A medium-sized snake that is native to the island of Sumatra is the Sumatran short-tail python.
Along with the Riau Archipelago, it can also be found on the nearby islands of Lingga, Bangka, Mentawai, and Kalimantan.
Because of their short tails and powerful, musculoskeletal bodies, short-tail python earned their name.
Swamps, marshes, and tropical forests are among the real pythons’ typical habitats.
Recently, short-tailed pythons have become more well-liked as pets.
Although they are not extremely challenging to care for, newbies should stay away from them due to their aggressive attitude.
Analyses of short-tail pythons
| Common name | Sumatran short-tail python |
| Scientific name | Python curtus |
| Natural habitat | Indonesian rainforests and swamps |
| adult height | 60 inches or so, although they can grow to 72 inches. |
| Average lifespan | 20–25 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Housing | Large enclosure (minimum 48” x 24” x 24”) |
| Experience | only knowledgeable snake handlers |
Origin
Indonesia is home to Python curtus, a species of Sumatran short-tail python.
They live in swamps and jungles the majority of the time; however, they occasionally live in dry places close to rivers and streams. They eat small mammals and birds in the wild.
Although the population estimate is uncertain, they have been heavily hunted for the leather industry and the trafficking of exotic animals.
According to the most recent estimate, at least 100,000 of these pythons are captured for this purpose annually, severely harming their population.
Another element that impacts their natural habitat is deforestation.
Manifestation and conduct
A lone terrestrial predator, the Sumatran short-tail python lives on Sumatra. Because it is nocturnal, it is only active at night. It is a carnivore, just like all snakes.
But this short-tail python is a shy, isolated animal. Only during the mating season does it interact with others.
In contrast to its size, this snake has a short, tapering tail, yet its body is heavy and powerful.
It is regarded as a medium-sized species of snake in terms of snake size. It typically has red areas and is grayish-brown, tan, or beige in hue.
The color of these markings ranges from brick to blood-red.
Males are a little bit smaller than females. During mating season, they will compete with other males for supremacy if their ability to approach a female is endangered.
Even when there is enough food for everyone to eat, food disputes are nevertheless frequent. However, they are mostly lonely creatures that avoid social interaction.
Size and Duration
This python often measures 60 inches in length when fully grown. However, it has a maximum reach of 72 inches.
They typically have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years.
Temperament
Only serious reptile keepers should consider purchasing a short-tail python. This kind of snake is not recommended for novices because of its reputation for being unpredictable and aggressive.
The majority of this species are aggressive and prone to striking, though there are some exceptions and they can be tamed to some extent.
This python, like many snakes, is not a very gregarious creature, even in the wild. Be careful when handling it, because many owners of this species have had to learn that the hard way.
A short-tailed Python’s home
If you get your python while it is still a young adult, you can initially keep it in a plastic tub. But as it grows, you’ll need to provide an enclosure.
The majority of short-tail python owners decide to construct their enclosure from scratch using materials like PVC.
A few ‘hidden spots’, a substrate that can withstand moisture, a few low-lying branches, a water bowl, and a basking lamp are required for the enclosure. You won’t need much more to house your snake once the items are in place.
Embedded Size
You’ll require an enclosure that is at least 48 inches by 24 inches by 24 inches when your snake is an adult. Larger specimens can require an enclosure that is up to 60 inches long.
This size enclosure is hard to locate, and even if you do, it will usually be fairly pricey. It is therefore preferable to attempt to construct your enclosure.
Although wood is a possibility, PVC might be a better choice. It can withstand humidity without decomposing like wood and will do so.
As a terrestrial creature, height is not really vital, but giving your snake a few branches to climb over will give it something to do.
The daytime naps of your python will be followed by nighttime activity. Keep the enclosure somewhere peaceful that isn’t too busy during the day.
Lighting
Like most reptiles, this python requires a place to sun itself in its habitat. For this, a ceramic overhead light works well.
It is unable to control its body temperature because, like other reptiles, it has a cold blooded metabolism. This issue is resolved by bathing.
However, this type of lizard does not require UVB lighting, unlike some other reptiles. If the enclosure has overhead lights, turn them off at night.
