaborate as one is capable of caring for. Remember
that the more "stuff" you put in a cage, the more "stuff"
you have to clean & disinfect on a regular basis. That said, there
are many different enclosures that work well for blood pythons, including
but not limited to: plastic sweater boxes (i.e. Rubbermaid), melamine
racks, Freedom Breeder cages, and any of the commercially available
plastic-type reptile cages, (i.e. those from Vision Herp & other
similar manufacturers). Glass aquariums & tanks are adequate; keep
in mind that the screen tops on such enclosures can make it difficult
to maintain humidity levels. Also refer to our Snake Caging care sheet
for more information. Juvenile blood pythons seem to do well in smaller
enclosures that make them feel more secure; a small snake in a big cage
can become overwhelmed & stressed. For large blood pythons, a minimum
cage length of 4' is necessary. Also, if you must choose between the
width of the enclosure & the height, always choose the extra width,
as your blood will appreciate the extra floor space. Remember that ALL
enclosures must allow for a proper thermal gradient that the snake can
utilize, with a hot spot on one end and a cooler spot on the other. |
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| Substrate | ||
There
are a few substrates that work well. Newspaper is the cheapest &
easiest with regards to cleaning & disinfecting: out with the old,
in with the new. Cypress mulch is great for controlling humidity, but
remember that too much humidity can be as detrimental (if not more)
as too little. Never use any substrate containing cedar, as this is
deadly to reptiles! |
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| Temperatures & Heating | ||
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Provide your blood with a basking spot of 88-89°F and an ambient (background) temperature of 78-82°F. The ambient temperature should not fall below 75 °F. It is vitally important to KNOW the temperatures at which you are keeping your snake(s). DO NOT GUESS!! A great way to monitor temps is to use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Stick the thermometer to the inside of the cage on the cool end and place the probe on the warm end, and you'll have both sides covered at once. Note: If you are able to maintain strict temperature control in your "snake room" (or wherever you keep your animal), you may want to consider setting up your juvenile blood python in a simple rubbermaid/melamine rack setup with an ambient temperature of around 80 - 84 degrees and no basking spot or supplemental heat. A basic hide box, water bowl & substrate are all that is necessary, and we find that young blood & short-tailed pythons do very well in this sort of setup. Once again, please note that this works best if you are able to maintain very good control over the ambient temperature in the room, and is not recommended if the temperatures are subject to major fluctuations. There are several ways to go about heating the enclosure: undercage heating pads, ceramic heat emitters, basking bulbs (both regular daytime & red "night" bulbs) are just a few. With heat emitters & bulbs it is necessary to really keep an eye on the humidity within the enclosure, especially if combined with a screen top, as both will dry the air quickly. Use thermostats, rheostats and/or timers to control your heat source. Do not use hot rocks with snakes as they often heat unevenly over too small of a surface area & can cause serious burns. |
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| Humidity | ||
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Providing proper humidity for blood pythons is important, but as
stated previously too much humidity can be as problematic as too little.
First off, let's establish "humidity" as the amount of moisture
in the air. To provide your snake with a humidity level of 50% - 60%,
you have a couple of options. Keep in mind that if you have a screen top on the enclosure you will probably want to cover it most or all of the way with plastic, a towel or some other means of keeping moisture from escaping. This is also where having proper, reliable ambient temperatures (back to that thermometer!) is important, as warm air holds more moisture than cool air. You want the enclosure to be humid, not WET. A soggy cage can eventually lead to bacterial & fungal infections and consequently, death. |
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| Lighting | ||
Supplemental
lighting is not necessary for this species, but if used should run on
a 12/12 cycle, meaning 12 hours on & 12 hours off. Continuous bright,
overhead lighting is stressful to snakes, especially a nocturnal serpent
such as this one. |
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| Water | ||
Always
make fresh, clean water available to your blood python, as they have
a tendency to drink copiously. The size of the water dish is up to you.
If it is large enough for the python to crawl into and soak, sooner
or later your snake will make the most of the opportunity, and most
seem to enjoy a nice soak from time to time. Ensure that the bowl is
not too deep for juvenile animals - 1" or so will suffice. Snakes
of many species will defecate in their water bowls from time to time,
so be prepared for cleaning, disinfecting & a water change when
necessary. It is often beneficial to have a spare water bowl for such
occasions, so that one may be used while the other is being cleaned.
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| Accessories | ||
One
cage accessory that is essential to a happy blood python is a good hide
box...maybe even a couple of them. These are sensitive snakes that appreciate
& utilize a hide spot. Provide one on each end of your python's
enclosure so that it doesn't have to choose between temperature &
security. Clay flowerpots, plastic flowerpot trays, and commercially
available hide boxes all work quite well. |
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| Feeding | ||
Feed
your blood an appropriately sized rodent weekly. By "appropriately
sized" we mean prey items that are no bigger around than the python
at its largest point. Blood pythons can eat rats from the time they
are young - starting off with rat pups or "crawlers" for younger
snakes & moving up in size as the animal grows. These snakes are
enthusiastic feeders and do well on a 7-day feeding regime as young
animals. Sub-adult & adult bloods are prone to obesity due to a
strong feeding response coupled with a slow metabolism. For animals
of this age/size, a 10-14 day feeding schedule is strongly recommended.
Do not handle your snake for at least a day after feeding, as this can
lead to regurgitation. Bloods are generally pretty easy to convert to
frozen/thawed or pre-killed rodents (see Snake Feeding caresheet). Never
leave a live rodent unattended with ANY snake. |
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| Maintenance | ||
Spot-clean
your snake's enclosure as necessary. When feces/urates/uneaten prey
items are present, remove them as soon as possible. Clean & disinfect
the water bowl on a weekly basis. Depending on cage conditions, remove
all substrate & cage furniture and completely disinfect using a
5% bleach solution approximately every 30 days. Rinse the enclosure
thoroughly and allow to dry before replacing cage furniture & your
snake. |
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| Basic
Reproductive Info |
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Blood
pythons reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months to 4 years of
age. Breeding size occurs at lengths of 3 - 5'. Breeding season in captivity
typically ranges from November to March. Stop all feeding at this time.
Animals should be well established and in excellent condition before
any breeding is attempted. Breeding may be induced by reducing daytime
photoperiod to 8 - 10 hours and dropping nighttime temperatures into
the mid 70's. Introduce the female into the male's cage. Misting the
animals with water may induce breeding activity. Females typically shed
14-20+ days after ovulation; eggs are typically laid within 30 days
of post-ovulation shed. Clutch size for bloods ranges from 8 - 20 eggs.
At an Incubation temperature of 88 - 90F (optimal), these eggs take
an average of 60 days to hatch. |
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| Notes/Comments |
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Blood
pythons can be quite a joy to experience. CB specimens typically become
docile individuals that are fun to care for and interact with. As these
snakes are being bred more and more in captive situations their popularity
has begun to grow, especially as they disprove the bad reputation previously
earned by aggressive wild-caught animals. Blood pythons make an excellent
choice for the intermediate keeper looking for an intelligent, alert,
yet medium-sized serpent. |
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