Are Green Pythons difficult species to keep?

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1 Green Pythons Are Green Pythons difficult species to keep? Green Pythons are not boring snakes that just rest on a branch. As soon as the light goes out, they are very active and inquisitive. A naturally decorated enclosure promotes their activity and wellbeing. 14

2 Green Pythons Green pythons are very different to all other Australian pythons not only in their morphology but also in their biology and ecology. Whilst we can never entirely replicate their natural environment inside a small cage, we should strive to do the best we can with their natural history, choice of food and feeding strategies in mind. This article is not a recipe for Green python husbandry - I am merely offering some food for thought based on my personal experiences and knowledge of the species biology and ecology. Text & Images: Michael Cermak 15

3 Health issues Is rectal prolapsing an inherited problem? 16 The strike is very fast and the prey is pulled up, way off the ground. If GPs were naturally prone to rectal prolapse, they would probably be extinct in the wild by now. If this problem occurs only in captivity, then there is a call for revision of husbandry practices applied to this species. Rectal prolapse in snakes can be caused by intestinal infection, parasites, dehydration, wrong diet or too much food. Because infections and parasites are rare in newborn snakes, wrong diet, too much food or a combination of both are most likely to cause prolapse. To put it simply, prolapse usually occurs when the snake is pushing too hard, either because it s constipated or has diarrhoea. The latter could be a result of feeding juvenile GPs nothing else but newborn mice. The Food Most snake breeders feed their juvenile snakes pinkies because it s an old proven practice, they are easy to get and are nicely packaged protein jellybeans. And that s all they are! Pinkies totally lack roughage, calcium and trace elements because they have undeveloped bones, no hair and no gut contents because at that stage they don t eat any solids. So, how nutritional and how natural are pinkies in juvenile GP s diet? David Wilson, who completed his PhD thesis on Australian Green Pythons, identified skinks as the main part of a juvenile s diet and would add that they also eat small frogs. Unlike other Australian pythons, GPs don t actively hunt, they sit and wait to ambush prey that happens to venture close enough for a strike. I have spent many days and nights roaming through north Queensland s rainforests but have to say, I haven t seen too many pink mice crawling on the forest floor. Not even after a hard drinking session! Considering that juvenile GPs don t raid mouse nests, it is logical to conclude that their natural diet does not include pink mice. Skinks and frogs on the other hand, are not only high in protein but they are also rich in roughage consisting of scales, bones, cartilage and whatever they have in their stomachs. I am sure many reptile breeders would argue that both skinks and frogs are potential parasite carriers and therefore unsuitable as food for captive snakes. I am not a parasitologist, so I refrain from making any further comments here but as far as I know, deep-freezing kills most nasties and I have never had any problems with introduction of parasites this way. It should be noted that there are some legal implications regarding the collection of frogs and lizards for reptile food. However that is not within the scope of this article. How much food? Anyone who has seen GPs in the wild would agree they look terribly emaciated in comparison to those bred in captivity. There is a good reason for this. GPs are predominantly arboreal and living in the trees requires agility and a light body, as we can see in tree-dwelling Colubrids such as Boiga and Dendrelaphis. What s more, GPs often use their prehensile tail, so their body weight must be proportional to their body length and muscle strength. On Cape York, where winter temperatures are considerably lower

4 than those in PNG, GPs don t feed during those colder months, males especially go off their food for up to five months each year and the same applies to gravid females. So, what can we learn from this and how can we apply any feeding regimes when it comes to captive GP management? Firstly, it suggests that overfeeding is the worst practice any keeper can adopt, particularly with yellow juveniles. If you can resist the urge to grow your snakes to breeding size in a record time, your patience will be rewarded in the long run. After all, they are very nice in the yellow form, so why rush them. According to Greg Maxwell (The Complete Chondro), most American GP breeders think that it is not necessary to wait for the snake to defecate before the next meal is offered. In juveniles, it probably does help to wait for the bowel movement before feeding them again. One food item every six days is sufficient and will result in healthy growth leading to a colour change before twelve months of age. Pinkies are a good staple diet but should not be the only food given to hatchlings. Inserting a pinch of Wombaroo Reptile Supplement into the buccal cavity can enrich the nutritional value of defrosted frogs and skinks. Once the juveniles are big enough to take haired mice, they can be fed rodents for the rest of their lives. During the intermediate growth stages, it is better to feed them adult mice rather than rat pups because baby rats are constitutionally (above) Vertical space is more important to Green Pythons than the floor area. Being highly arboreal species, they rarely spend time on the rainforest floor. (right) The juveniles should have a choice of thin and thick branches to perch on. 18

