The wonderful world of Whitelipped pythons

[caffers1982]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum and after posting in the 'hello' section there seems to be quite a lot of interest in one of the species I keep.

So I thought I'd introduce you to some of mine, tell you a little bit about them and their husbandry, and generally spread the love of whitelips!!

Anyone else who keeps them feel free to share your pics and experiences with them as well

This is all based on my own experience and research into these snakes including reading various papers by Wulf Schleip and Mark O'Shea

Taxonomy:

The genus Leiopython represents snakes that are widely distributed throughout Papua New Guinea, and several populations have been found on the surrounding islands including salawati, biak and massau.

Its also been documented that they have been found on the northern torres straight islands of Australia, but reports of them being found on mainland Australia have not been confirmed. it would be fair to say that possibly the species have been previosuly confused with Liasis fuscus (brown water python), hence these reports of sightings on mainland Australia.

For a long time it was the though there was only one species in this genus, however for the last 30 years, we have widely referred to two seperate species , geographically seperated by the central mountain range, known as the northern (golden) and southern (black) races

Whitelips have been classified under Liasis, and also had a brief stint under Morelia before Leiopython was resurrected.

A recent study has raised the suggestion of combining Leiopython and Bothrochilus into a single genus (Bothrochilus) after identifying them as sister species however this will require further study.

There are 5 known species of Leiopython:

L.albertisi
L.hoserae
L.huonensis
L.fredparkeri
L.bennetorum
L.biakensis

However I have only ever know L.albertisi (Northern) sp and L.hoserae (Southern) to be kept in captivity.

Description:

The most common form in captivity is the Northern whitelipped python. This species can be easily distinguished from the Southern race by its distinct golden sides and also from its mature size at around 6.5-7ft as opposed to the Southern that can reach lengths of 8-9ft.

Despite common belief, these snakes do not have huge teeth for their size and would certainly never rival that of various Morelia, and a bite even from a full size adult will not cause more than numerous pinpricks. These snakes are fairly vocal and are well known for expelling air and hissing, even when stationary and undisturbed.
Their scales are small and flat which aids the incredible iridescence these snakes are known for and also gives them a very smooth texture when held. I have kept both species and whilst they are in no means arboreal snakes, I have noticed that both will utilise a perch when provided and are happy to bask high up even when there is a lack of cover. I've noticed these semi-arboreal tendencies in even my adult Northerns however I cannot comment on adult Southerns as I have not kept these to adulthood.

Husbandry:

I would like to dispell another myth that these snakes are difficult to keep. With an understanding of their requirements in terms of space, humidity and temperament, these can be very straightforward and easy snakes to keep...but I would not recommend for a beginner.

I don't find my whitelips particularly active, especially in comparison to say, a Macklots python, but they will show themselves early evening and display on any perch you may give them.

I do think they need big enclosures, and in an ideal world I would like to provide my adults with 5-6ft enclosures with about 3ft of height to encourage their semi-arboreal tendencies and plenty of perching. As it stands, all my adults are in 4x2x2's but I do have branches on all which encourages them to move around their vivariums and use them to the fullest.

Heating is provided by either guarded ceramics or infra-red bulbs. I do not provide UV as I do not believe these snakes would get any benefit, however I do ensure a structured day/night light cycle

The do require a higher humidity than their carpet cousins, and hatchlings and juveniles especially will require this more so as they can have difficulty shedding due to their thinner skins. Hatchlings should be provided with at least a moss box if not an entire substrate of damp moss and eco-earth or orchid bark.

I currently keep my adults on newspaper however I have found they are silkier to touch, more iridescent to look at and will also shed much easier when housed on eco-earth with a later of hydroton (for drainage) underneath. I would also provide them with a daily misting of water aimed at the roof of their enclosure to stimulate rainfall (helpful when cooling as well).

Temperatures should be higher than an average carpet python and I would not recommend allowing their cool end to reduce further than 75 degrees and provide hot spots of 88-92 degrees. Whitelips can be prone to respiratory infections and even mouth rot so it is important to provide this balance if heat and misting to provide humidity...not condensation. A too wet and too cold enclosure can wreak havoc on a whitelipped python.

That said, I believe many an RI in whitelips can be misdiagnosed purely because when stressed, a wlp will tend to expel bubbles and 'spit' from its mouth. This combined with their 'hissiness' can lead many a keeper to suspect a non existent RI.

I personally feed my adult wlp's every 2-3 weeks. These pythons need to be kept nice and slim, more so the males and whilst my biggest female can take a rabbit, I tend to restrict her to large rats to keep her lean. I also find, you get to enjoy your snakes more by spacing the feeding out. They are nocturnal animals but once they've digested their meals its very likely you will seem them every evening out perching and basking.

I have and do co-habitate whitelips, however due to the supposed trickiness surrounding successful breeding it it best to keep separate until introducing a male. I have never witnessed fighting between these snakes myself however I would always separate to feed...this is generally a given anyway but these snakes have voracious feeding responses!!

Breeding:

In terms of breeding, unfortunately my first attempt last year was not a success. I cooled all 5 snakes (2.3) down to 65 degrees for a 2 month period over oct/nov. I witnessed ovulation in all 3 females in December and introduced the 2 males on a week on/week off basis for the next 4 weeks.

I witnessed several locks and was hopeful of fertilised eggs. However I believe a house move in early January placed too much stress on them and the resultant illness of RI and mouth rot put paid to this.

This year I plan to cool over same period, however I will try a different method of nightime lows and daytime highs. This combined with strict attention to hygiene I hope will give me the results I want this year.

So to summarise, these snakes are a rewarding, challenging and ultimately satisfying species to successfully keep. Their unique looks and temperament make them a pleasure to have in any collection and if their requirements are understood, they are no more difficult than most species of Morelia.

I realise I have waffled on quite a bit so here are some pictures for those who aren't so keen on the written word!!