Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello; I have been seriously considering getting a Woma python late this summer. While I have been keeping snakes for fourteen years now, this would be my first of that particular species. I have done quite a bit of research on them and talked to several keepers, and so far they seem to be a pretty good match for me. I do have a few questions that I thought it would be great to get more owners opinions of, and I was wondering if anyone here that keeps them would be willing to help me by sharing their experiences?

First off; how is their temperament? I am looking for something that will be fine with regular handling. So far the majority of what I've read has said that they are generally good natured, but have a massive feeding response. Two of the owners that I spoke to said that their Womas randomly give feeding bites without warning when handled. Is that true over-all or are those isolated events? One of the owners that stated that to me said that males were more likely to do that than females. That sounds a tad odd to me, but I would love to know if there is any basis in that.

I have no issues dealing with a snake that has a high prey drive, but I do want something that I can confidently have friends and family members who may not have as much experience with snakes safely pet or handle with my supervision.

Second; what substrate seems to be the most suitable for them in your experience? Thus far in my pestering people for information about Womas, I have heard anything from sand and coconut fibre to aspen and paper towels.

Third, I have a 3x2x2 foot cage available, would that be suitable? If not; it wouldn’t be too big of a challenge for me to find a 4x2x2.

I would also love to hear any other tips, insights or observations on these guys that you’d like to share.

Thanks so much everyone; I really do appreciate it.

I have a woma that is about 3 years old and four feet long. I keep him in a tank 4x2x2. The substrate I use is construction paper purchased at Home Depot or Lowes. I buy the brown paper not the pink. The pink has dye. I keep all my snakes on this. It is very absorbent. My woma is just about the nicest snake around except on feeding day. The feeding response is very strong. I feed him FT rats. After he is done eating, he is ready to strike for the rest of the day. Any other day he is very mellow and never has even attempted to strike or bite me or even hiss. He does have a tickle spot about in the middle of his body. If I touch this spot he tightens up and lets out the weirdest sound I have heard from a snake. I can hand him off to anybody and he just lays there. He doesn't even hold on. I could drop him if I wanted to. I highly recommend a woma for anyone. Very pretty and nice snakes.

Like many animals (and people for that matter) temperment varies between individual animals, all in all - womas are one of the more docile pythons I have worked with though. You will occassionally find a young animal that is "spirited" but they usually grow out of it with some handling.

Womas do all have one thing in common, they love to eat. They really really love to eat, and as a result, many have a strong feeding response. Keeping in mind their love of dinner, and remembering how they hunt in the wild, they can sometimes get tense or even strike if you sneak up on them. Many people recommend grabbing them with a hook from the cage - I don't think that is necessary - but you certainly want to make the snake aware of your presence before you grab it - otherwise, you may need a paper towel.

As for the random bites, I think the keeper that experienced that was a result of either keeper error or an individual animal thing. I have never had one of my womas randomly bite me. As for the males being more prone to bite, that is complete BS... ignore it and move on.

I have 2 dozen womas in my collection, 2 of those are "spirited and you need to be aware of what you are doing when holding them - the rest of the womas I have at the moment, I would not hesitate to let anyone that was interested hold one. That said, they are snakes and snakes can and will bite - so there is no way to say for sure - but I can confidently say that with a woma that is used to being held, the chance of getting tagged is much less then with many other snake species.

Sand is not great, as it is possible to have issues.
Coco Coir is a horrible idea for womas. Coir works great for tropical animals that are kept humid. In a dryer cage though, it will actually wick moisture from the air and its surroundings. Womas are very tolerant of a wide range of conditions and can handle dry air better then many snakes - but what take the chance. Skip the coir - and be leary of any other advice given by whomever suggested that.

That said - what is a good substrate? I use craft paper, some like paper towels for smaller/younger animals. Newspaper works well, aspen does fine. Some keep womas on cypress mulch. I know there are alot of people outside the US and a few in the states that are now keeping womas and bhps on gravel and it seems to work well (wash the dust off thoroughly first).

For caging of most womas, 3x2x2 would do fine. Occassionaly, they get a bit larger and a 4x2 works better.

As for tips, insights and observations...

They are like good potato chips - you can't have just one. They are a fun species to work with, and most everyone that has them in their collection will tell you that they are one of their favorites.

If you have any more specific questions post em.. there are several people on here with lots of woma experience...

So, womas are tolerant of dry conditions, but what about during a shed? Do you recommend misting or a humid hide?

"So, womas are tolerant of dry conditions, but what about during a shed? Do you recommend misting or a humid hide?"

I did say that womas are more tolerant to dry conditions and will handle dry air better then many species. I did not say that I would recommend keeping them in dry setup.

Being able to withstand certain conditions is much different from ideal conditions.

I try to keep my womas in the 40-50% relative humidity range. If you can do this without misting, then don't worry about spraying them (even during the shed cycle). If you live in an area that you have trouble keeping the humidity that high, you may want to raise the humidity in the cage (by misting, putting a humidifier in your snake room or putting the water bowl closer to the heat). Likewise, if you live in an area that averages high relative humidity (think rain forrest), you might want to consider a dehumidifier. Without knowing where you are though, I can't say if you should or should not mist.

I can tell you, that while it is not needed for a good shed, if you have a humid hide in the cage, during the shed cycle - they will typically use it.

I've had a male woma since 2006. He's super mellow, never tried to bite me. He's also loves to cruise his cage during the day. I have him in a 4x2 cage. He's got a wicked feeding response, so be careful when feeding. I use newspaper as a substate. You can't go wrong with woma's.

Womas are essentially "Australian kingsnakes". That is, they are almost bulletproof. Super easy to keep and tough as nails. If their color is important to you, look for a breeder with attractive stock. I got mine from Barry Miller last year; his are really nice orange with prominent black eye patches.

Remember that they are essentially burrowing snakes, and react to being touched as possible food. They are very tactile animals, and touching usually means food to them.
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