Feeding Your Python

Food should either be freshly killed or defrosted.  Do not offer live food:

• It is against RSPCA regulations
• It can make your pet more likely to strike at any movement including your hand
• And this can happen to your pet: Photo from the RT Chat Room, thanks to Kelco.

It is recommended that you do not handle your snake for 24-48 hours after it has fed.  Handling may cause the animal to regurgitate its food.  Snakes have incredibly strong stomach acid to help break down the bones and claws, etc of its prey and this stomach acid can cause serious damage on its way up when food is regurgitated.

• The temperature in the enclosure is too cold - perhaps the heat lamp has blown or has not turned up enough
• The snake may feel too exposed - sometimes this happens when housed in glass enclosures, so make sure you provide plenty of places to hide and perhaps cover the glass with aquarium style picture backing now available with desert/rock scenes, etc.
• Gravid females often have reduced appetites and are said to not eat at all when sitting on her eggs to incubate them.  
• Well fed snakes that eat regularly may just go off their food for a few weeks or months, feeling overfed.
  

• Try warming the food.  Place the food in a sandwich style snap lock bag and place the bag in a bowl of hot water from the tap.  Pythons use their heat sensing pits to help find their prey and this may help stimulate them to eat.
• Wriggle the food.  Almost all reptiles are stimulated by live moving food.  Try gently twitching the food close to the snake’s nose, facing the rodent nose towards the snake.  Act like a scared little mouse!

• A young, small snake that has gone without feeding for more than 3 months will lose condition quickly. 
• If your pet seems saggy around the neck this may be caused by loss of condition/dehydration.
• If your pet seems weak.
• When it regurgitates/vomits its food.
  

For further information join Radical Reptiles Python Keeping Course held every second Saturday of the month.  Click here for more information.

Keeping Species Together

Many people ask if you can keep different species of reptiles together in the same enclosure.

Creating a natural enclosure that is pleasing to the eye is thought by many reptile owners to be half the fun of the reptile experience.  Many international keepers are beginning to create natural environments within their enclosure by using live plants along with different species of animals.  While the enclosures look spectacular if done correctly, there can be disastrous consequences for your reptiles if not.

It is NOT recommended that you keep two or more species together for several reasons:

-         Firstly many reptiles eat other reptiles!  Bobtails eat Bearded Dragons, big frogs eat little frogs, big snakes eat little snakes, and lizards as well, and so on.  If two or more different species of reptiles are kept together there is likely to be casualties or fatalities due to predation by larger species. 

-         Physical aggression may occur, for example juvenile Western Bearded Dragons and Western Netted Dragons housed together are still likely to be attacked by the adults of the opposite species.

-         Behavioural aggression based on territory is also possible where an individual is ‘ousted’ and doesn’t get a place to bask or is the last to feed resulting in stress and malnutrition, even death.

-         Habitat is also an issue.  For example two species from different localities would have different habitat requirements i.e. temperature, humidity, substrate, food and furnishings.  You couldn’t keep a desert species in with a rainforest species.  One species may prefer a medium level of humidity, which could be fatal to the other species. Keeping an arboreal and a terrestrial species together would require both height and floor space for its occupants.

-         Cross breeding is CALM’s reason why different animals should not be kept in the same enclosure.  Condition 11 of your Keepers Licence states “No species or subspecies kept under the provisions of this licence is to be allowed to inter-breed under any circumstances”.  Interbreeding is not only a breach of your licencing regulations but it also creates mutated and often infertile offspring.  There have been cases of illegal interbreeding in the Eastern States, crossing Diamond and Carpet Pythons, which creates, quite literally, a mongrel.  While at first it may sound interesting and exciting to experiment like this, cross-breeding corrupts our pure species as well as being against the law.  Besides we should be breeding the strongest and fittest specimens to improve captive-bred stocks for the long term.

Can I Buy Frogs To Put In My Pond?

No you can’t!

Firstly, you have to apply for a licence before you can buy frogs.  There are specific rules and regulations on the back of the licence and these are your legal responsibilities that come with owning a pet reptile or frog.  They state that you are not allowed to release your pet into the wild and that includes your backyard.

