Stimson Python Questions

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Cyansnake

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Hello!

I am not new to the reptile community but it has been almost 2 years since my last reptile. (Had a 16 year old Beardie who I got at 8 years old who sadly passed on) and I have been thinking of renewing my license.

Now I have 10 years experience with lizards and geckos though I was interested in dipping my toes into the snake community, I had a spotted python for 6 months before from a hatchling but had to find it a new home as my sister's cat was constantly attacking the cage and flipping it off my table. (As it was a small hatchling box as I didn't want to put it in the full tank until bigger)

What I was really interested in getting was actually a Stimson Python as I love their colourations but I have a few questions when it comes to them.

1-With hatchlings, how long would you give them to settle down before attempting your first feeding? I know snakes take longer than beardies to settle.
2-Do Stimsons like to burrow? Substrate wise I was thinking of title with a thin layer of something above it for aesthetics but I might add something deeper if they are know to dig around?
3-They like horizontal tanks correct? What size is recommended for a full size Stimson? And at what size would you move a hatchling from a smaller box into a larger tank?

Those are my only main concerns right now, if you have any links to guides you think are good to follow please feel free to link any advice, thank you!
 
Hi Cyansnake, to answer some of you're questions; my stimson likes to burrow so you could add some deep substrate so it can dig around. Since they are ground dwelling, a horizontal enclosure would be great, I have mine in an enclosure 90cm by 30cm by 30cm. As long as you have plenty of hides for the snake it doesn't really matter what size the enclosure is as long as it isn't enormous. I have a juevanile carpet in a 120cm long enclosure and he loves it. Not sure how long I'd wait before feeding, maybe around 5 days just to let him settle... Not sure with a hatchling. Great choice of a stimson python! They're awesome snakes.
 
Hi Cyansnake, to answer some of you're questions; my stimson likes to burrow so you could add some deep substrate so it can dig around. Since they are ground dwelling, a horizontal enclosure would be great, I have mine in an enclosure 90cm by 30cm by 30cm. As long as you have plenty of hides for the snake it doesn't really matter what size the enclosure is as long as it isn't enormous. I have a juevanile carpet in a 120cm long enclosure and he loves it. Not sure how long I'd wait before feeding, maybe around 5 days just to let him settle... Not sure with a hatchling. Great choice of a stimson python! They're awesome snakes.

Thank you so much for the information! What kind of substrate do you use so they can burrow in?
 
1) About 2 hours, unless you bring it home in the morning or earlier afternoon, in which case feed around an hour or two after sunset.
2) Don't overthink it. They're fine on paper etc, or you can give them a shallow layer of substrate to play in. It's not critical.
3) Pretty much. 60x45cm floor space is plenty. You can go a bit larger if you want. Most important is security. In a large enclosure they feel less safe and need more cover, and a tight hide box becomes more important. In a small enclosure with opaque sides they don't even care if they don't have a hide at all. Personally I start Antaresia in small tubs around 10cm long. If I'm growing one up to an adult I'll give it one intermediate enclosure (around 30cm long) for a few months when it's around 40-60cm long then into an adult cage when it's near adult size at around 10-12 months old. If I'm planning to grow one up from the time I get it, I'll probably put it straight into a 20-30cm tub and keep it there until it's ready for its adult enclosure. I will probably never use a tank or any glass enclosure for an Antaresia and would never recommend it to anyone. Glass has no benefits to the snake and plenty of problems. It looks pretty but I'd prefer to have a happy snake in an ugly enclosure than have a lovely view of a less happy animal.
 
Thank you both for your input!

Sdaji, With the tank recommendations, I originally made my reptile tank from wood with only one side glass for the front as sliding panels for my lizards. I have since sold my old tank but I have all the gear to make a new one. Would one made from mdf wood be alright? My last one was as MDF board which I did 3 coats of waterproof sealing.
I understand that the glass tanks are not ideal for snakes as they loose heat and can stress some out if they feel they can not hide properly with all sides visible so I normally go with wooden tanks. It would be a display tank as well as functional but do you still recommend plastic tubs are better? As much as I would like the see the tank insides I do not want to stress my animal out.

I am not planning to get a snake until well into next year, as I have to wait for the hatchling season of early next year for a larger variety of snakes to be available.

With the paper substrate for digging do you just shred the paper up to let them dig around? I am also trying to find the most eco-friendly product as I would like to stick to something biodegradable so paper wound be perfect or some other mulch I just rather something I can compost rather than add to landfill.
 
