Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all. This is my first time posting on here. I recently have gained a strong interest in Australian Water Pythons and I am looking to add one or two to my collection. Ideally I would like to get a male and a female and possibly breed them. Does anybody know where I could find some hatchlings in the United States? It would be great to find a place that has them on the east coast but anywhere in the US with quality animals is good since I am having such a hard time finding any. I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks

Ryan Young out of Idaho breeds Queensland locality L. fuscus. I have a pair from last year's hatch; they are cool snakes. I know that he had a small clutch hatch out a few months ago, so I'd send him an inquiry. He's not an East Coast guy, but shipping is a breeze with such a reputable, responsible breeder.

If you'd like to contact him, let me know and I will send you a message with his email address. I recommend his waters highly.

Cheers,

D.D.

Thanks. It would be awesome if you could do that for me. I really appreciate it. Also do you have any suggestions for caring for them?

No problem. Message sent.

Fuscus thrive within standard python husbandry parameters. They have a reputation for being very hardy captives, and my experience thus far has born that out. Let us all know if you have any specific concerns.

I'm sure that Ryan will be glad to share his copious knowledge once you get in touch with him, as well.

My concern mainly is with how nippy they are. I have read alot of mixed things about them. Some people say they are very mellow and others say they are the spawn of Satan. So I guess my question is are they more a more aggressive snake or does it just depend on the locality etc? In my experience the more your handle a snake the less aggressive it becomes but I heard that WP's stay aggressive. What are your thoughts?

Like the other members of the genus Liasis, water pythons are often misrepresented as "mean" or snappy. Animals descending from Queensland locality stock are particularly known for their docility, though, like most pythons, they are a bit nervous as hatchlings. The parents of my yearlings, which are quite reluctant to bite even though they have not been handled often, are very placid. I'm told that, with any handling, animals from this line will become exceedingly calm and inquisitive, even "friendly." Ryan tells me that his young children handle his adults with no fear of defensive behavior.

I've heard that Indo and Northern Territory waters are more defensive than Queensland waters, but I have no personal experience to corroborate that claim. You won't find many (any?) NT waters available in the States, but there are Indo animals around (a mix of CBs and imports). I'm happy with the Queensland form.

I will add that water pythons seem to be very easy to "read." Their body language is quite exaggerated, so it's easy to predict and, thus, avoid a bite from even the most irascible hatchling. In my experience, they are wiry, strong, and quick compared to other pythons (like carpets, for example).

They're fun. You should get some!

Thank you. I spoke to Ryan. He seems like a good guy so once i have enough money i am definited going to get at least one. How big of an enclosure do you keep your hatclings/adults in and do they do well in groups or do they require separate housing?

In my experience, a typical "shoebox" tub (6 to 15 qt) would comfortably house a juvenile water python for up to a year. I would avoid enclosures that are too large for the young snakes, which might not feel secure enough to feed under those conditions. I would also avoid screen-topped glass aquaria, which are quite inefficient from a temperature/humidity standpoint.

I keep mine in individual tubs in the same rack system. Conventional wisdom dictates that you keep your younger animals separately (to cut down on undue stress and to allow you to monitor the animals more carefully). Plenty of folks keep older pythons together outside of breeding season and report positive results.

If you decide to follow their example at some point, be sure to choose a sufficiently large enclosure, and to offer double the choices that you would include in an enclosure for a single animal: multiple areas for shelter, multiple areas for basking, etc. That practice may help offset the risk of one snake monopolizing important resources. Also be sure to feed them separately. Given the intense feeding response of these snakes, to feed them at the same time and in the same enclosure is to court serious accident.

Good luck!

D.D.

Thank you. Your info has been very helpful. I am hoping to get mine before the end of the summer.

I'm happy to help. Like I said, Ryan will be a great resource for you should you chose to move forward with the purchase.

To give you an idea of what you're in for, here's a "candid" shot of my male yearling making mischief:

Image didn't come through. I'll try again.

Can you email it to me at rgarone4@gmail.com since it isn't coming through on here?

Very similar in all respects to Olive pythons.

In what respects?

In all respects that have been discussed in this thread. It could have been written about (Aussie) olives instead of fuscus. They are still Liasis, and the main difference is coloration and size. They can get much longer and heavier. It's just a matter of personal preference. Both are nice and both are snippy as babies.

Do you keep either?

I had a small fuscus many years ago, but I currently have olives. My eggs from this year's breeding are due to hatch in about 2 weeks but since it was my female's first clutch, there were only 7 good eggs and 3 are still viable. I have 2 males, one over 11', that have been here for 7-8 years. They will try a half-hearted bite/strike when the door is opened becasue they expect food, but after that they are docile. I'd say the bigger male is about 25 lbs. After 8-9 foot, they start to bulk out a bit.

Olives are really attractive snakes. Where do you keep them when they get that big?

LOL....big cages. The two smaller are in 6' Neos, the larger in an 8'. The smaller male is rapidly getting to the size of the larger one, but 6' x 2.5' by 2' is fine for him. Female is about 7'

You keep them in naturalistic terrariums?

Nope. Never have kept any snakes that way, except they have hide boxes and some have perches

I will probably expand my collection more once i get out of college.