White-lipped python – northern (Bothrochilus boa)

Short answers

White-lipped python – northern: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 200×100×150 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, white-lipped pythons).

White-lipped python – northern: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 27–30 °C, basking spot 32–35 °C (spot lamp with a guard, used only briefly), at night 22–24 °C.

White-lipped python – northern: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: UVB not essential; low-dose UVB optional.

White-lipped python – northern: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 20–25 years.

White-lipped python – northern: Is it suitable for beginners?

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

Climate

Daytime temperature

27–30 °C

Night temperature

22–24 °C

Basking spot

32–35 °C (spot lamp with a guard, used only briefly)

Humidity

75–85 %

UVB

UVB not essential; low-dose UVB optional

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 200×100×150 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, white-lipped pythons)

Substrate

Moisture-retaining: terrarium humus or forest floor with leaf litter and moss, slightly damp; roots, climbing branches, a large water basin

Feeding

Food

Frozen food – mice or rats of a suitable size

Feeding interval

adults every 1–2 weeks, juveniles every 5–7 days

Key facts

Adult size

150–200 cm (the northern / golden form averages ~1.8 m)

Life expectancy

20–25 years

Origin

Northern New Guinea (Indonesia / Papua New Guinea) and the surrounding islands

Protection status

CITES Appendix II / EU Regulation Annex B; proof of origin required, and registration where applicable

Brumation

No real winter rest; a short rest period to prepare for breeding is possible

Cohabitation

Single housing. Snakes live solitarily; both care sheets on the white-lipped python advise putting each animal in its own enclosure, and only brief, supervised introductions for breeding are considered acceptable. The drawback of any shared housing is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same prey, one can swallow the other, and it is no longer clear which animal has eaten.

Notes

The northern white-lipped python – corresponding to Leiopython/Bothrochilus albertisii. The name "Bothrochilus boa" given in the source (actually the Bismarck ringed python) is probably a taxonomic imprecision here; the northern white-lipped python is what is meant. A nervous temperament, and it may snap; high humidity with good ventilation matters.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• White-lipped python – d'Albertis (Bothrochilus albertisii) – Intermediate
• White-lipped python – Biak (Bothrochilus biakensis) – Intermediate
• White-lipped python – southern (Bothrochilus hoserae) – Intermediate
• Red blood python (Python brongersmai) – Intermediate
• Sumatran short-tailed python (Python curtus) – Intermediate
• Borneo short-tailed python (Python breitensteini) – Intermediate
• Common egg-eating snake (Dasypeltis scabra) – Intermediate
• Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep White-lipped python – northern (Bothrochilus boa) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 200×100×150 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, white-lipped pythons)), substrate (Moisture-retaining: terrarium humus or forest floor with leaf litter and moss, slightly damp; roots, climbing branches, a large water basin), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.