Blood Python - Python brongersmai   by Stan Gielewski
 
      Blood pythons originate from Sumatra, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Western Malaysia, Bangka Island and other islands in the Strait of Malacca (including the Lingga, Riau and Pinang islands). Despite being generally considered nervous and quick to bite, many people find them very tame and gentle, especially after they mature. All of my blood pythons are puppy tame and a real pleasure to handle.
 
      They reach on average between 5 to 7 feet ( 1.5 - 2 meters ) with females growing larger - 40 pounds at 9 - 10 feet. They live up to 25 years. In the wild they eat mice, rats and all kinds of small mammals, but in captivity they feed mostly on mice, rats and rabbits. They reach sexual maturity at three to four years, but the size rather than age make them ready to breed. Female will lay 18 - 30 eggs and remains with them without feeding until they hatch. The eggs hatch after about 2 to 2.5 months.
 

 
     Blood pythons offer the keeper 'the best of two worlds' - a medium handable snake with surprisingly large girth comparable to tru giant snake species. They get their name from the reddish skin coloration which shows as they mature ( at 2-3 years of age ). They are hunted by people for their skins and meat. There are also other variations of coloration found in blood pythons, like the black blood python for example. The Borneo short tailed python used to be considered a variation of the blood python, but now is considered to a seperate subspecies. Basically, it is a little smaller version of the blood python, but still very impressive.
 

 
     In Captivity
 
      Probably the most important thing to remember when keeping blood pythons is making sure to maintain proper temperature and humidity. A perfect setup for a young blood python would be a plastic shoe box with holes drilled for ventilation. A large container with water placed inside will assure humidity levels of 60 - 70 % at all times and under tank heating mat the temperature gradient between 80 - 90 F. It is a good idea to occasionally mist the enclosure, raising the humidity to 80 - 90 %, especially during shedding. As substrate I would recommend clean newsprint paper, but aspen shavings work as well too. Blood pythons also like tight hiding places, so a hide box would find appreciation.
 
      Blood pythons are considered an intermediate snake. I would recommend purchasing your snake from a reputable breeder. Wild caught blood pythons usually never become tame, but captive bred bloods kept from babies will usually grow into impressive and docile snakes with lots of personality. Adding their beautiful coloration, they are without question my favorite snake species.
 
      For further reading and photographs visit the   Blood python page