totally unsupported with baby python

[annerip]

Hi eveyone, this is my first attempt at on line chat and Im a new python owner. I have managed to keep my "Townsville Coastal Carpet Python" (thats what the breeder called her) alive for 14months. She "Lola" (no idea what sex she is) lookes healthy and is enthusiastically taking defrosted mice every Sunday. I keep her in a very well ventilated cage on the generous front veranda. The sides of her enclosure are perforated metal, the front is perspex and the back is solid wood. I live in Cairns and assume the temp is OK for Lola. Last year I used a heat lamp coz she was such a baby but wonder if this year I may not need a heat source. She is robust and healthy and supposedly native to the area. What do you think?

 

[africancichlidau]

How many defrosted mice does she/he take every sunday? If you are only feeding her one then I think you would be far better off, and so would Lola, if you upped the size of her feeds. Welcome to the site

 

[MrBredli]

In the 'native area' snakes have the oppurtuntiy to bask in the sun, sit in the shade, hide in a borrow etc. If you put the snake in a cage with no heating, the only option it has is to soak up the air temp. Big mistake. The snake must have access to a basking spot of 32-34 degrees, and it needs to have a cool spot of 24 degrees, so that he can choose to be whatever temp he wants to be within the 24-34 degree range, just as if he were in the wild.

P.S. Welcome to the site!

 

[junglemad]

if it has done alright for 14 months keep going the way you are. if it isn't broken don't fix it

 

[annerip]

Thanks so much for the reply. I have over the past 2 weeks given her 2 mice as she was striking like mad the feed "lunch box" as I attempted to move her back to her cage. I just had a gut feeling she was still hungry. She took the extra mouse with no probs but I am concerned re what Ive read that you can overfeed and the result is a fat python with a little head and it upsets their growing.

 

[annerip]

new user

if it has done alright for 14 months keep going the way you are. if it isn't broken don't fix it

Thanks that is very reasuring. I just worry that if I dont supply an artificial heart source I may do her some harm. Our nightime temps in Cairns during winter get down to 17-18 degrees. Do you think she will be OK with that?

 

[africancichlidau]

17 - 18 deg will be fine as long as she has hide boxes etc to retreat to to help conserve the heat she has obtained through the day. A box with just a mild heat source would be advantageous for the nights that get well below those temps though and don't handle after sundown when she's coiled etc as they do this to conserve heat and forcing her to uncoil by handling means that she would lose heat very quickly.

 

[annerip]

Thats just the sort of advice I need, thankyou. I have supplied a no. of hide boxes of different sizes. The tip about not handleing her after sun down is valuable as I am a bit keen on frequent handling to encourage "tameness". I cant work out how the local zoo trots out a huge Olive python every day and drapes it over kids etc for photos. The zoo people must obviousy be very confident the python will be placid. How do they do that and how can they be so confident the pythom wont bite?

 

[Rennie]

I* don't think that zoo's would use the same one every day, they'd have to swap and give them a rest to digest after a feed etc.

 

[BIGTOE]

I would suggest getting a heat source as its better to be safe than sorry,... and any way with todays kind of weather it could snow tomorrow in Cairns....! you never never know