Some of the frogs that you are allowed to keep as pets may not be native to the region where you live.  In captivity you would set up their enclosure to mimic the environment where they occur naturally.  If you put them in your pond they may die because the weather is too hot or too cold.  They may not be able to find food that is part of their natural diet and die of starvation.  They may compete with locally occurring frogs for food and territory creating an imbalance in the local ecology.  They may thrive and become a pest.

Northern Green Tree Frogs

Even if you release frogs that are native to your region, even those that appear perfectly healthy, you risk is a very real danger of introducing exotic diseases or parasites into wild populations. CALM regulations state that animals purchased as pets may not be released and they have penalties up to $4000 to discourage this.

So how can you get frogs for your pond?  Do some research and make your pond frog-friendly to the frogs that live in your area.  Plant the right plants, which will attract the right kind of insects, which will in turn attract your local frogs.  Good luck!

Why is my snake lying in its water bowl?

Pythons will often fully submerse themselves in their water bowls for long periods of time (even days), most likely to help soften the old skin during pre-slough. 

A brazlian rainbow boa (can't be kept as a pet in WA).

A healthy python will shed its whole skin in one piece and a couple of weeks before it sloughs, the new layer of skin underneath secretes a milky fluid containing an enzyme that softens the old layer, causing the new and old layers to separate.  A few days before the skin actually comes off, the milky eyes will clear and the python will become restless and start pushing its nose up against hard or rough objects to hook the old skin on its jaw and then crawl forward and out of its skin, leaving the skin inside out. 

Captive Stimson's python shedding.

During this time, you should include (clean) rough rocks and branches as part of the furnishings in your pet’s enclosure to aid in shedding.

Why Does My Snake Have Milky Eyes?

A couple of weeks before a snake sloughs, the new layer of skin underneath secretes a milky fluid containing an enzyme that softens the old layer, causing the new and old layers to separate (pre-slough), the old skin becomes dull in colour and the eyes turn opaque or milky.

Black Pine from the UK (not available as a pet in WA).

Have you ever noticed that your python never closes its eyes?  This is because it doesn’t have eyelids, but instead has scales over its eyes to protect them from dirt and dust.  A healthy snake will shed its whole skin in one piece including the scales over its eyes. 

Snakes have poor eyesight and when their eyes turn milky, they can become virtually blind. This makes them very nervous and they can strike at anything near it, including your hand. Quite a few snakes won’t feed at this time, simply because they don’t feel safe.  During this time it's best to avoid handling or feeding until after the snake has shed.

How Often Should I Feed My Snake?

Adult pythons may be fed every 7-14 days depending on the size of the meal.  An adult may eat one adult mouse every week, or one small rat every 2 or 3 weeks.  Juvenile pythons may be fed one pinky mouse (newborn) each week increasing the meal size as it grows.  It is better to feed several small sized rodents rather than feeding a single large sized rodent. 

This Stimson's python is a bit greedy. He is hanging on to 'seconds' tightly!

Remember over feeding adults may lead to obesity and all the associated diseases that comes with being overweight.

SW Carpet Python eating a juvenile rat.

You may also notice that during winter your pet’s appetite may drop off dramatically and this is perfectly normal as their metabolism naturally slows down during this time of the year.

How often does a snake shed?

The frequency of shedding can be different amongst various species of snakes.  But as a general rule, young snakes shed when they outgrow their old skin (similar to children outgrowing clothes) and this would depend on how much and how often they eat. 

Generally adult pythons shed their skins approx every 2 months, but have been known to not shed for up to 2 years.  It has also been noted that snakes may shed after being injured, possibly to aid in the healing process.

What do I do if my pet gets sick?

It is often not easy to tell when reptiles or frogs are sick, especially in the early stages.   They may not display symptoms until the illness or infection has advanced, so don't wait!  Seek advice from a vet experienced in these animals if you think there is a problem.

Any consistent change from normal behaviour can be an early indication of illness or disease. Some things to watch out for include: constipation, decreased appetite or activity, weight loss, vomiting, sores, swellings, inability to use a limb or move freely, wheezing, bubbles from the nose, runny eyes, external parasites or skin discolouration.

This tegu was fed a calcium-deficient diet causing softened facial bones.
(Tegus are not allowed to be kept as pets in WA).

These symptoms may be caused by parasites, lack of calcium and/or UV, cold viruses, lack of heat, overheating, etc.  Many problems are caused by poor husbandry (cleaning) or not meeting the nutritional and environmental conditions required for the species you have as a pet.

