Considering a Blood Python.

[snakemom1961]

David, it's not that I hate you (I don't hate anyone). It's just that we've seen this type of thread many times from you before. You say your going to get a certain snake that you know full well people will steer you against getting. Be it the type of care the snake needs, the size snake, whatever it is. and within a few posts of members with MUCH more experience then you, you decide to change your mind and not get one.
I can't for the life of me figure out why you would even post wanting a snake that you know others are going to advice you against. Other then to see how many answers you get on such a thread. Sorry but that's just my opinion.

 

[Nanci]

At least we ALL get to learn the downsides to David's various new snake interests!!

 

[Tula_Montage]

Have fun David

 

[El Jefe]

David, I could post care sheets on cobras all day. But does that make me ready to get one? Have you handled an adult blood on your own? If not, talk to Jeff Mohr. He's got a few, and I'm sure could give you some pointers if you're REALLY serious about getting one.

I"ll try.

I think they are really pretty. I fell in love with them at Daytona a few years ago. TILL I found out how freaking huge they get! They look like the Jabba the Hutts of the python world. But pretty...Jeff Mohr breeds them, you know.

I do.

BTW I did PM Jeff Mohr

He did.


Okay, I know I'm late to the game but I'll throw my experience in here.

Blood pythons can be great snakes. Blood pythons can also be a nightmare. They can be as tame as a kitten or as mean as a africanized bee. A large portion of them are still wild caught and have nasty temperament. And these WC animals also can be extremely difficult to get eating. There is a good chance that almost any blood python baby at a show is a WC imported individual. They might not be "true" WC animals but they are farmed in great numbers. Farming consists of capturing gravid females and letting them lay their eggs in captivity and when they hatch they are shipped to the US. Compared to breeders of burms, boas, balls, corns etc...there are still not many people who breed these and those that do often go for the albinos or other higher end animals. Husbandry is not as simple as a corn snake, but it is not as hard as a chameleon.

As a first "big" snake....nah...I would not suggest a blood python. I would lean towards a boa constrictor. Again, however, I would watch out for farmed individuals and get a true captive born animal. I would also keep all protocols for safe handling when it gets bigger. In fact, most boas will get longer than blood pythons and both can pack a nice bite...comes with owning a big snake. If you get bit, it'll hurt more. Then again, if you get bit by a dog, that'll hurt to. Maybe one should avoid owning a dog?

 

[Hypancistrus]

I only have one thing to add to this, and it's like deja vu....

I know exactly the next words that will come out of David's mouth, by the way... very good at predicting his response to my cautions.

You're 15. A mere two years from now you will be going to college. I am really very happy that you have "several" good colleges close to you and can live at home... but what if Virginia Tech offers you a scholarship to enter their wildlife biology program (ever pulled bear cubs out of dens during winter-- the undergrads in VT's wildlife program do!)? Or what if you find a program at an out of state school that would be amazing and offer the opportunity to work with animals you never thought you'd be able to?

Or let's stick with your thoughts of staying home. What if you find a really neat stuby abroad program for your junior or senior year and it requires leaving home for a semester or a year? You may SAY that your folks will watch your snakes... and hell, if it was one or two pet corns, you might have had a good chance of them doing so. But when you start getting into 30 or 40 snakes who need chopped earthworms, small rabbits and frozen quail, for a YEAR... their willingness to do so may change fast.

There was a person who recently posted about losing her two snakes because her mother said she would water them while she was gone for a week and did not. My own mother told me she would take my pet hermit crabs (HERMIT CRABS FOR GOD'S SAKE!) and care for them when, during my senior year, the only housing I could find did not allow pets. They died... she meant well, but wasn't as into them as I was and did not maintain the exacting habitat standards that they required.

You can SAY that all will be well and your mom and brother and granddad and next door neighbor friend who keeps snakes will care for yours while you experience life, but David, it is just not accurate. You are hearing from people who have literally been there, done that and you're scoffing at us like we make this stuff up just to hassle you.

