Children's Pythons
Contributed by Angie Stidham, Capital University
Basic Facts
Children's Pythons are the second smallest python in the world (second to the Ant Hill Python). Named for naturalist John Children, they are native to Northwestern Australia. Their average adult length is 3 feet. When they are young, Chidren's Pythons are generally reddish-brown with dark brown patches or spots. As they age, these patterns fade resulting in a mostly dark brown to black snake with many older snakes showing no pattern at all. They may be found listed under the name Liasis childreni or Antaresia childreni. In most recent literature, they are grouped within the genus Liasis. Children's Pythons are closely related to and strongly resemble Spotted Pythons, Antaresia maculosa and the Blotched Python, Antaresia stimsoni. In many cases, captive Chidren's Pythons and Spotted Pythons have been misidentified and are sold under the wrong name. This makes it difficult to determine whether or not offspring are pure crosses. In the wild, these pythons are known to eat birds, lizards, and occasionally hang from the mouths of caves in order to catch bats in flight.
Recommended Enclosures
Fig. 1 - The Spotted Python, a close relative of the Children's Python.
Due to their compact size and docile nature, Children's Pythons do not require large enclosures. A single adult python may be housed comfortably in a 10-gal aquarium, but I always encourage a slightly larger cage than necessary to make room for climbing and moving in general. These snakes can climb well and adding a couple of climbing branches to any enclosure is a good idea. Also make sure the snake has room to stretch out within the enclosure. Sedentary snakes, especially those that do not take large enough food items, may be prone to bowel impactions and cloacal infections. This doesn't mean your snake should be moving constantly. This means that the enclosure should be large enough not to impede the movement of the snake. For substrate, I use smooth, non-painted aquarium gravel. You may also use newspaper or reptile bark. Also provide a hiding space large enough for your snake to fit completely under. They use this space for hiding from stressful surroundings and also as a retreat from heat lamps. A water bowl large enough for the entire snake to fit into is also necessary not only as a drinking water source but also to aid shedding and increase humidity. A secure latching or locking cage lid is necessary. I prefer the fitted screened enclosure lids where the wire is plastic-coated.
Lighting and Heating
A heat lamp with a simple 75-watt bulb can be sat on top of the lid (as long as the lid is heat resistant - metal frames are best). It is not necessary to use a broad-spectrum bulb but they can be used in place of an incandescent. If necessary at night, a blue or black reptile 'night' light can be used to supplement heat. The temperature of the enclosure should be between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and about 10 degrees less at night. There are a variety of different cage thermometers available and regulating and monitoring the temperature in any enclosure is a good idea. Children's Pythons come from a fairly humid climate and require a high humidity to shed properly. It is recommended that you mist the enclosure with warm water occasionally in between sheds.
Feeding
Fig. 2 - The Spotted Python.
Due to their size, Children's Pythons take fairly small food items. They tend to grow in length faster than they grow in girth, so it can be hard to determine when and what to feed. A good rule of thumb is to offer no food item that is larger than the largest part of the snake. Items that are too large will cause the snake to regurgitate the food. Hatchlings or juveniles under one foot in length may be fed pink mice (pinkies) or fuzzy mice (young mice whose eyes are not yet open) on a one per week schedule. Many hatchlings can be picky eaters and may refuse to eat at first. If a hatchling refuses a live pinkie, offer it freshly killed. If this is refused, offer frozen/thawed. If this is refused it may be necessary to scent the food item using a live lizard or to expose the tissue and blood of the mouse prior to offering it. Force-feeding should be done only as a last resort. Using force-feeding to start any snake feeding stresses the animal and can cause them to become afraid of food items, resulting in a lifetime of force-feeding. Adult pythons, from 2-3 feet can be fed small to medium sized mice. They may take 2-3 at a time and should feed once every 3-4 weeks. My preference is freshly killed mice, but if you don't like the idea of killing the mice yourself, frozen/thawed works just as well. I do not promote live feeding since many captive snakes do not correlate live animals with food and may kill the mouse but not know to eat it. Others may not kill the prey at all and not eat, and in some of the worst cases I've seen, the mouse has bitten the snake causing sever infection.
