WOMA Python Temprature confusion...

[Swordfish]

Hey all,

i will be getting my first snake in about 3 weeks a Woma python. i am in the process of setting up the tank. im very confused about the temperatures however and how the day night cycle work. i have been told that i run the heat lamps for 10 hours a day but im not sure what im allowed to let the temp drop to at night? in my test in an empty enclosure it goes down to 12degrees but it has not been cold in my house.

Any further information or clarification would be awesome. thanks!

 

[SarahJane]

Hi there.

You will be told different things by different people.

I applaud you for taking the time to set up the enclosure in advance and test the temperatures. That tells me you've got a good head on your shoulders. Alot of what good husbandry is about is just common sense.

Glass tanks are no good for holding heat. If you feel 12 degrees at night is too cold (sounds a bit cold to me too), then why not invest in a small heat mat (6 watts or thereabouts) to run at night when the heat lamp goes off. We know that woma pythons in the wild are exposed to extreme temperatures, but there's nothing natural about keeping one in a box, so add the mat, and the snake will decide where it wants to be at night. The only other suggestion I'd give is to place a hide over the area with the heat mat and position this at the warm end of the enclosure. I would probably run the bulb and the heat mat together during the day.

The humble opinion of

Sarah Jane

 

[dmbwoma]

I've kept woma's for years and this is what I do.
1st year I'll have them on 24hr heat around the 30-32 mark just to get them eating consistently, I feed small items which only give them a small bulge in their tummies every 5 days, after that initial year I'll set my heat to timer and follow the daylight times I'm currently experiencing and change their feeds to every 7 days still using small food items which barely leave a lump.
A Woma will handle low temps at night, I can't see where you live but most places at night dont drop below what Woma's experience in their home range, yes it's a captive animal living in a man made environment but I believe if you try and mimic what they would encounter in the wild as best you can in captivity little can or will go wrong, yes hatches don't experience a 24hr heating period for their 1st year but in the last 6 years of keeping the species I haven't seen the practice have any ill effects of the species.
Once adults never feed them anything larger then a medium rat, Woma's are so much healthier on leaner rats with no fat content.

 

[pythoninfinite]

I've kept woma's for years and this is what I do.
1st year I'll have them on 24hr heat around the 30-32 mark just to get them eating consistently, I feed small items which only give them a small bulge in their tummies every 5 days, after that initial year I'll set my heat to timer and follow the daylight times I'm currently experiencing and change their feeds to every 7 days still using small food items which barely leave a lump.
A Woma will handle low temps at night, I can't see where you live but most places at night dont drop below what Woma's experience in their home range, yes it's a captive animal living in a man made environment but I believe if you try and mimic what they would encounter in the wild as best you can in captivity little can or will go wrong, yes hatches don't experience a 24hr heating period for their 1st year but in the last 6 years of keeping the species I haven't seen the practice have any ill effects of the species.
Once adults never feed them anything larger then a medium rat, Woma's are so much healthier on leaner rats with no fat content.

The good health of your animals would be due to the smaller meal size, rather than the reduced fat content. Most of our captives are way overfed because keepers like to see their animals feeding, not because the snakes need the food - I'm guilty of the same sentiments myself. Smaller meals probably less often is an especially important consideration for inactive species like GTPs.

Jamie

 

[Woma_Wild]

Hi Swordfish.
when you say tank, do you mean a glass fish tank or timber enclosure
Personally, I don't recommend glass tanks for pythons. If you have just purchased a new glass tank , perhaps try insulating it on the outside using tape and Styrofoam sheeting. Never using tape inside enclosures.If the look bothers you, paint it until you can upgrade to a suitable enclosure.

As for temperatures, every keeper will tell you something different. I keep the heat up 24/7 on the top floor and no heat source on bottom floor. (a 4ft two story enclosure) so my woma regulates herself. top is between 28-33. bottom is whatever the temperature is that day, minus 1 or 2 deg.

My woma was my first python also. And I agree, with everyone adding their side of things, you do end up very confused.
You don't mention the size of your tank . Unless you have the funds to upgrade as he grows, go straight to a 4ft. They grow fast.

As for day/night cycle - easy. I use a regular light for day and no light at night. Keep it simple.

 

[Swordfish]

Thanks everyone for the awesome help just to clarify when i say tank its a 4ft enclosure with glass doors on the front made of melamine sheeting this is a picture i took a few days ago.

i will continue to monitor temps im waiting for my sensors to come in so i can monitor and log the entire tank at once. i believe the snake is only 6 months old but ill clarify that with the seller first. ill defiantly be getting a heat mat i believe as im always happier to be over prepared then under and would much rather have it and never use it then need it and not have it

from the pic do you believe i will need mesh covers for my lights? i understand womas dont climb much but when they get big the might be able to just 'reach' them.

