Royal python

Royal python

(Python regius) 

Max size This species of python can reach a size of up to 5ft although 4ft is the average, females being larger of the two.

Diet mice and rats are the main diet for a royal python, these should be given at an appropriate size and defrosted thoroughly before feeding, the size of the food item should not be any larger than 1.5x the thickest part of the snake

Day temperature the basking area should be 33-35C with an ambient temperature of 25-26C

Night temperature the temperature at night should not fall below 23C

Humidity Royal pythons do best when the humidity is 50-60%. Maintaining proper humidity will help your python shed properly.

Lighting As Royal pythons are nocturnal the use of UVB lighting is debatable, however the use of lighting in the enclosure is still a benefit as this can help with the snakes biorhythm cycle whether this is a low level UVB tube or LED lighting. 

Life span average 20-30 years

Enclosure the minimum enclosure size for an adult royal python should be 4ft (the snake should be able to fully stretch out)

Substrate there are many different substrates that can be used such as coco fibre, orchid bark, repti bark and others, these can be great at retaining moisture helping to maintain proper humidity.

Handling When handling your snake make sure to support it fully and not let it dangle, allow the head to move wherever it wants to while allowing the snake to move freely while handling.

Breeding breeding season is primarily from mid-September to mid November, they will lay a clutch of 1-11 eggs which will then hatch approx 54-60 days.

The Royal python eggs should be incubated at 29-32C and 85-95% humidity

Common diseases These include: Mouth Rot, skin infections, parasites, respiratory infection and septicaemia.

You should seek advice from your local reptile vet if you have any concerns regarding the health of you snake.

Russell McRae