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Blood python

The blood python, Python brongersmai, comes from the Malay Peninsula and eastern Sumatra.

It is short but extraordinarily thick — an adult of 1.5 metres can weigh as much as a boa half again its length — with deep brick-red and orange colouring.

It has an old reputation for bad temper, and that reputation was earned by wild-caught imports in the 1980s and 1990s, which arrived stressed, dehydrated and full of parasites. Captive-bred blood pythons are generally calm and are now a well-regarded intermediate species. The difference between a wild-caught and a captive-bred animal is the most important thing to establish before buying.

Origin
Malay Peninsula and eastern Sumatra
Adult size
1.2–1.8 m, exceptionally heavy-bodied
Lifespan
20–25 years
Basking temperature
30–31°C hot spot, 25–27°C ambient
Humidity
60–70%
Diet
Rodents; easily overfed

Related: Ball python · Burmese python

2 blood python photos, newest first

Blood python feed
  • Linnet VIII, a blood python

    Linnet VIII

    Linnet VIII cleared an entire library shelf onto the floor and then started on the lemons. She looks completely unrepentant.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Linnet VIII, a blood python

    Linnet VIII

    I have never once won a staring contest with Linnet VIII.

    GentleFinch · 2 weeks ago

Living with a blood python

Buy captive-bred and ask to see proof. The species reputation is almost entirely a wild-caught import problem.

Blood pythons run slightly cooler than other pythons — a hot spot around 30°C rather than 33°C — and overheating is a genuine risk with them.

Humidity of 60–70% on a substrate that holds it, with good ventilation. This species is prone both to respiratory infection when kept cold and damp and to scale rot when kept wet without airflow, and the balance takes attention.

They are extremely easy to overfeed because they always look hungry and gain weight readily. Feed a modest meal every two to three weeks as an adult.

They are heavy to hold and dislike being unsupported; take the weight along the body.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual reptiles vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

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