Your short-tail python will experience an artificial day/night cycle as a result. This snake is nocturnal; therefore, leaving the lights on will make it uncomfortable.
Thermodynamics and humidity
For this type of snake, conditions with a humidity of roughly 60% to 70% are ideal.
Your snake could develop respiratory illnesses if you don’t manage the humidity. A bowl of water can help keep the air damp.
For the enclosure floor, cocoa chip substrate and cypress mulch make good alternatives since they hold humidity.
About 88°F should be the temperature under the basking lamp. The snake can move to the other side of the enclosure for a cooler position if the lamp is placed over one side of the enclosure.
At the colder end, the temperature should be around 80°F.
A temperature differential of 78 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit from the cool end to the warm end is typically sufficient.
To make sure that the ideal conditions are reached, keep an eye on the temperature and humidity with a digital thermometer and hygrometer.
Additionally, mist the tank’s interior more frequently when your snake is shedding.
Substance and adornment
The short-tail python can be kept on a variety of substrates, although cocoa fiber is always an excellent choice. The most crucial aspect is that it shouldn’t be susceptible to mold growth in humid environments.
Include a sizable basin of water, since this will aid in maintaining a high humidity level. And give your python at least two places to “hide.” A few low-lying branches will do just fine.
Although they can’t swim, you should offer a shallow dish of water for bathing when they are shedding.
They seek tight, dark hiding spots beneath leaf litter or low-lying palm fronds in their natural habitat.
They will therefore be the happiest if you can provide a few hiding places like this in the cage. As you see fit, add some bark, moss, and leaves.
Sand, tiny branches, and pebbles with crevices between them can be used to create a sleeping space for your pet. as well as caverns where it can rest during the day.
Build an enclosure that is big enough for your short-tailed python to be able to stretch out and complete a full turn if you have the room for it.
Cleaning
If you wish to clean the enclosure with your short-tail python, you will unquestionably require a snake hook.
Your snake will react if you put your hand within the enclosure, especially if it is still getting acquainted with you.
Weekly bedding or substrate replacement is recommended, and the enclosure should be cleaned with a potent but non-toxic cleaner every few weeks. If necessary, you can spot clean every day.
If you don’t see regular bowel movements, do not panic. This species has been known to go months, and in some cases, nearly a year, without defecating! You shouldn’t be concerned because this is usual.
It does not feign frequently, but it does urinate a lot. Therefore, regular cleaning is crucial. When required, replace soggy substrate with fresh and make sure there is always clean water available.
care for short-tail pythons
Short-tailed python owners frequently mistake their aggressive feeding behavior for hunger. Don’t do this; it’s just an instinctual reaction.
This kind of snake may bite you, but unlike some other deadly snakes, it is not poisonous.
A novice snake handler should stay away from this species. But if you keep the humidity exactly right and treat it carefully, it’s not a particularly challenging snake to take care of.
Water and food
A frozen, thawed rat must be fed to young pythons once per week. The girth of the snake at its widest point ought to be comparable to the size of this rat.
Feed this species’ young once every week until they are one year old.
As it grows, it will increase the size of its meals and the intervals between them. A 2-4 year old short-tail python only needs food every two weeks.
A large rat only has to be consumed by an older adult python every three weeks.
A very large python occasionally eats a little bunny. But because of its slow metabolism and lack of activity, your python will quickly gain weight if you overfeed it.
If its normally prominent spine appears to disappear, it is overweight.
Short-tailed pythons will slither about and suck water from a dish as needed since they must drink fresh water.
So, pour water into large pottery or clay basins and replace them frequently.
Short-Tail Python Handling
It is not advised to handle a Sumatran short-tailed python unless you are an expert snake handler. This snake can be very combative.
This species should be handled with a snake hook. The majority of these snakes dislike handling. They are also more difficult to handle than certain other species due to their weight.
When you place your hand inside the enclosure, the snake will react aggressively by biting you. When trained to tap, short-tail pythons are simpler to handle.
This is the approach to take if you are committed to tackling it.
When approaching, give it a light tap with a snake hook. Use the snake hook to shift its face away from you once it has indicated that it is aware of your presence.
