Spotted Pythons

[CodeRed]

I've recently been granted permission to get my third and final snake, and I'm leaning towards the Spotted Pythons. They're the ideal size (I definitely don't want something that gets too big), and they're very pretty, too. From what I've seen, they tend to be a bit nippy when they're younger, but get better with handling. I can deal with that. I've also read they really only need a 20 gallon, but bigger is always better. They seem to need 80 degrees on the cool side, and 85-90 on the warm, with "room" humidity that gets slightly increased during blue. They readily eat mice, and will probably stay small enough that that's all they'll ever need. That's about all I've been able to figure out, though. Does it all seem right? Am I missing anything important? I've seen some conflicting information while researching, but on here I posted what pops up the most. This'll be my first non-corn snake, so I'm a bit nervous, and very excited. I won't be even looking for the snake until I go to the Evansville, Indiana reptile expo on July 24-25, so I do have the time to set up the tank and make sure everything is running smoothly before I get it. If I don't find one there, I'll probably look online. Are there any books or websites I can check out? Any help at all is nice

 

[Hail_Britannia]

I don't know anything about spotted pythons, but I know there are people on this forum who have them. Tula_Montage is one of them....at least I think so. Maybe one of them can help you.

 

[Ceridwen]

I own three spotted pythons and love them. I have two normals and one granite. If you want something a little different definitely check out the granite morph. I have not found mine to be any nippier than corns, though I got all three when they were young.

Two of the three of mine were a bit difficult to get feeding compared to my corns but it was nothing major. I had to brain the pinks (F/T) for one of them and rub the pinks with fish (who knows why) for the other one. After a couple of times of that they've eaten like champs.

They grow more slowly than corns and can fast for longer without losing weight. They are midway between balls and corns in activity level from my experience. Not nearly as active as a corn, but not nearly as laid back as a ball. They cannot take prey items that are quite as large as what an equivalently sized corn can eat and they are a bit slower at getting the food down than corns. Mine seem to like it a tiny bit (2-3 degrees F) warmer than the corns and they don't really like to bury in the substrate much. The differences are all pretty minor though and in general the care is much like corns.

 

[CodeRed]

Thank you! That helps quite a bit

 

[Ceridwen]

Also, the only book that I've found to have much useful info on spotteds (and the genus in general) is Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons. Unfortunately it is not easy to come by and is quite expensive.