White-lipped python - description where it dwells, features

By python is meant a non-venomous snake, which is classified as a scaly family and a class of reptiles. Python got its name in translation from Greek, since then the name has not changed. These representatives are distinguished by iridescent scales and a special pattern on the lips. Reptiles seem to be smiling due to the alternation of black and white stripes along the edge of the mouth. In today's article we will explore all about this type of snake.

Description

1. Discussed members of the family are considered the most beautiful of its kind. They can be either purely golden or orange with overflow or greenish-gray.
2. The hull format is snug, snakes are not too thick, but they are not thin either. Along the length of the body, individuals grow up to 1.7 m, but often there are representatives much less.Although in the natural environment there were pythons of 2 m each.
3. The reptiles of the species in question are famous for their modulations on the hull, they are somewhat similar to rainbow pythons. But they are one of a kind, unlike anyone else.
4. Black or white bumps are scattered along the body. The head is delimited from the cervical region, it is purely black or pigmented with a hue close to this color. Snakes look extremely impressive, so they are often kept at home.

Habitat

1. The above breed group of reptiles is more common in African countries and other territories of the Eastern Hemisphere. There are representatives of the family in Asia, they are found near Laos, Thailand, Pakistan, India, China, etc. It does not do without island states such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, New Guinea or Malaysia.
2. Everyone is well aware of the fact that Australia is literally teeming with different creatures. Therefore, it should not be excluded from the list either, since pythons live in this territory as well. Some states of America also include the habitat of these individuals. In particular, we are talking about Florina and various national parks.
3. The discussed group of reptiles prefers to settle near water sources. Pythons live near mountainous terrain, but there must necessarily be some kind of body of water. Some of them climb up to 2 km. from sea level, they are found in tropical forests and arid zones. Some individuals prefer a terrestrial lifestyle, while others hang out in the trees.

Characteristics

1. A distinctive characteristic of this variety of snakes is that they have a full set of teeth in their mouth. Despite the fact that the individuals themselves are not too large, their bites are quite powerful and painful. However, they do not tear the skin. Youngsters are calmer in character. But if the goal is to get close to an adult, it should be done slowly and calmly.
2. Before you take the python, you must dress in gloves and protect your hands with long sleeves. If a person tries to grab an individual by the cervical region, then he will face massive resistance. When people try to take an individual by hook, it jumps to the side.However, some reptiles will prefer to go on the run, rather than attack. These pythons have a habit of hiding in a tight ring.
3. Juveniles are more tolerant of human manipulation. An adult generation will not tolerate standing on their hands. In the process of how a person tries to get an individual from a terrarium, the snake hisses and kicks in every possible way. But once she is on her hands, she immediately calms down. It is characteristic of these individuals that they hiss without a reason during their stay in the terrarium.
4. Presented snakes are the most talkative among themselves. They make a lot of short sounds, thereby showing their friendliness. Of course, royal representatives of the species can boast of these features, but they are not as sociable as white-lipped ones. In addition, snakes can change in their color in just half an hour. They do not become golden, but purple with brown.

Home maintenance

1. It is worth noting a very important fact, if you are going to keep the individual in question at home, then a rather large terrarium will be required for the python.For adults it should be about 150x100 cm.
2. At the same time in the terrarium be sure to maintain a constant humidity at around 75%. For this, it is recommended to spray the aquarium every day from the sprayer. Consider, water should not fall on the individual itself. It is best recommended to build a special moisture chamber with wet moss for the snake.
3. The bottom line is that the skin of the reptiles in question is particularly sensitive to both dryness and moisture. Therefore, the skin should not be wet or wrinkled. You can leave the substrate moist, but it must have good properties to hold back high humidity.
4. It is strictly forbidden to use sand and other similar compounds as a substrate. Small particles penetrate the snake under the skin. Soon this leads to the development of infection. Separately, it is worth mentioning that a rather large water tank should be installed in the terrarium. The snake must fit completely into it.
5. Such conditions are especially important and necessary for the python during molting. Take into account that in such snakes the photoperiod lasts about 12 hours during the year.At this time, the reptiles in question prefer the warmer corners in the terrarium. Therefore, be sure to protect the lamp so that the python does not burn.
6. It is worth noting that it is common for young individuals to bury themselves in the ground and turn over the water tank. In a terrarium, the overall temperature must be maintained at a level not lower than 26 degrees. In the warmest corner, such figures should reach about 32-33 degrees. Be sure to keep the terrarium clean, the problem is that these individuals are constantly developing fungal skin diseases.

Feeding

1. Often represented by reptiles fed at night. Once a week, a python needs to be given 1 medium sized rat. For young stock, give 2 small mice twice a week. When an individual grows up and is about 1 year old, the number of mice at a time increases to 6. In most cases, wild snakes will adapt to captive conditions for 1 year. Therefore, there will be no problems with nutrition.
2. After the python swallows the victim, after a while it belches its fur.At such a moment, you can see that the python raises the front of the body along with its head. The snake opens its mouth wide and it can be said that it convulses. Often, all these actions take no more than 1 minute.

Breeding

1. If you are going to breed individuals yourself, you should know that they reach sexual maturity from 4 to 8 years. Moreover, these snakes are quite difficult to breed. Some females never mate at all. Other females simply do not form eggs.
2. Therefore, to find a full-fledged couple that can give offspring is extremely difficult. Pythons can often mate, and the female can even bring eggs, but they are almost never fertilized. In addition, after laying, females often get sick from respiratory ailments. They have weakened immunity.

Moult

1. Like all reptiles of a similar species, pythons also undergo molting. As for the frequency of change of the skin, it all depends on what conditions are created for these representatives. For example, young animals change every 15-30 days. With the passage of life, the number of skin changes decreases to 1 time in 60 days.
2. Initially, the skin begins to crawl off the head, then the stocking is pulled from the whole body. If he clings to parts, then the individuals rub against snags, wanting to alleviate the condition. To catch the approach of molting is easy, the skin with the eyes grow cloudy.

It should immediately be said that, despite the distinctive external characteristics and peaceful view, pythons are not famous for their kindness. They are quite aggressive, do not leave the fight, do not hide and rush to the attack without the slightest hesitation. To date, these reptiles are among the fastest, they do not hesitate before throwing and stick at the victim.

Video: white python (Leiopython albertisii)