Mucus discharge from the glottis of a python, a sign of tracheitis (inflammation of the windpipe) or pneumonia.

Prevention is better than cure and good husbandry is the best way to prevent illness and disease. Know what your pet needs – housing size, food requirements, humidity levels, preferred body temperatures, nocturnal/diurnal lighting, hiding places, preferred substrates and so on.  It is also important to avoid stress from excessive or inappropriate handling such as snakes in pre-slough (the scales over their eyes shed too, and they cannot see well when in pre-slough, which makes them nervous).

Necrotic ulcerations of the carapace resulting from opportunistic bacterial infection in a map turtle. (This species cannot be kept as a pet in WA).

Until a veterinarian can see your pet, keep them warm and dark to reduce stress.

Try to find a vet that has had experience with reptiles and amphibians.  As WA has only been able to keep reptiles as pets for just three years, this may be difficult.  You may need to ring around.  If you live south of the river (Perth) we recommend Dr Bruce Moore of Warnbro Vet Clinic on Safety Bay Road.  You can find his details under Links on our Home Page.

For more information on illnesses and diseases in reptiles, there are a wide range of books (that include causes and treatments) that can be helpful even to beginner herps.  Click here to see the books stocked by Reptile Trader.

Photos from The Biology, Husbandry and Health Care of Reptiles Volume III; The Health Care of Reptiles by Lowell Ackerman, DVM.

How Often Do I Need To Clean?

Although reptiles don’t mess as often or as much as the average pet, cleanliness and hygiene is extremely important to both you and your pet. 

Animals should be checked daily and living quarters cleaned as required. Remember, in the wild, animals move right away from their excrement.  Within a confined area such as an enclosure there is more chance of walking through excrement, creating the opportunity to foul water, food and infect eyes or minor wounds. 

You should always wash your hands before and after handling your pet and when cleaning as he can pass more disease and bacteria on to you, than you can to him.

Commercial products such as plastic hide rocks and plants are easier to clean and less likely to harbour bacteria.  Any branches or rocks taken from the bush need to be scrubbed in a mild bleach/detergent solution, rinsed thoroughly and dried before being placed in an enclosure.

A Place To Hide

How Do I Furnish My Enclosure?

Arboreal species should be provided with branches and/or ledges on which they can climb and bask. Tree frogs appreciate plants with broad leaves strong enough to support them. Rock dwellers should be provided with rock surfaces, either real or artificial. Water frequenting animals should have access to an appropriate sized water dish. Other furnishings, such as bark slabs of cork, hollow limbs, clumps of dried porcupine grass and so forth, can be added according to the animal's behavioural habits, the microhabitat it occupies in nature and the aesthetic effects you desire.   Make sure these are cleaned thoroughly before adding them to the enclosure as they may harbour mites, worms and other parasites.  Many commercial products are also available which make a more hygienic alternative.

Please note that native plants are protected. Do not remove them from the bush to furnish pet cages.

What Is Substrate?

Substrate is just the material that is used on the bottom of the enclosure.  The type of the substrate used on the cage floor can vary enormously from newspaper which is cheap and easily replacable, to sand and sphagnum moss. Other substrates include crushed walnut shell which is very hygienic, bark (which bobtails like to burrow under), calcium sand (which is safe to digest) and astro turf works well with frogs.  It depends upon the requirements of the particular species and your personal preference.

Do Reptiles Need Water?

Always provide clean water at room temperature.

This will be used not only for drinking but bathing as well.  A water bowl will also add (to some extent) to the humidity level in the enclosure. 

Although desert species prefer a drier climate in their enclosure they need plenty to drink.  Tropical species need a higher humidity level that can be supplemented with a larger waterbowl.  Other reptiles don't thrive in an environment with high humidity levels but they still need to drink so the water would only be offered for half an hour each day (in summer). 

In all instances, a water bowl still needs to be provided.

What's The Difference Between Day Lights and Heat Lights?

Why Do Reptiles and Amphibians Need Heat?

How Much Space Does My Animal Need?

What Kind Of Housing Do I Need For My Animal?

What Should I Feed My Reptile Or Amphibian?

What Do I Need To Do?

What Commitment Is Required?