Calabar burrowing python (Calabaria reinhardtii)

Short answers

Calabar burrowing python: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 80×50×50 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, burrowing pythons, subterranean).

Calabar burrowing python: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 25–30 °C, basking spot No basking spot, at night 21–24 °C.

Calabar burrowing python: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Not required.

Calabar burrowing python: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 15–20 years.

Calabar burrowing python: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

25–30 °C

Night temperature

21–24 °C

Basking spot

No basking spot

Humidity

70–85 %

UVB

Not required

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 80×50×50 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, burrowing pythons, subterranean)

Substrate

Damp coco humus with leaf litter 15–20 cm, a cork hide, a water dish

Feeding

Food

Small frozen-thawed mice, ideally nestlings

Feeding interval

every 7–10 days

Key facts

Adult size

80–100 cm

Life expectancy

15–20 years

Origin

West Africa – rainforest floor

Protection status

CITES II

Brumation

None

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Snakes are solitary and do not seek company — a shared hide is competition for the best spot, not social behaviour. The concrete reason is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same food item, one can swallow the other along with it. On top of that, once they are kept together you can no longer tell which animal has eaten and which is losing weight. For breeding, put them together under supervision and separate them again afterwards.

Notes

When threatened it rolls into a ball and presents its blunt tail as a false head. It burrows in leaf litter rather than climbing; in the wild it eats mainly rodent nestlings from burrows.

Do you keep this species?

Add your animal to Reptoria – Reptoria reminds you about feeding and shedding. Add your animal for free →

Look for Calabar burrowing python (Calabaria reinhardtii) in the marketplace →

Related species

• Sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) – Intermediate
• Rubber boa (Charina bottae) – Intermediate
• Mexican burrowing python (Loxocemus bicolor) – Intermediate
• Red pipe snake (Anilius scytale) – Expert
• Red-tailed pipe snake (Cylindrophis ruffus) – Intermediate
• Common egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra) – Intermediate
• Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) – Intermediate
• Andean milk snake (Lampropeltis micropholis) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Calabar burrowing python (Calabaria reinhardtii) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 80×50×50 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, burrowing pythons, subterranean)), substrate (Damp coco humus with leaf litter 15–20 cm, a cork hide, a water dish), a heat source with a thermostat, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.