Water python (Liasis fuscus)

Short answers

Water python: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 225×150×200 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Australian rock pythons).

Water python: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 27–33 °C, basking spot 34 °C, at night 23–26 °C.

Water python: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Recommended (UVB 5.0).

Water python: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 20–25 years.

Water python: Is it suitable for beginners?

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

Climate

Daytime temperature

27–33 °C

Night temperature

23–26 °C

Basking spot

34 °C

Humidity

65–80 %

UVB

Recommended (UVB 5.0)

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 225×150×200 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Australian rock pythons)

Substrate

Bark mulch, a cork tube, a very large water basin, climbing branches

Feeding

Food

Frozen-thawed rats of a suitable size

Feeding interval

every 10–14 days

Key facts

Adult size

150–250 cm, selten bis 300 cm

Life expectancy

20–25 years

Origin

Northern Australia, southern New Guinea – wetlands

Protection status

Export from Australia is prohibited – only European captive-bred animals

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

Dark with a strong rainbow sheen. Very tied to water – a large, filtered water basin is used intensively. Strong, keen on food, and even-tempered with good handling.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Olive python (Liasis olivaceus) – Intermediate
• Macklot's python (Liasis mackloti) – Intermediate
• Amethystine python (Simalia amethistina) – Intermediate to expert
• Angolan python (Python anchietae) – Intermediate
• Australian scrub python (Simalia kinghorni) – Intermediate
• Black-headed python (Aspidites melanocephalus) – Intermediate
• Boelen's python (Simalia boeleni) – Expert
• Burmese python (Python bivittatus) – Expert

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Water python (Liasis fuscus) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 225×150×200 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Australian rock pythons)), substrate (Bark mulch, a cork tube, a very large water basin, climbing branches), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.