The Royal Python is one of the smallest and most docile members of the Boid family. Yes Boid family, as the group comes under Boidae with the python sub-family being titled Pythoninae.

The royal is a true python with a chunky body, a thinner neck, a 'proper' python head with large jaw muscles and a stumpy little tail. In a lot of ways they stand out as being the perfect pet python. They can, at times cause their owners a lot of grief with some of their habits. Particularly their occasional reluctance to feed and breed. We'll try to go some way to addressing these traits here and also perhaps share some useful aspects of our experiences with this species with you and who knows maybe you'll get some ideas that will help you if you keep any of these marvellous animals yourself. I'll try and concentrate on the practical aspects that the keen keeper may encounter in getting royals to thrive rather than survive!

They come from the central upper band that runs across Africa underneath the Sahara desert, just about all of the ones that we have here in the UK apparently come from the bottom of the left hand lump of Africa.

Royals are very hardy and will tolerate sub-optimal conditions for long periods. Non feeding spells are now legendary with wild caught adults in years gone by, yet ironically obesity is easy to achieve with a good feeder. They are often seen as shy, retiring and inactive - certainly they never get as lively as a ratsnake, though do remember that they are predominately nocturnal so any activity can be missed as you are in bed! Given a bit of space and something to climb on they will roam around at night.

In terms of colour and pattern they vary greatly from snake to snake, no two are ever identical; some are golden, some dark brown, some almost black, some spotted, some banded and some striped. The variances are endless. The darker ones tend to iridesce with a beautiful shimmering blue.

Being a short-tailed python tells us that they are predominately a ground dwelling animal. Yes they do like to climb but they're not so good at it. Often their first aim in life is to hide under something. So their captive home must have a selection of hides for them to cram themselves under, followed up with a branch for them to fall off from time to time. Next is a water bowl large enough for them and the water to fit in and placed somewhere around the centre of the vivarium is ideal.

Obviously Africa can get a lot hotter than the chilly UK, so heat is next. Aim to give your royals a hot-spot of 90-95°F at one end of the vivarium, the other end wants to be around 75°F. Now air temperature must be remembered as well as surface temperature. Heat mats are great for providing a surface hot spot but come up off the surface just an inch and the temperature can drop dramatically. Turn a heat mat up to raise the air temperature and up goes the surface temperature and next thing is a burnt python that's been sitting on the heat mat. If you keep your snakes in a heated reptile room then this probably won't be a problem as the air temperature will be warmer. If you keep your snakes in a bedroom or lounge then the air temperature may be too low to safely achieve an effective hot spot using a heat mat. Best solution is to use a guarded ceramic trough heater, wired to a thermostat. They are available in various wattage's to suit the size of the vivarium.

Humidity to royals is a bit like hand cream to humans! They don't need continuous dripping humidity but a good soak of the vivarium with a hand sprayer from time to time will ensure few if any skin problems. Terra-cotta flowerpots absorb water well and are ideal as hides, cut or break them into pieces and use them as hides and a humidity helper. When the pythons eyes have gone blue and returned back to a more normal colour it's skin slough is imminent - this is a good time to be spraying the vivarium. The shed skin should come off in one piece, probably rolled up like a discarded stocking. You could provide the snake with a box of damp moss for it to hide in at this time but I just try to stay alert to them and spray them regularly.

With regard to hides a nervous royal will often choose the security of a hide as a priority, so give them a choice of hides at each end of the vivarium and therefore at different temperatures.

If your python has a problem with any retained skin then just soak the snake in lukewarm water for a while, then gently strip the old skin off. If you leave it, it can cause damage and scarring to the new skin underneath.

Royals can be very seasonally aware, even ones hatched here in the UK, so through our autumn and winter some will be reluctant to feed reliably as they know that it's not a main feeding season in the wild. Sometimes the effect of offering a reluctant feeder a dead gerbil can be amazing and often after taking a gerbil feeding will then continue on mice or rats. As I'm sure you know already royals, in common with other pythons, have heat-detecting equipment located on the front and sides of their faces. Try warming up defrosted food in hot water to get a better feeding response as this can trigger their heat senses.

At present I house my adults in 36in x 18in x 18in wooden vivariums and have few worries keeping a pair together, though two females are probably best in together as male female pairs will mate seemingly for fun all year round. Feeding is easier if they are housed alone. Be aware that two males will sometimes fight and will also mate each other at times. So to see a 'pair' mating is not proof of a true pair. Sexing is best carried out by an experienced prober, royals are not the most straightforward of snakes to accurately sex by probing.

Good luck.

Adapted from an article first printed in PRAS newsletter no. 127 by M.G.Eustace

Back to Articles