Another case in point from this very forum-- look up OneLifetoLive45. He goes to school at a university right near here and had a lot of snakes a few months ago-- he had to sell alot of them off in order to go on a study abroad program. I for one do not believe you should take on an animal unless you can care for it for its entire life, and with college only two years away, your life is going to change. You can say it ain't so, you may even believe it, but 95% of the adults posting here are telling you that it will, and we are right, David. There are some things you just cannot predict.

I can tell you honestly... Tara and I debate this all the time... having 30+ snakes TIES YOU DOWN. Tara wants to go on vacations... I counter with "Gosh, yeah, let's go... shouldn't be that hard to find someone who is willing to watch 30+ snakes, 5 lizards, 2 dogs..." and on and on it goes. There is great joy that comes to owning pets, and that joy is magnified when you have many... but there is great responsibility and great sacrifice involved in doing so.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE....

Realize that your 4 years of college are going to be a time when you need to be selfish and self-centered and invest in yourself. You need to be able to give yourself the best opportunities possible in order to prepare yourself for a career that will serve you well in the future and provide you with great joy. Please reconsider your goals and your collection, because I know that at some point in the future you are going to resent the amount of responsibility that your animals in particular require... it is one thing to rehome a corn, and a whole other thing to rehome brown snakes and stinking goddesses.

I know this, 100% for sure David. Reconsider your collection.

 

[Carinata]

Lauren my head count of snakes I have is 13. Yes there are babies. The browns are gone. I resleased them. I do realize college is coming up but what YOU don't realize is I have things in place for when that day comes. I have things in place for that situation.

 

[Tom Tuttle]

I have quite a few eggs incubating right now. Reds tend to be more aggressive. My blacks, and borneos are pretty calm, the albinos I have are handle able but have their moments.
When they bite you're going to bleed & the impact feels like a pretty good punch. A 6 foot 40+pound animal has alot of muscle. It's not a pleasant experience!

 

[Hypancistrus]

I do realize college is coming up but what YOU don't realize is I have things in place for when that day comes. I have things in place for that situation.

And what I am telling you is that at age 15, you absolutely CANNOT have "things in place" for the situations you will find yourself in during college. You cannot plan for things you do not know are coming, and college is one of the most tumultuous periods of your life. Simply put, you are NOT prepared and the really sad thing is that you won't admit that you are not prepared until the point where you are forced to pass up an opportunity because all of your contingency plans have fallen through, the people you thought would care for your snakes don't want to or can't, and what you thought you were prepared for is suddenly nowhere close.

In any event, this is clearly not something you can tell, explain or reason to a 15 year old.

And this is exactly why, should we ever decide to take the parenting plunge ourselves, our 15 year old will be told "No. You cannot do this, because regardless of what you think you know at this point in your life... college is coming up fast and you cannot be tied down."

Sometimes parents just need to say no. I wish, for your sake, and the sake of your animals, that your parents were more inclined to do so.

 

[Nanci]

Let's see some pictures, Tom!!! So look at that snake the guy from Pro Exotics is holding. How fast does an adult like that move? Crawling?? If I ever get one, I am going to name him Gordo. But I am not going to get one...

 

[starsevol]

Well, i am late to the party, as usual!
David, I am really really glad you decided on a few more corns, seriously, they are MY all time favorite snake! You have always liked granites, and they are much prettier in real life than in pictures.

My advice about the blood would have been something like this....
Everyone else has already talked about your college commitments, and your age and living situations. So I was not going to repeat that. My advice would have been something like....
you are considering a large (really large) python with a nasty reputaion as as biter and escape artist. You have a brother younger than you are. You live in a neighborhood with other people. If this snake escapes, it will be a news story. If this snake bites you and you end up in the emergency room and the media finds out, it will be a news story. If this snake hurts your brother, you may not ever forgive yourself...and..it will be a news story.
When it comes to animals like this, I beg you, please look at all that can go wrong, and remember that anything that happens can reflect badly on this hobby....

