Morelia bredli
(Centralian Python) Caresheet
Housing Temperature Furnishings Acquiring Feeding Handling Medical Breeding
Housing
Morelia bredli (also called Morelia spilota bredli) are found in a small area of Central Australia, around Alice Springs, where they may be encountered around watercourses.
They are an attractive snake, with colours ranging from orange to dark brick red. There are yellow/tan markings surrounded by black on adult specimens, although these markings are muted in young snakes.
Centralians are usually a docile, well mannered snake, and rarely
bite, although of course,
there will be exceptions to this rule -
there always are!
A young centralian male
If you're going to get a Centralian python, it is best to do some research on their requirements before the purchase. Once the cage is set up and the thermostat tested, it will be ready for your new friend to move in. Correct living conditions are important to the health of your snake. You can either build or purchase your snake's cage
A hatchling or juvenile Centralian will only need a small cage, and may be stressed in a large one, so to start with, give him or her a small cage, or partition a larger one. An adult specimen will need at least 120 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm, preferably with a climbing branch. Height is preferable to width. The smallest cage size should be 50% of the length of the largest snake in it.
Test the heating and lighting on occasion. Is the thermostat accurate? Are the heating bulbs out of reach of the animal, or are there mesh covers on them? Some snakes hang on the lights, and burn themselves. Some nasty injuries can occur.
My bredl has a range of about 23 C to 34 C in his home, and seems perfectly content with that, spending much time on the climbing frame in the centre of the cage. It is important that the animal is able to thermoregulate, by moving between cool and warm areas.
Is the cage big enough for the snake, and will it remain large enough your bredl grows? These snakes can grow to about 250 cm (7-1/2 ft). A plastic plant, or a log or rock will add interest, as will a background picture if desired. Rocks and logs will also give the snake something to rub against when it is shedding.
You'll need a water bowl, large enough to fit the animal and an equivalent amount of water. Only have it half full, so that if the snake gets in, water will not be spilt. Make sure the bowl is untippable. Use rainwater or springwater rather than chemically treated tapwater.
A snake needs a hiding
place where it can go to feel secure. Try to have two such
places in the cage, so it can choose: one in
a warm area, and the other in the cooler area.
Substrata can be newspaper, butcher's paper, "Breeder's Choice" Kitty Litter, or whatever else you find suitable. I've used newspaper covered with white paper and "Breeder's Choice", which is recycled paper pellets, and found them both satisfactory.
It's exciting when you're ready to get your new snake, especially if this is your first one! You might already have chosen it at a dealer's, or you're going shopping now. If you are going to have just the one snake, as a pet, then it doesn't really matter if it's a male or female - there is no difference in appearance.
When you
find an animal you like the look of, handle it, and see how it reacts.
Does it move around, flicking its tongue, or is it hanging limply in
your hands?
Does it look clean, healthy, and
bright-eyed? What are the cage conditions like?
Can you see any
signs of mites or other parasites?
If you're not happy with the way a snake looks,
don't buy it, especially if you feel sorry for it, hard though it may
seem to you. You want a healthy snake, from a reputable
source.
Perhaps your local Herp. Society can help you to find one.
Once you've found your snake, and taken it home, place it in the pre-heated cage, ensuring it has a hide and fresh water, and leave it alone for a few days, to settle into its new home. Yes, I know it's hard, but it's for the good of the snake, and it will be calmer when you first handle it.!
The supplier will probably have told you when the animal last ate, and what its diet has been. Usually, this will be rats or mice of the relevant size for your snake, pinky mice for hatchling, various larger sizes for older snakes. Don't live feed if you can get your snake to eat defrosted food.
I vary the diet of my bredli, sometimes feeding him rats, sometimes (lots of) mice, occasionally rabbits, but not all pythons will accept all foods. If yours won't, don't worry - as long as it gets entire feed animals, then its diet will be fine.
It is best not to handle your python for at least 48 hours after a meal, or it may regurgitate. It's easy to overfeed pythons, as they tend to be quite greedy, and will usually take anything offered. This includes your fingers, so please, feed your python with tongs!
An adult bredli will take a couple of adult rats (in proportion to the snake's size) every 2 - 3 weeks in summer, monthly in winter, unless cooling for breeding, in which case do not feed at all. Hatchling and juvenile animals wil take one or two pinky or fuzzy mice or rats, again in proportion to the snake's size every two weeks in summer, less frequently in winter. Be guided by your own animal.
In the wild, snakes may go for months without food, so if they refuse a meal or two, don't worry too much.
If the snake becomes emaciated, or goes for a long period without feeding, then of course you will need the help of a good Herp Vet or failing that, a friend with more knowledge of reptiles.
Simbi meets a rat !
Most bredli are easy to handle, as they are quite a placid snake, although a few individuals may be more snappy.
After a few days setting into its new home, you should take your bredli out for a short time. Don't grab it suddenly, but don't hesitate too long either. Just gently pick it up, supporting its weight with your other hand. The snake should move around your hands freely, flicking its tongue, and showing interest in its surroundings.
It is best not
to handle a snake more than once a day, as they can become stressed
by too much handling. Don't keep it out too long,
especially if you can feel the body temperature dropping.
If you're sitting quietly reading or watching TV, your python may like to rest on your lap or shoulders, and it's a good way to let it learn that around you is a safe place to be. It can also learn your scent, which is how it will recognise you.
Respiratory problems are one of the most common illnesses snakes suffer from, and are usually caused by a cold or damp cage, or being out of the cage too long.
Since I'm
not a vet, all I can say here is that if your snake becomes unwell,
turn up the heating in its cage, which often helps.
Take it to a vet as soon as you can.
At the very least, consult with a more experienced
herpkeeper - you definitely
don't want to lose your reptilian
friend.
If your snakes
are going to be bred, then they'll need to be cooled down for a couple
of months over winter, possibly June to August. During this time, they
won't feed.
When changing the temperature, it's best to do it slowly,
perhaps a degree per day,
until the desired temperature, say 18 C in
the cool part of the cage is reached.
A warmer basking spot should always
be provided.
You can put the
snakes together for a couple of days every week or so during this time,
and also during the warming up period, although it is probably best to keep them
separated until you start to warm them up. When they are back to normal
temperature, you may wish to leave them together for a while, or at
least until the female ovulates. Matings after ovulation have no effect
on the fertility of the eggs.
After warming up, the snakes may be fed, although if the female is
gravid, she may
well refuse any food until the eggs are laid. If you
are letting her incubate her own eggs, then she may not eat until they
hatch. If you are artificially incubating them, then she should eat
once you have removed the eggs.
Eggs could be laid November - December, and should hatch 60 - 65 days later. M. bredli can lay between 12 - 50 eggs. The pre-lay shed may be 25-30 days prior to laying.
If you are lucky
enough to hatch your snakes, any hatchlings are best kept in individual
accommodation. They may not willingly accept pinky mice, so the food may have to be scented with skink. You can do this by collecting a skink tail,
boiling it, and saving the water in an ice cube tray. Each cube can then scent
a meal for your hatchling.
Note : Do remember to mark the ice cubes!
Good luck with your bredli - they're a beautiful creature.
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