Common choices for breeders are:
Newspaper
Paper towel
Butchers paper.
- all the above in either whole or shredded form

And Paper pellet cat litter


Otherwise you have an option of more natural looking stuff such as Brunnings coir peat, but it’s very important u let it dry thoroughly after wetting it and that you use ALOT less water than you think, otherwise it’ll take weeks to dry
You can also try kritters komfort fine/coarse
 
Thank you both for your input!

Sdaji, With the tank recommendations, I originally made my reptile tank from wood with only one side glass for the front as sliding panels for my lizards. I have since sold my old tank but I have all the gear to make a new one. Would one made from mdf wood be alright? My last one was as MDF board which I did 3 coats of waterproof sealing.

Yep, I've made enclosures from MDF and used multiple coats of sealant. They work really well if you can be bothered to do a thorough job of sealing then apply enough patience to let it cure. They've been among the most durable enclosures I've built.

I understand that the glass tanks are not ideal for snakes as they loose heat and can stress some out if they feel they can not hide properly with all sides visible so I normally go with wooden tanks. It would be a display tank as well as functional but do you still recommend plastic tubs are better? As much as I would like the see the tank insides I do not want to stress my animal out.

I wouldn't use glass, I'd personally prefer plastic tubs as they're best, but if enjoying the enclosure as a visual display piece in a room is a priority to you, hey, go for it with a glass-fronted wooden enclosure :) I've certainly used plenty of them and I kept and bred snakes for years before I started keeping adults in plastic tubs.

With the paper substrate for digging do you just shred the paper up to let them dig around? I am also trying to find the most eco-friendly product as I would like to stick to something biodegradable so paper wound be perfect or some other mulch I just rather something I can compost rather than add to landfill.

Shredded paper does work well, but when I've used newspaper I've just used a flat sheets, usually a double layer. These days I use Breeders Choice, which is made of recycled newspaper. Available at supermarkets.
 
Common choices for breeders are:
Newspaper
Paper towel
Butchers paper.
- all the above in either whole or shredded form

And Paper pellet cat litter


Otherwise you have an option of more natural looking stuff such as Brunnings coir peat, but it’s very important u let it dry thoroughly after wetting it and that you use ALOT less water than you think, otherwise it’ll take weeks to dry
You can also try kritters komfort fine/coarse

Okay so always make sure its dried well before use thank you noted!
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Yep, I've made enclosures from MDF and used multiple coats of sealant. They work really well if you can be bothered to do a thorough job of sealing then apply enough patience to let it cure. They've been among the most durable enclosures I've built.
I wouldn't use glass, I'd personally prefer plastic tubs as they're best, but if enjoying the enclosure as a visual display piece in a room is a priority to you, hey, go for it with a glass-fronted wooden enclosure :) I've certainly used plenty of them and I kept and bred snakes for years before I started keeping adults in plastic tubs.
Shredded paper does work well, but when I've used newspaper I've just used a flat sheets, usually a double layer. These days I use Breeders Choice, which is made of recycled newspaper. Available at supermarkets.

Do you have a recommended sealant to use for the tanks? I know you normally let it dry completely for a week or two, I don't plan to purchase any animals until I have a full working set up ready for use so I'm fine with waiting weeks to finish the tank if it is made properly.

Question with the MDF tanks, with heat pads I haven't used them before but with snakes belly heat is much more recommended. How do you provide this with a wooden tank? The pads of course would all be on a thermostat but question is does it just go in the tank? Or do I make a small acrylic perspex part in the bottom of the tank for the heat mat to heat through properly?
 
with heat pads I haven't used them before but with snakes belly heat is much more recommended. How do you provide this with a wooden tank?

You would want a heat cord in a sandwich between either a wooden board and floor of enclosure or a large ceramic tile/floor

Never use heat mat with a wooden enclosure
 
All my wooden enclosures have heat mats, they don't get hot enough to cause burning issues. I keep the probe attached to a Ceramic tile that is on top of the heat mat so the temp the animal is lying on will not burn them, I have them set to 33c +/- 1c with a 5c drop between cycles. I make my own Thermostats and they work quite well. Animals like Jungles need extra heat because of the environment they live, the tropical areas can be hot and humid so the use of a heat projector is recommended. I use cat litter made from Paper Pulp that doesn't dust for a substrate, it is easy to clean out and pickup poo etc.

Stimson Pythons that are very young will bite, after a few months they will settle down and become quite docile. Their bite is nothing but a pinch and you would be lucky to get a blood spot so don't be worried.

I hope this helps
 

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