This is the first installment of the Anteresia series of basic care sheets for children and beginners.

Stimson’s pythons were formerly considered to be Children’s pythons until they were singled out by Smith. Unlike carpet pythons, they are a small species; growing to an average length of only around one meter. Interestingly, male pythons are longer than the females, and they have around 150 teeth and are generally well behaved snakes, but can bite or nip you off when in an unfavorable mood. And like all pythons, without proper care and attention they can become quite nasty.

They are oviparous reptiles and the eggs are laid usually around 115 days from the day when the pythons first mated. Cages for pythons are readily available for purchase. They usually require a temperature range of around 23-34 degrees Celsius. A plant made of plastic or a rock or log will be a real treat for the pythons, stimulating their senses and encouraging exercise, but be careful not to clutter the enclosure. For water, use a bowl that will not tip easily so that the snake won’t spill over the water and don’t fill the bowl to its brim, just half full, preferably with spring or rain water and not tap water, as it could contain chemicals.

Since pythons need to feel secure and have a range of temperatures to keep them healthy you must ensure that your cage has both a warm and cold region. Stool must be removed whenever noticed and the substrate is best made of paper. Any kind of paper can be used, be it recycled paper, butcher paper or the most easily available; newspaper.

When buying your Stimson’s python, go for one that is clean and bright eyed. Don’t buy one just because it looks sad or is housed in inhumane conditions, you may thing you are helping the python but it will just put a lot of stress on you and you may not be able to deal with the issues that arise. It is important to buy a healthy snake so that you may raise it without any problems.

Their diet is usually made of mice and rats. If your pet python refuses a couple of meals it is not cause for any immediate alarm as this is quite normal and pythons in the wild can go months without feeding. Read up about feeding methods, they have been mentioned on this blog before.