We have enough troubles fighting bans and humaiacs as it is...don't we?

 

[Kokopelli]

You have 2 BCIs and 2 Dums correct! These animals are no different than a blood python.

David, sorry, but in this sentence you pretty much proved that you still need to look into this. Your decision is based on miss-perception.
The temperament is vastly different.... and the bulkiness... it would take one huge BCI to compete with the bulk of a fully grown blood python.

Don't get me wrong- I wish you all the odd/exotic snakes you wish. I simply think you need to take things a bit more slowly, and do a whole lot more studying before you decide that a snake is right for you.

Best of luck.

 

[Lennycorn]

And this is exactly why, should we ever decide to take the parenting plunge ourselves, our 15 year old will be told "No.

That word dose not "compute" to them.

Take some advice... get a subadult..
A 17 or 18 year old comes to mine.
You don't have to hand feed them or pick up the poo or clean their room
and they can travel by themselves. You can still take vacations too.

And my that age you can see their true colors.

I have two...One still difficult to handle, I couldn't tame her.
She act like a W/C. And I only gain grey hair from the experience and down to one nerve left.

 

[Hypancistrus]

That word dose not "compute" to them.

Take some advice... get a subadult..
A 17 or 18 year old comes to mine.
You don't have to hand feed them or pick up the poo or clean their room
and they can travel by themselves. You can still take vacations too.

And my that age you can see their true colors.

I have two...One still difficult to handle, I couldn't tame her.
She act like a W/C. And I only gain grey hair from the experience and down to one nerve left.

And all of this is why "if" should have been highlighted and in bold. Dogs are much easier.

 

[ComoxCorn]

Don't we go through one of these posts about once a month? I think OCD is the diagnosis here. Get the animal and work out the rest later. David is willing to put others at risk (i.e. his brother) should something go terribly wrong while attempting to handle an animal that powerful. As far as himself getting hurt, well, he has been advised in this thread about what could go wrong. The most disturbing common thing I see in all of these type threads that David posts is that HE thinks he can tame anything just by handling it. It won't stop here. We will continue to see these threads with regularity from David. It's proving to be habitual. This is exactly what makes you NOT READY David. You seem to get bored quickly with your animals to the point you need something bigger and more challenging to try to prove something to yourself. JMO

 

[TxMomto4]

Yea. I am gonna hold of the the blood. it is to much work. I got my schedual and I have 4 AP classes this year!

Wow, good for you! 4 AP classes is great! I think it is very wise and mature of you to wait. Trust me the time that it takes to finish HS and whatever college you are going to do will FLY by, and then once you are settled, you will have more time for your future blood!

so... dying to know, what are you going to get?

 

[Michael823]

In fairness guys, he only stated he was only CONSIDERING a Blood Python. I've considered decisions that weren't always the brightest, and my mind eventually reminds me. I think it is great to offer the potential risks, but let's not jump on his case for being interested in a Blood Python.
Personally, I wouldn't even want one. But that's me, and David is David. If I had more physical ability, I would LOVE to own a nice Boa, but that's me. I find them to be one of, if not the, most gorgeous snakes in the world. They also seem to be fairly tame in comparison to other large Boids, and easier to get research on.

 

[Kokopelli]

In fairness guys, he only stated he was only CONSIDERING a Blood Python. I've considered decisions that weren't always the brightest, and my mind eventually reminds me. I think it is great to offer the potential risks, but let's not jump on his case for being interested in a Blood Python.
Personally, I wouldn't even want one. But that's me, and David is David. If I had more physical ability, I would LOVE to own a nice Boa, but that's me. I find them to be one of, if not the, most gorgeous snakes in the world. They also seem to be fairly tame in comparison to other large Boids, and easier to get research on.