Also when the night cycle comes on do you just switch off all lighting including heat and fluro? is there a color of light ie. blue that could be run to mimic night time or am i just getting a little to crazy? :/

does anyone keep things such as logs or branches for womas in case they feel like a climb?

thanks again for everyone help! sorry about all the questions just making sure im 100% before i pick it up

 

[Buggster]

Thanks everyone for the awesome help just to clarify when i say tank its a 4ft enclosure with glass doors on the front made of melamine sheeting this is a picture i took a few days ago. View attachment 319154

i will continue to monitor temps im waiting for my sensors to come in so i can monitor and log the entire tank at once. i believe the snake is only 6 months old but ill clarify that with the seller first. ill defiantly be getting a heat mat i believe as im always happier to be over prepared then under and would much rather have it and never use it then need it and not have it

from the pic do you believe i will need mesh covers for my lights? i understand womas dont climb much but when they get big the might be able to just 'reach' them.

Also when the night cycle comes on do you just switch off all lighting including heat and fluro? is there a color of light ie. blue that could be run to mimic night time or am i just getting a little to crazy? :/

does anyone keep things such as logs or branches for womas in case they feel like a climb?

thanks again for everyone help! sorry about all the questions just making sure im 100% before i pick it up

Mesh covers on the lights 100%. Although a Woma is very unlikely to wrap themselves around a light given its height, you'd rather be safe then sorry, because who wants a cooked snake when a couple dollars spent could have saved its life?

Animals can't see red light- an infrared light is fine 24/7 if that's how you want to keep them warm.

My Woma has a giant log in his tank which I initially bought so he could burrow under- he climbs all over it reaching the very top of his tank, and I've caught him sleeping on it more than once (he thinks he's a Green Tree Python or something xD).

Your enclosure looks rather barren- although Woma's are a terrestrial species and need more ground space, it wouldn't hurt to add more hides and/or fake plants to give our snake more places to hide. A baby snake in a new environment is likely going to want to hide 24/7 and having plenty of places to hide in should make him feel for at ease.

one more concern I have is the size of your hide- my seven month old Woma is probably just over 2 foot (60-70cms) and I don't see him being able to squeeze into that hide. Your snake will need bigger hides in the future, so it really wouldn't hurt to buy a large one as a back up.

My first hide for my guy was a square tissue box cut in half. When I first gave it to him, it was HUGE and I had to clutter it up to make it smaller. Within a month he literally could not fit in it anymore.

Best of luck with your guy- Woma's have the most amazing personalities

- - - Updated - - -

My Woma's current set up. Don't have a light in there yet, but hopefully I'll be able to pick one up at the next expo...
His heated hide is the pale coloured one of the left, and about 1/3 of the tank is heated on that side. Temps rarely drop below 20 in the room they're in (even at night) so I'm not overly concerned with having a glass tank.
Hes got an additional 2 hides: the skull (which he had outgrown already) and a fake, hollow rock just in front of the branch. The log also creates an additional hiding spot there is a space below it he's buried himself in to.
He does get himself to the top of that branch and will sleep and chill there 90% of the time I see him.
(if you look closely you can see his little head peaking out of his hide- he'll do that every time I walk in. Real funny character and a real gentle sweetheart)

And just to highlight how fast baby snakes can grow, above is a pic of my Stimson's Python with his first ever hide. That log was initially too big for him and he'd curl himself up real tight in the narrow section. That was just over a year ago. Now he can barely squeeze the thickest part of his body through that space.

 

[Wokka]

With any snake cage the aim is to provide a choice of temperatures so the snake can thermoregulate.Ideally the cage should range from about 32C to say 20c but the smaller the cage the harder it is to achieve the temperature range. Heating by lights as opposed to cords or matts makes it more difficult to achieve a temperature gradient. In that cage a 15 watt matt or cord will supply sufficient heat where as a 40 watt plus globe will be required depending upon the mounting height. A baffle wall between the hot and cold end will assist in achieving a temperature gradient by keeping the heat away from the cool end. Hides should be provided in both the cool and warm ends as the snake will chose security of a hide over the desirable temperature. Glass is a poor insulator and so allows surplus heat to escape which is often useful as often oversized heat sources are used. You should use the lowest wattage heat source possible to achieve the required heat so that if a thermostat fails the snake wont cook.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Animals can't see red light...........

Please clarify for me. Maybe I'm a bit slow but I thought snakes were pretty good at identifying heat sources at considerable distance.

 

[Woma_Wild]

1. remove that heat rock
2. cover lights. womas can and will touch the roof of the enclosure and will burn their head.
3. as for hide, put another large one on top of it. as woma grows, remove the small one

where do you live Swordfish? may be helpful for you to see how others keep their pythons.
If you are getting a very young snake, consider dividing your enclosure in half until it grows.
Use cardboard or a piece of wood.