Care Sheet for Burmese PythonsAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.23 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 06/28/2006 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Burmese Pythons |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | RKO |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | Burmese Python |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | none |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Determining sex can be attained by probing or popping; both of which should be done by a professional. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Newspaper is the cheapest & easiest with regards to cleaning & disinfecting. Cypress mulch is great for controlling humidity, but remember that too much humidity can be as detrimental (if not more) as too little. Never use any substrate containing cedar, as this is deadly to reptiles! |
Lighting and UVB: | A 12/12 (12 hours on, 12 hours off) should be provided.
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Temperatures and Humidity: | Temperature: Provide your Burm with a basking spot of 88-92 F and an ambient (background) temperature of 78-80 F. The ambient temperature should not fall below 75 F. A great way to monitor temps is to use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Stick the thermometer to the inside of the cage on the cool end and place the probe on the warm end, and youll have both sides covered at once.
Humidity: 50%-60% humidity should be provided at all times. And 70% humidity when in shed. To maintain humidity you can use cypress mulch as it turns a tan color when dry & a rich brown when wet, giving a visual cue as to when it needs to be dampened again. Or you can make a humid box. You will need a Rubbermaid container large enough for your snake to sit in with damp sphagnum moss or paper towels. Cut a hole on either the side or the top of the box for easy access.
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Heating and Equipment: | For heating you can use either a UTH (under tank heater) or a basking bulb that is attached to a rheostat or thermostat to measure/maintain the temps of the heating source.
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Caging Provided: | A 10 gallon aquarium is suitable for a baby burmese python for a short amount of time. These snakes also grow very fast. Once they hit 4 they can be housed in a 4 long, 18" high, and 2 wide cage. Once they hit 10 they will need to be moved into a 6 long, 18" (or 2) high, and 3 wide enclosure. Some specimens may require a 8 long, by 2 high, by 3 wide. MAKE SURE YOUR CAGE IS ESCAPE PROOF!
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Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Feed an appropriate sized rodent weekly. Baby burmese pythons can take small adult mice or rat crawlers (preferably rats). At 3 they can take weaned rats. And at 4, they are capable of taking down adult rats. DO NOT HANDLE YOUR SNAKE FOR AT LEAST A DAY AFTER IT HAS EATEN, AS THIS CAN LEAD TO REGURGITATION!
Burmese pythons have a terrific feeding response and are generally pretty easy to convert to frozen/thawed or pre-killed rodents.NEVER LEAVE A LIVE RODENT UNATTENDED WITH ANY SNAKE! It is somewhat possible to control a snakes growth rate through maintenance feeding, remember that feeding too infrequently will leave you with a hungry snake that is constantly searching for food, resulting in stronger feeding responses during interaction with handlers. On the other hand, frequent feedings of 1 - 2 times weekly will result in quick growth, so It may be wise to consider how large you wish the snake to get over a certain period of time.
You will eventually have to feed very large prey items (big rabbits and possibly pigs).Take the time to find resources for bigger prey items so that you may take into account the acquisition & cost of feeders prior to your Burm reaching adult size. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | |
Maintenance: | These snakes should be kept by experts. |
Some Words on this Species: | Very big! Capable (and recorded) of killing human beings. |
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