Spotted Python Enclosure?

[MadBD]

Hi guys, so about two years ago I got a hatchling Spotted Python whom I named Danger Noodle. At the time, I bought him a Reptizoo 60x45x40CM front opening glass enclosure. I was told that would last him at least 5 years, if not his entire life. Is this true? If not, what is the maximum sized enclosure that he'd enjoy? Whats a common size used for them? if it won't stress him at 2 years old I'd prefer getting an enclosure that will last him a lifetime.

I was also told no UV lighting is needed since he is a more nocturnal species. So I have simply run a heat lamp, ceramic heat emitter. I have since found so much conflicting information on this that I am scratching my head a little. Does he actually need UV, or would he benefit from a daily light? My room gets daylight to keep the day/night cycle going but I don't have any lights focused on Danger. Should I change that?

As for Substrate, I have just converted to using astro turf. My plan is to change the mat every few months to avoid contamination. Sooner if I notice it is bad. I read somewhere that Spotties like to burrow a little, is this true? Should I convert to a loose substrate? If so, what type would keepers suggest?

In his actual enclosure I run a mix of Red Gum logs, blue stone, a form of sandstone, one fake log and some fake grass plants. Are these acceptable? I read he is a species that likes humidity and rocky outcrops, but I fear bumping up humidity might cause some repertory infections. Should I work to up humidity from natural Victorian air with the occasional misting? Is it correct that he is a more ground dwelling species, so I should not design for him to be high in the air? Also, is it true that they enjoy clutter and tight spaces instead of a mix of tight hides and stretching room?

I thought I had everything correct, but the flood of conflicting information has me concerned so I thought I'd ask to see if any more experienced handlers could either confirm I'm on the right track, or put me in the right direction.

 

[scobro]

I've only had mine for a month, and he is a year and a half old, so I can't speak as an expert, only from my limited personal experience with and the research I've done. I think a 60 long will not be big enough, his enclosure is a 91cm long right now and I am confident as he gets older it will need to be bigger. In the evenings he is very active - especially when looking for food. But the little bugger is always looking for food; all he does is eat, sleep and defecate.

I do use a UV light, but only because I have them, though I only run the UV for 3 or 4 hours a day, the rest of the day is natural sunlight. They do need daily light, as mine seems to be crepuscular, and once the light starts to dim he starts heading out.

I have mine on aspen (the breeder also kept him on aspen) but I have never noticed him burrowing save the first day when he was stressed from the flight and new surroundings, but that was only for a short time.

The humidity thing is interesting because I hear a wide variety. Some say keep them at a higher 50-70 humidity and some say keep as low as possible. The humidity in his enclosure fluctuates (from 70%-30% during) but it's generally around 50%. When I see he is shedding, as was the case recently, I bumped the humidity up (to the 70 range for a few hours during shed) and the shed was fine. I never misted. As using aspen I worry about misting and mold, etc.

Mine loves climbing. He does however do most of his high climbing at night at the moment. But I have a 45cm tall tank with a faux tree that is as high as the enclosure, and he likes to dangle off the branches when scourging for food. The only time I have seen him on the tree during the day is when he uses it for shedding. Antaresia, or at least Spotted, are semi arboreal, so they do spend a lot of the time climbing.

Mine loves tight spaces for his main warm hide. And it seems the less clutter in the tank the more he is apt to crawl around when he does leave the hide, so I do think he also likes stretching room, as long there is a sense of security about it. Mine loves the hollowed out cork bark tubes. I've a few of those and he uses them to go from one end of the enclosure to the other. Plus they are great for shedding. He is just now starting to get comfortable enough to transverse the enclosure without fear of being hidden all the time.

Hope this helps somewhat.

 

[user 45905]

Mine is just over 18 months old & in a 91x60 tank (x45 high). She's been in that tank since she was about 8 or 9 months old & the space never worried her, I just made sure to provide hide areas that she could snuggle in & feel safe if she needed.

