Short-tailed python: maintenance and care at home

For home keeping, many choose a short-tailed python. One of the largest, and the one who got divorced from us, in Latin notation is Python brongersmai. He has a bright color, not very long adult. It is not difficult to keep such a snake at home. They are quite massive, but very inactive snakes.

In the wild, short-tailed pythons are hunted. Their beautiful skin is of high value to lovers. Individuals from Sumatra get used to the house faster. Harder to tame immigrants from Malaysia. Find out how to care for your short-tailed python in this article.

general description

In its natural environment, the short-tailed python lives in swampy areas, in river floodplains, on palm plantations. In a terrarium, such a creature needs to create an environment similar to natural. For laying the substrate in the terrarium system, hygroscopic soils are used, which absorb and retain moisture well. In order to maintain high humidity in the terrarium, it is regularly sprayed with water or a sprinkler is installed.

Equipment for keeping short-tailed python

The pet is kept in a horizontal terrarium. Its bottom is lined with a natural substrate of fir or pine bark, you can also add sphagnum moss on top or mixed with bark. Although it is a nocturnal predator, daylight should be provided in the snake’s dwelling for the correct daily regimen.

The best heating of the terrarium is from below. To do this, use a thermocouple. It is important to maintain a temperature gradient in the terrarium. In the heating section, the optimum temperature is 32-33 ° C, in the “cold” opposite corner 26-28 ° C. Heating is turned off at night.

Ventilation should be forced air, in the terrarium air enters through the lower holes and, when heated, rises up and exits through the mesh cover. Inside the terrarium, a humidity level of 70-80% should be maintained by spraying surfaces 2 times a day, and a spacious drinker should be placed. Usually the snake climbs into it completely. Snakes love to swim. Bathing and being in a shelter – a humidity chamber, they molt easier, faster.

 

 

 

What to feed a short-tailed python

These snakes feed on small mammals. Once a week, young animals are fed laboratory rats, rats, mice. Adults are fed every 14-28 days. Python is a predator. When hunting, he strangles and swallows his prey. The process of digestion eaten by a python lasts days, weeks – the period depends on the size of the object. At home, the snake is offered food that is peculiar to it in the wild.

The nuances of snake nutrition

• The diet of short-tailed pythons includes food mice, live or frozen rats; not all snakes eat dead rodents – they do not have thermal radiation. To deceive the pet, the food is heated to 40 ° C.
• After the first molt, the baby is fed with mice, rat pups, gerbils.
• Snakes must get used to frozen rodents. This food is easy to use. But you should always check the degree of defrosting.
• The frequency of feeding of short-tailed baby pythons is regularly every 6-7 days. Adults are fed much less frequently – after 2-4 weeks. To avoid obesity in pets, feed him depending on his condition. Usually females are more voracious than males.
• Pythons do not need food for a long time during molting, stress, and a decrease in temperature. But if their weight is reduced, mobility is reduced, then you should contact a specialist.
• Live rats and mice can gnaw on the snake. If she is indifferent to food, it is better to offer her food a few days later and remove the rodents from the terrarium.

Reproduction

Males and females mature at 3-4 years of age. Stimulate the reproduction of the animal by lowering the temperature to 21-23 °C. But, according to experts in the West, the stimulation of snake reproduction is mainly due to temperature jumps in the environment by 5-7 ° C. When wintering ends, pets are densely fattened for 2-3 weeks. The female is then placed next to the male. 2-4 months after successful fertilization, the female lays 2 to 20 eggs. They are kept at a temperature of 27-29°C. Exposure time 45-60 days. Usually snakes hatch from eggs for 60-80 days. At the end of the first molt, the babies begin to feed.

Lifespan

Many people ask experts before buying an animal how long short-tailed pythons live. Their lifespan in captivity is up to 40 years. A newborn snake should not be placed immediately in a large terrarium. She will not be able to immediately find food there and find shelter, she will experience severe stress. The first terrarium is better to make small. You can also keep a short-tailed python in a plastic jig for a while.

Joint keeping of short-tailed pythons at home

At home, the snake does not need constant care. For the health and longevity of the reptile, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions:

• spacious terrarium – the value depends on the size of the snake;
• a large drinking bowl-pool – pythons love to swim in a drinking bowl, it must be securely fixed;
• suitable temperature. In the coolest corner – from 26 ° C, the natural temperature for pythons is 26-33 ° C. Humidity should be maintained at 70-80%.

Health maintenance

Feed your snake with vitamins and minerals to keep your snake healthy during growth, molting, and just being active. They are found in the complex as part of many feed additives. These supplements are formulated with the needs of exotic animals in mind. They contain vitamins A, B, K3, C, D, E. They help to defeat beriberi, improve metabolic processes, and improve the condition of the animal after illness. A vitamin supplement is usually used when the snake is already eating thawed food. The carcass of a rodent intended for nutrition is slightly moistened and rolled in a powder additive.

 

 

 

Communication with the short-tailed python

Python is characterized by immobility, slowness. He freezes in his arms. If crawling – nervous. It is very important to handle this snake in your hands correctly. She has a very heavy body. Due to the large weight and rare movements, there is a risk of damaging the pet. Short-tailed pythons are held in several places on the hands to evenly distribute the load.

A snake of this species usually accumulates excrement in the body. The accumulation period can be up to two months. After emptying, a substance appears in the terrarium in the form of a “sausage” with half a snake in length. This is typical for short-tailed pythons. To stimulate peristalsis and defecation, you can send the snake to swim in lukewarm water.

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