Reach in, grab its body in the middle, and lift it out of the space.
Be aware that, unlike other snake species, this one won’t grab you. If it feels uneasy, it may thrash around agitatedly.
When handling it, support the entire body and avoid hovering. When your python is uneasy or feels threatened, it will hiss at you to let you know.
Your python might believe that being picked up poses a threat. Despite not being venomous, a python’s bite is extremely potent.
If you’ve been bitten, wash the wound with soap and water and then apply disinfectant. This is why it’s crucial to start handling your pet early so that they can learn that you don’t pose a threat.
When threatened, pythons do more than just bite—they also stink. When handled, pythons may produce this potent and repulsive odor if they sense danger.
When stressed, not only can captive-bred snakes musk, but snakes that have been trapped in the wild also tend to do so.
Typical health problems
- Respiratory illnesses are common in Sumatran short-tail pythons. This makes it crucial that you keep a close eye on the humidity levels in its enclosure and steer clear of stuffy, moist circumstances. It is crucial to have a substrate that can hold onto moisture without molding. For this, cocoa chips or cypress mulch are the ideal substrates. A bowl of water also aids in maintaining humidity levels.
- Another issue is overfeeding, which can shorten a person’s lifespan. Don’t feed it more while it’s still eating since once it starts, it can’t stop.
- Pythons frequently shed, especially when the enclosure is dehydrated improperly. The skin of the body and tail sheds rapidly, but if it is excessively dry, it may stick to the eye caps, the tip of the tail, and the area surrounding the eyes.
But don’t worry—shedding is a sign of a healthy python, so don’t worry. Your pet sheds its old skin as it matures in order to grow new skin. Increase the humidity in the enclosure by placing a bowl of water within it or by using an automatic mister to aid in your python’s skin-shedding process.
If necessary, bathe your python in warm water once every day until the problem is fixed or it is comfortable being handled. If not, place a shallow water vessel within the enclosure so that it can soak itself.
Brumation
While a snake will brood over the winter, a bear hibernates by sleeping.
A snake eats less and less as winter approaches, in contrast to animals that hibernate, which eat more before winter to store up food.
Warm temperatures help their digestive process, therefore as temperatures decrease, they eat less food to shorten the time needed for digestion. It may take brief naps when in brumation. Its metabolism has slowed, which causes it to move noticeably slowly.
Brumation can occur in a pet python as well. You’ll observe that it loses appetite and becomes less active, just like in the wild. Keep the temperature of the enclosure warm all year to prevent a pet snake from entering the enclosure in cold weather.
Maintaining two or more snakes collectively
This is not a smart move. You would first require an extremely huge enclosure. However, the fundamental reason is that snakes are not social creatures. Snakes must always be kept in separate enclosures.
Two snakes living together will only be stressful for both of you. Both in the wild and in captivity, they don’t require companionship.
If you choose to keep two snakes together, feed them individually outside of the enclosure. Once both have eaten, only bring them back.
This is due to the fact that they still want to compete for power. The dominant one will consume the food of the subordinate.
A snake’s sex might be difficult to determine, so you might unintentionally house two males together who will fight, or you might unintentionally house a male and a female together who will breed.
Breeding
Snakes that lay eggs are called Sumatran short-tailed pythons. Typically, females lay up to 12 big eggs, but larger batches have occasionally been noted.
For the duration of the incubation process, they stay curled around their eggs. They may shiver to generate heat that will reheat their clutch when it is below 90 °F.
The 12-inch-long hatchlings appear after 2.5 to 3 months. When young, they are the species’ adults’ color, but as they get older, they become darker.
How to Select and Purchase a Short-Tailed Python
Although short-tail pythons are an unpredictable and violent type of snake in the wild, they are typically more docile when raised in captivity.
They are selectively bred to produce a variety of colors and have grown to be fairly popular in recent years.
The various colors include caramel albino, southern black head, northern orange head, and chrome head.
Online, this species typically sells for $200. However, unless you have python handling experience and enough room for a large enclosure, you should choose another reptile to keep as a pet.
This is not one of the numerous beginner-friendly pet snakes available.
