(Python Regius)

Introduction: Royal Pythons make excellent pets due to their calm nature and general hardiness; this makes it a popular choice for many to get as a first snake. They can live 20-30 years, but some have been known to live longer. While there are many different morphs (genes that alter the colours and patterns) we’re going to focus on the wild type that is found naturally in the wild.  Royal Pythons are a heavy bodied snake, their natural colours are earthy browns, beige, blacks and gold colours. They originate from western, eastern and south Africa and are commonly found on forest floors and grassy savannahs. They can range from 4 to 5ft in length and normally weigh 1200g all the way through to possibly 3000g! Like most snakes, females tend to get larger than males.

Housing: Royal Pythons should be contained in a vivarium in which the animal should be able to fully stretch out along the width, and the height should be at least a third of their body length. A hatchling, however, may become stressed in a larger vivarium, so it is important to start them in smaller housing with lots of foliage for them to hide in, and gradually move them into bigger vivarium’s as they grow. Their housing must be secure to prevent them from escaping and free from hazards that could potentially cause injury. Good ventilation in the enclosure is essential, this is to prevent the build-up of harmful bacteria that may grow in unventilated set ups. The vivarium should be made from a solid material that is easy to clean and retains heat such as MFC (Melamine-Faced Chipboard) or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).

Decorating the vivarium is entirely your discretion, as long as you have plenty of foliage and ground cover with a big enough water dish for the snake to fully soak if it wishes.

Husbandry: While Royal Pythons are a hardier snake, they still need the right temperature and humidity range to thrive. There should be a temperature gradient in the vivarium so the snake can choose where they want to be. The cool side of the enclosure should be sat in the range of 23°C- 28°C (74-82°F), with the warmer end being in the range of 30°C-32°C (86-90°F). The enclosure should be between 50-60% humidity and should be increased to around 60-75% humidity when the animal is coming into shed. This will improve results when they do begin to shed their skin. A humid box could be provided in the enclosure to achieve this if necessary.

General: A water dish big enough for the snake to bathe in should be provided in the cool end, which should be changed with fresh water daily. Sometimes the snake may soil in the water so it may have to be changed earlier than this. Poorly maintained enclosures can pose a serious health risk to your snake, to avoid this, the enclosure must be spot checked daily, and any excrement, urates or urine-soaked areas removed. Then, once a month, with a reptile safe disinfectant, clean down the enclosure, glass and decorations making sure to rinse and dry everything thoroughly. While Royal Pythons in the wild have quite a varied diet, not everything is so easily available, so a diet of rodents is the most common for those in captivity. Baby Royals should be fed one baby mouse every 5 to 7 days, moving up the size of the prey item as the snake grows, a rule of thumb is that the prey item should only be slightly wider than the snake’s thickest part of the body. An adult Royal Python can be fed every 10 to 14 days, it is important not to overfeed your snake as they can get overweight quite easily, potentially causing health risks.

Overview: We would recommend Royal Pythons for novice snake keepers as they are very easy to care for. Their many available colours and patterns means there is a Royal out there to suit everyone. The only downside to this species is that they are known to go on food fasts during breeding season, which can be off putting for owners but it is nothing to worry about.