Python Escapes

One of the most important aspects of housing pythons is making sure that they cannot escape.  We cannot stress this enough to new keepers!

At Reptile Trader we always recommend the securest enclosures for pythons because we have experienced how slippery these suckers can really be!

We have had a Black Headed Python push an unsecured vent out of the side of an enclosure to try and escape and many Stimson’s Pythons try to squeeze through the gap where the glass doors cross over (see photos).

The diagram above shows where the internal organs are inside a python.  You can easily see where the heart and lungs are.   

                       

Sorry about the quality of the photos, but you can see here, this Stimson’s Python is fully-grown.  It has managed to squeeze almost half of its body through a 5-8mm gap squashing its vital organs in the process!  (All enclosures were fitted with 5mm angle iron to block the gap between the glass after this attempted escape).

A lot of thought must be put into any enclosure you decide to use to house a python.  Glass fish tanks with unsecured lids (including a brick on top to hold it down) are unsuitable because with enough leverage a python is strong enough to push and get out!  Rubber stripping and angle iron work well, cardboard often doesn’t.  Never use anything sticky like glue or tape residue – you could stick the python to the enclosure!  Great care must be used in this circumstance to ensure that the python is removed without losing any skin.