Water Python Care

[trailblazer295]

Hey everyone

I'm considering adding a Australian water python to my collection. There is a local breeder of them not far from me. However care requirements is very hard to find even basics. Not many people keeping them on this side of the pond to ask either. What do you guys recommend for care? Adult cage size, temperature hot/cold, humidity? Anything else I've forgotten. I'd be starting with a baby so have time to grow with it.

 

[pinefamily]

Welcome to APS. From your post I guess you're not in Oz.
Keeping water pythons isn't that different from other Australian pythons really, apart from providing a larger water area. Some keepers don't even provide that. I have never kept one (they are on my wish list too).
Apparently there is a big difference in temperament between Qld and NT varieties. Qld ones have a grey colour with a yellow underbelly, while the NT ones are browner with a white underside. From what I have read, you want a Qld one; NT water pythons have been described as the spawn of Satan, lol.

 

[trailblazer295]

Thanks for the response. I'm from Canada, I don't know the locality of the babies. I held one a year ago and it was very chill. They look like a tiny version of this. They aren't common over here or even in general. I'm on another reptile forum but isn't a kept species.

I figured this would be the place to get accurate information on care.

 

[pinefamily]

If the ones available to you look like that, you should be ok. Sorry I can't help more, but not having kept them I don't want to give you incorrect advice.
"Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons", by Mike Swan, and "A Guide to Australian Pythons in Captivity", by Adam Elliott are two good books to look out for.
The other forum you mention doesn't have a stutter does it?

 

[trailblazer295]

lol Yes it does, been a good resource so far with other snakes. But haven't seen a single member have water pythons.

 

[Tyloop]

Im following this...

If you provided a large water area and heated it, would you use a thermostat and an aquarium heater, or no thermostat? tia.

 

[trailblazer295]

Im following this...

If you provided a large water area and heated it, would you use a thermostat and an aquarium heater, or no thermostat? tia.

If you wanted heated water you could place it on the warm end and let your heat source do the work. Instead of a heating element somewhere the snake can coil around. Some aquarium heaters can get pretty hot.

 

[pinefamily]

Not sure how you would go about heating the water. Under the heat source would also help with humidity, but evaporation could be a problem. I'd be cautious about an aquarium heater too (we did use one for a Mertens water monitor). Possibly a heat mat or cord would do the trick.

 

[Tyloop]

Im not sure if you have seen this video...

This is why I think it would be great to have an aquarium to see them do this!!

 

[SpottedPythons]

Be careful, they do scent you... and as babies to subadult they are incredibly defensive. On heating the water, I don't see why you'll need to do that in an indoor cage. Provide maybe the same cage size as a carpet (with less height and more floor space) and put in a water bowl large enough for it to soak in. The reason why I suggest a large water bowl instead of a pond or aquarium is because in their natural habitat they live in billabongs. They are not aquatic and are more soakers than swimmers. For substrate I'd suggest coco fiber since that'll hold humidity and won't spoil if water splashes onto it like paper based substrates. As babies they prefer belly heat from a heat pad and as adults they bask so maybe a 75 watt halogen bulb? They also have an aggressive feeding response. Despite all this the water python is classified as a beginner snake according to Snake Ranch. Most breeders agree that bloodline is very important when it comes to temperament, so pick a pure QLD locale specimen. Harder to get if you're overseas but look for the greyish brown colour and yellow belly.

EDIT: If water heating does become necessary, don't use a heat pad. Heat pads don't heat water evenly (according to an aquarium expert) and will create "hot spots" that may injure your snake in the long term.

 

[pinefamily]

By heat pad, I assume you mean heat mat. Surely the correct wattage heat mat is preferable to an aquarium heater which can potentially burn a python? When I say correct wattage, I mean one that heats enough to take the chill from the water, and won't create a hot spot.

 

[SpottedPythons]

Yes, but I don't see a need to heat the water as long as the enclosure temp. is ok.

 

[SpottedPythons]

Cause as I've said, they're soakers rather than swimmers and smaller bodies of water generally need no heating. If heating is required, maybe an aquarium heater protected by a wire cage? It works for bulbs so it should for heaters too.

 

[Scutellatus]

You can buy aquarium heater covers that will prevent any burns if you did want to use an aquarium heater.

 

[pinefamily]

The OP is from Canada, so he may well want/need to heat the water to at least take the chill off in winter.

 

[SpottedPythons]

In that case, I would suggest simply raising the temperature in the enclosure. As they soak, even in slightly colder water, they will still absorb the heat from the enclosure. Also in the wild they like using water to cool off, so they use it to thermoregulate. The water in the water bowl will never reach fatal temperatures as long as the enclosure temps are properly controlled. For example, you might heat a frog tank with a heat pad, but you wouldn't heat the actual water bowl.

 

[pinefamily]

True, and a good point with the frog tank example. I was only thinking about ambient temps in Canada.

 

[SpottedPythons]

Hmm... Canada does get pretty cold. Maybe in winter cover the water bowl with a large, well ventilated hide and place that under the heat source? That would keep the temperature well, just as long as there's enough ventilation. Sphagnum moss around the bowl to keep in humidity maybe? Similar concept to humid hide for shedding.

 

[trailblazer295]

My house is 22-23c all year round. I use heat panels in my cages to heat hot side and raise ambient temps above room temperature.

I have space for a 6x2 footprint. Is this suitable for an adult water python?

 

[SpottedPythons]

6x2m or 6x2 feet? And if your house is that temperature, forget water heating completely!