She doesn't "love" to climb but she does occassionally go up & over her tree while wandering the tank in the evenings, she doesn't hang up there, just goes up & over .
She's fine with a central hide area & a bunch of large rocks which create a "rocky outcrop" under her heat globe for her hot spot. She's got a large lava rock with a hole through it & that sits under her heat & then it's surrounded by other large rocks. She likes to curl up in the hole of the laval rock or wrapped between the other rocks. She's also got smaller rocks, potted plants & fake vine across the back wall, so she has areas she can hide out & also areas she can roam across & she's fine with that.

Humidity (in Brisbane) ranges between 30-60%(ish) & she's never had a bad shed. Never had to suplement the humidity at all, just a water bowl in her tank.
We don't have a UV at all, heat globe on for 11 hours creates her day/night cycle & if she's gonna come out to roam (hunting when she's hungry) it's in the evening as the lights go down.

Oh, & I use fake grass from Bunnings, but you want to wash it out at least monthly. 2 pieces are good to rotate them. Yep, it's easy enough to pick up poop once it's dried & spot clean that way, but it's the pee that gets down in between the grass that needs proper cleaning regularly to wash that out.

Don't over think it. Try out different options & see what he seems to like & what he doesn't. They all have different opinions on what they like

 

[Sdaji]

Sounds like you're suffering from a bewildering range of conflicting information. It's common when you're new, and it's difficult to know who to listen to! I remember having similar issues when I was getting started with reptiles about 30 years ago.

Your enclosure size is sufficient. It won't hurt to keep him in there forever, but if you want to upgrade that's fine too. Many people keep them in enclosures that size and they don't at all suffer for it, but most pet keepers like to use something a bit larger. Your choice entirely.

UV is absolutely positively not required. It's a shame we have people confusing others with this misinformation. No, they just do not need it. I'm a qualified biologist with decades of experience breeding snakes. No python needs UV. No one other than mislead pet keepers use UV on Antaresia.

The light from your window sounds perfect.

Substrate is mostly personal preference. The snake should be happy whatever you use as long as you don't do anything silly. Experiment if you like, or if everything is currently fine, stick with it if you're happy.

Enclosure furnishings are personal choice too. If you only have one snake you might not mind having a lot of clutter, and the snake will probably crawl around on it, but it can be dangerous for the snake (they can shove things around and end up getting squashed when something falls on them or have other issues), and if makes it a real hassle if you need to pick the snake up to inspect it. If you have a lot of snakes you'll keep your enclosures much simpler, but if you don't mind the hassle (with only one snake you may find it fun), enjoy it

As for humidity, don't stress too much. Lately there has been a weird myth going around that you should keep them very dry, but this will give you sloughing problems and possibly respiratory issues too. They also don't want to be too wet, but they do usually like it a bit more humid than most household room humidity. A water bowl inside an enclosed box tends to get it about right.

For the most part keeping easy snakes like Antaresia isn't rocket surgery, and you get conflicting information largely because of newbies spreading nonsense or other keepers trying to sound fancy. By far, the most important thing is temperature. Get that right and you're most of the way there. Floor heat tends to work best for Antaresia. Heat mats or cords. Not basking lamps or CHE. You can usually get away with other heat sources but that's a bigger problem than just about any of the other stuff you've brought up, most of which will be fine more or less whatever you do.

Put it this way, if something is absolutely critical, there wouldn't be conflicting information about it. If there's conflicting information it generally means the issue isn't too important.

Something worth keeping in mind is that these animals come from real world environments. They weren't created in laboratories with crazy environmental conditions or from another planet with conditions difficult to replicate. Just get the temperatures right and keep everything else reasonable. They don't explode if you put in a piece of wood, or if you don't include a certain type of substrate. They don't all come from the exact same environment in the wild (I've seen them in rocky areas and in areas completely without rocks, and I use neither rocks nor wood as substrate; I use ceramic water bowls and plastic hides). Sounds like you're stressing a bit much, relax and just enjoy your pet

 

[nick_75]

You need to become better at sourcing the correct information. I believe that new keepers fall into the trap of sourcing information from the internet. There is so much conflicting information online, how do you know when you have found the right information? My advise would be to ignore the internet and buy books. Anyone can publish anything online whereas an author fact checks information. Check this post for any relevant books for you https://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/threads/recommended-reading.212528/#post-2477121. Seeing you are keeping an Antaresia, I recommend this book as a start.