There are tons of Boas that can fit your bill though... starting with locality red tail boas that only reach 4 feet or so...
If you're an arboreal type there's the amazon tree boas...
Sand Boas stay really small...
There are quite a few options.
I personally keep HoggXColombian BCI's... and my biggest female is 5.2 feet... and docile as a pup.
I wouldn't give up the dream, is all I am saying

 

[SNAKEWISPERA]

I dont see why he can't get a blood, You all treat David like hes not capable of keeping anything but a Corn Snake...
They are Heavy bodied boids, But dont get necessary long... Snappy as youngsters But I've seen many adults that are puppy tame... Damn I even know someone with Cystic Fibrosis And he keeps a blood python perfectly fine, And he isnt the biggest person.... I even have Dave on facebook and he looks about as big as robbie, And you own a Burm robbie, So I dont see how you can handle a burm if that's the case...

Bloods have a reputation they don't deserve, maybe its the name 'blood' makes you think that there gonna rip you to shreds... I think you all need to brighten up and realise that Dave although immature on what he says, Isn't a little child... And can learn... He keeps a King Rat fine... And you said he couldn't keep one of them....

Another thing that winds me up about this forum is alot of people dont keep bloods and the only thing they can back there posts up with is care sheets....

Thats All,
Joel.

 

[Michael823]

There are tons of Boas that can fit your bill though... starting with locality red tail boas that only reach 4 feet or so...
If you're an arboreal type there's the amazon tree boas...
Sand Boas stay really small...
There are quite a few options.
I personally keep HoggXColombian BCI's... and my biggest female is 5.2 feet... and docile as a pup.
I wouldn't give up the dream, is all I am saying

I actually own a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, and she is definitely a manageable size for me. Not to mention she is, if there ever was such a thing, puppy dog tame.
I actually meant Boas, as in Boa Constrictors, Red Tail Boas, etc... I heard Hogg Island Boas stayed relatively small, so maybe there is a future realm of possibility. Perhaps I'll investigate, and inquire more information under a different thread.
Sorry to be off topic David, and thank you Kokopelli. I would certainly love a reasonably sized Boa constrictor, but I was mainly just stating that one would certainly entertain my considerations more than a Blood Python. Especially when you consider temperaments, beauty, and the overall wealth of information regarding those species (in my opinion).

 

[Kokopelli]

I dont see why he can't get a blood, You all treat David like hes not capable of keeping anything but a Corn Snake...
They are Heavy bodied boids, But dont get necessary long... Snappy as youngsters But I've seen many adults that are puppy tame... Damn I even know someone with Cystic Fibrosis And he keeps a blood python perfectly fine, And he isnt the biggest person.... I even have Dave on facebook and he looks about as big as robbie, And you own a Burm robbie, So I dont see how you can handle a burm if that's the case...

Bloods have a reputation they don't deserve, maybe its the name 'blood' makes you think that there gonna rip you to shreds... I think you all need to brighten up and realise that Dave although immature on what he says, Isn't a little child... And can learn... He keeps a King Rat fine... And you said he couldn't keep one of them....

Another thing that winds me up about this forum is alot of people dont keep bloods and the only thing they can back there posts up with is care sheets....

Thats All,
Joel.

Age plays a major part in this equation- college's around the corner. Is he getting any special support from his parents? That's not the impression I was getting. Also, David has a tendency to "consider" many species all the time- these are not signs of maturity.
It's a snake that comes with a lot of responsibility and at this point and time, many believe that he is not showing maturity in his consideration or impulsiveness... and though I usually try and refrain from judgment, there are indeed too many threads around this subject with one species of snake or another.

Also, Robbie may currently have a Burmese, that's a risk he chose to take- he is older, and I believe he took his time in learning about the snake before deciding to go for it.
Also, when the snake will be fully mature, Robbie will need an extra pair of hands to help him handle the snake.... Burmese pythons should not be handled alone.