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Shiftylarry OwlsHaveEyes Shiftylarry Mdf Jon1974 Adietz Qqqqz Allenbj1 Rob1968

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#1583287

Shiftylarry
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New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

Here is my new baby black phase white lipped python. I called everywhere. Exotic pets Las Vegas said they hadn’t seen one in 2 years. Other places didn’t even know what it was. It took me a good while to track one down, but I finally picked one up from my buddies at East Bay Vivarium. I believe it is a girl, but I’m not sure. For those of you that aren’t aware, the most commonly seen white lipped python is the gold phase. They are considerably nastier, have a golden, yellow or brown body, and stay around 6 ft in length. The black phase on the other hand is very calm, has a black body, and gets up to 9 ft. They are great snakes. I recommend them highly. Not much in the pattern category, but they have active, curious personalities, and they have an incredible sheen under the sunlight. The skin is also very soft. I’ll admit I’m not much of a snake person. This is the first snake I’ve owned in two years. But this bugger is changing my mind.

Here are some terrible pictures which do her no justice:

The is a bad attempt to get an example of the incredible sheen:

This is the cage. Very simple storage bin set up. I cost me about 20 bucks in all to put together. But what is lacks in appearance, it makes up for in function. It holds heat and humidity much more effectively than a screen top enclosure. To help with insulation, I added some "Great Stuff" (liquid expanding foam) to the bottom. Ventilation is in the back.

On the inside as you can see is a pothos plant, dirt and a branch. The plant takes up half of the enclosure and provides a lots of moisture as well (which is essential to this species which is prone to skin problems). On the branch side of the enclosure it is dry and hot. I threw in some moss so that she could hide in the hot side of the enclosure as well. They seem to be very timid snakes so it’s important, in my opinion, that they be able to thermoregulate and hide at the same time.

As well as showing off my new snake, I wanted to make the point that snakes require more than just a box with newspaper and a heating pad. I think much of the literature/caresheet information out there is provided by snake breeders. We should consider that these people are in a competitive business where they have to find ways to cut expenses as much as possible to make a profit. Their aim is most often to provide only the minimum living conditions required to produce offspring. Of course there are plenty of exceptions, that just seems to be the trend in my experience.

Comments are appreciated :)
-Chris

01/18/08 12:10am

#1583449

OwlsHaveEyes
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Message To: Shiftylarry In reference to Message Id: 1583287

New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

Beautiful snake! The only thing more beautiful is seeing it in person.. I wish I had one of these. How much was it?

01/18/08 08:28am

#1583540

Shiftylarry
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Message To: OwlsHaveEyes In reference to Message Id: 1583449

New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

It was $450 plus $65 shipping. Definitely not cheap for a guys who hasn’t been into snakes for a while. But, I wanted to make sure I got something to hold my interests. Thanks for the compliments.

01/18/08 10:47am

#1584057

Mdf
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Message To: Shiftylarry In reference to Message Id: 1583540

New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

Very nice shiftylarry.

mdf

01/18/08 05:30pm

#1779945

Jon1974
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Message To: Shiftylarry In reference to Message Id: 1583287

New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

hi my name is Jonathan and i have 3 of these guys 2 6 ft males and a 4 ft female.They have very different attitudes but they are all great.I am wondering if you or anyone knows of a full grown female available anywhere.cool snake!

07/01/08 07:06pm

#2110210

Adietz
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Message To: Jon1974 In reference to Message Id: 1779945

New White Lipped Python (Black Phase)

I know that the previous post was a long time ago but I own a 6ft female black phase if you are interested because I am moving and trying to find a new home for her. I have pictures available if you are interested.

01/02/10 08:53pm