Blood Python care sheet

Blood python require a wooden vivarium as their enclosure. This is because wood is an excellent insulator of heat and so a wooden vivarium will make it easier to control the crucial temperatures required inside the habitat. Other enclosures such as glass terrariums are far too efficient at releasing heat. The wooden vivarium should have good ventilation to allow air flow in and out of the enclosure.

The blood python's vivarium should be at least 48" in length. There are 2 main reasons for this; firstly blood pythons are not small reptiles and can easily grow to 4-6ft in length. They require a proportionate amount of space to live happily. Secondly, the vivarium needs to have a sufficient length to allow for the creation of a temperature gradient. The enclosure needs to be warm at one end, but have enough distance for the temperature to drop at the cool end.

Blood pythons require a warm basking area but a near constant air temperature. A basking area of 88f is created by using a ceramic heat emitter. These radiate heat but produce no light. This bulb should be protected with a bulb guard and controlled by a good quality thermostat. This temperature can remain constant day and night so there is no need to turn off your heating equipment. Temperatures should be monitored daily using a thermometer.

To light the enclosure we would use LED bulbs. These can be on for 10-12 hours a day but should be turned off at night to ensure the snake gets a good day/night cycle.