5 the same as pink mice - only bigger. Adult GPs also enjoy supplements in their diet. Although rats are usually a preferred food, it s also a good idea to throw in day-old chicks and mice now and then. Variety is an essence of life! Housing Looking at the different designs of GP enclosures (here and in the USA) I can t help but think that not enough attention has been given to where and how these snakes live in their natural habitat. A lot of the enclosures used by GP keepers are the shape of a standard snake cage, i.e. horizontally rectangular box-shape. Green pythons are highly arboreal and vertical space is much more important to them than horizontal space and the floor area. Everybody knows the rule of thumb for terrestrial snakes; the length of the cages should equal the length of the snake - the same should be applied to GP s enclosures but also in vertical direction. Some will argue that the height of the enclosure doesn t matter because the snakes always choose the highest perch. They certainly do and that for two possible reasons; they have no other choice and/or they feel secure under the roof. So, why not offer them more perches and more roofs to hide under? It doesn t have to be a series of roofs installed in the enclosure be creative! Use silk plants with large leaves positioned just above the perches, mock-rock shelving, tree bark, basically anything that doesn t spoil the aesthetics and will give the snake a sense of privacy. And by the way, it is equally easy to create a thermal gradient in vertical structure as it is in a horizontal one. Hatchlings do far better in tall, spacious enclosures than in rectangular take-away containers and sphagnum moss makes better substrate than tissue paper. It s sold sterilized and holds moisture better than paper. Is one perch enough? How would you like to sit in one chair for weeks and months at the time? GPs should have a choice of several perching branches of different thickness at different heights, some with a horizontal fork. Activity Whatever your choice of substrate and decoration, it is desirable to change the interior design from time to time. Snakes are inquisitive creatures and like to investigate new things in their enclosures. I am not referring to mind stimulation or any such thing but investigating new objects means movement, movement means use of energy and use of energy means the snake need to eat to replenish the energy. Isn t this just what we want? If your new-born GP is reluctant to eat, give it plenty of space, throw in a handful of grass or twigs, leafy branch, piece of bark or a stone and change those items every few days - you will see increased activity and increased appetite! Natural conditions, variety in food items as well as interesting habitats

6 are superior to boring, sterile, poorly ventilated intensive conditions that many keepers prefer because they are easier to maintain and are more hygienic for the inhabitants. Don t be lazy! It s fun to dress up reptile enclosures, they look better and the occupants are happier in landscaped environment. In my opinion, anyone who is in position to purchase a green python or two would have the financial resources to build or buy the best looking, functional and safe enclosure there is. There are differences between snake keeping as a hobby and snake farming. The two concepts differ by way of time investment, cost / benefits, resources and personal satisfaction. However, I do think that green pythons deserve the best care, housing and attention to detail we can provide. The battery chook farmer produces thousands of eggs and makes thousands of dollars but the farmer who lets his chooks run free and do what chooks naturally do is enjoying the best eggs and best chicken meat in the world. Why are GPs so difficult to breed in Australia? Some snakes will breed in a shoebox, while others will not breed no matter how much knowledge, experience, money and personal charm we throw at them. Why is this? I don t have the answer but I strongly suspect that it s something to do with genetics. If it is, then we can expect these undesirable traits (poor reproductive potential) may be passed onto next generations. If we had poor results in breeding laboratory mice or rats, we would simply terminate the bloodline and start with fresh stock. Bit hard to do with chondros! To truly evaluate breeding success of any given pair of chondros, we need to look at not only how many healthy juveniles they produce but also issues such as: The egg and clutch size in relation to the female s age and size. Number of good eggs versus slugs and infertile eggs. The hatching rate The survival rate of the neonates. These are the true indicators of the bloodline quality and every responsible reptile breeder should keep complete records and be willing to pass them on to the new owners with the offspring. I guess some of my suggestions offered in this article may seem a little radical or unconventional to some reptile keepers. So, I would like to stress again that my intention is not to preach chondro husbandry here but to widen our scope of husbandry practices. If everything goes well with your little green darlings, why to make any changes? It is when things go wrong, we should be prepared to step outside the square and reach for alternative approach. This is a typical hunting position. The python is able to reach passing prey on the ground below. Both juveniles and adults often rest on a folk of a branch. It is essential to provide such material in enclosures. 20