Resources
Navigating herpetoculture can be hard, trust me, I got a whole master's degree trying to weed through the proverbial jungle of folklore husbandry and entrenched dogma.
Here are some resources that I have put together to provide keepers, both new and old, with helpful reference material - all free and available online.
Nido? Serpentovirus? What's the deal?!
One of the hot-button issues in modern herpetoculture is the discourse surrounding nidovirus, more correctly referred to as serpentovirus. Views on this pathogen range in severity greatly, with many feeling that it is "no big deal" and others viewing it as a vile plague worth euthanizing a collection over (and every stance in between). The issue is further confounded by unreliable and/or misinterpreted commercial testing, and a fundamental lack of knowledge about serpentoviruses (of which there are many strains and species, not just one). Nuance is key to understanding ophidian serpentovirus. Want to understand better and arm yourself with knowledge? Start by digesting the following podcasts with Dr. Steven Tillis, and Dr. Robert Ossiboff, two of the leading researcher in the field.
What is an indeterminate grower, and what do you mean my carpet python doesn't need to be 10 feet?
Both pythons and boas are what is called "indeterminate growers," they do not have a true genetic "maximum" size, nor do they ever stop growing over their lifetime. Species of course have different ranges of reasonable size potential and average sizes (you can't make a Stimson's python 8 feet long, and you wouldn't want to keep a carpet python hatchling size for life), but they do not develop not like people where we reach our maximum height end point and we're done. The rate at which pythons grow is largely a function of feed input. If the python has adequate feed to meet its metabolic needs, any excess energy is converted to growth.
All of that to say - you are in the driver seat of size when it comes to carpet pythons. For both bredli and jungles, you can feed them up to a colossal size, or you can choose to maintain them at a more manageable size. Smaller, more lean pythons seem to live longer, healthier lives. Larger sizes are often less advantageous from a health and longevity standpoint, particularly for pythons who can become obese and in poor health very easily on a fatty lab rat diet. Pythons do not store subcutaneous fat (beneath the skin) like we do, they store it in their body cavity amongst their internal organs, making obesity extra problematic for them.
Personally, I like to maintain my carpets around 4.5 - 5 feet for my boys and around 5 - 5.5 feet for my girls. For bredli, my boys are about 4.5 - 5 feet, and my girls are around 6 - 7 feet. When they get to the size that I want them to be, I simply reduce my feeding frequency to maintenance, and only provide enough nutrition for them to maintain their size and weight.
My 4 foot proven breeder, 7 year old male jungle could easily be 7+ feet if I fed him a lot, but I like to keep him smaller. There is no such thing as stunting in pythons, if I started pounding him with food tomorrow he can easily grow much larger.
How do I care properly for my animal?
The internet is riddled with care guides and decades old articles, each claiming to be the end-all-be-all authority on how a certain species should be kept. Sometimes these articles have a great deal of value. Other times, they prop up entrenched dogma and repeat falsehoods that the hobby embraces as fact. So what should you do?
The following paper by Dr. Zac Loughman outlines and describes a framework for how to develop evidence-based, natural history informed husbandry for any species!
Elevate your care! Click below -
Where do I find a reptile vet?
Living things can get sick. If your reptile is unwell, or if you'd just like to get set up with a specialized exotic vet to prepare for future issues, find a reptile vet here:
