Reticulated pythons are also found in cities like Bangkok and Singapore—there they are known to snatch stray chickens, domesticated cats and dogs. A particularly bizarre incident was reported when a 23 foot (6.95m) python ate a half-starved female Sun Bear (a sub-type of reticulated python) that weighed 23 kilograms. It took about 10 full weeks to digest!

Remarkable enough, the reticulated python can swallow prey up to a quarter of its own length and up to its own weight. All pythons are ambush hunters, meaning that they wait until the prey wanders within striking range before killing it. A pretty lazy (but effective) way to hunt if you ask me. Prey is located by heat-sensitive pits in labial scales that line the snake’s lips. This helps them hunt for food even in the dark or in dense foliage.

Feeding Schedule

A smaller reticulated python should be fed every 3 to 4 days with appropriately sized rats and mice. Adults require guinea pigs, rabbits or even pigs around every 10 days.

The reticulated python, like all other reptiles, has an extremely low metabolic rate. This means that it can go without food for long periods of time. An example of this—in 1926, a captive specimen at Regent’s Park refused to eat for an entire 23 months. One day, it decided to accept a meal and from then on maintained a normal eating schedule. Very strange.

Eating Humans?

In urban areas like Bangkok and Singapore, the reticulated python preys mostly on rats, cats and stray chickens. Interestingly enough, one time a Python Sebae (rock python) was found to have a small leopard in its stomach.

There are in fact, well-documented cases of large adults killing and eating people, but these are extremely rare.

More Information

The following quote comes from a site I found on Angelfire:

A baby retic should begin feeding on weanling mice(21 days old) or rat crawlers. A snake may be induced to feed by placing it in a locking plastic shoe box style container(with air holes) with crumpled newspaper and leaving it for an hour, then introducing a food item. At 3′, the snake is large enough for weanling rats. At 5′, it is capable of consuming adult rats. Frequent feedings of 1 – 2 times weekly will result in quick growth and a healthy animal. It may be wise to consider how large you wish the snake to get, feed less often to slow the growth rate. Feed at least once every 10 days, when the snake begins feeding on large meals such as rabbits feeding can occur less frequently. Many animals may be conditioned to accept pre-killed or thawed warmed rodents at feed time. This technique is safer, than feeding live rodents since this prevents the snake from being bitten by a rodent. Shedding is dependent on the animal’s growth rate and condition and may occur every 3-6 weeks. African rock pythons may refuse feeding attempts while shedding. Avoid handling after a sizable meal; it is stressful and may cause regurgitation. Never leave a rodent in the snake’s cage for lengthy periods; a rodent can cause serious damage to your pet!!!! Provide food and water for any rodent left in the snake’s cage longer than 30 minutes. Never handle rodents and then handle a snake; you may be mistaken as food. Develop proper feeding habits. As the snake grows to lengths exceeding 6′ it may be wise to feed the snake only dead rodents and move it to a feeding container prior to food offering. If moved to a feeding container for all feedings it may become conditioned not to expect food while in its cage. This may reduce the possibility of being mistaken as a food item by an over excited feeder. Best method is to place dead rodent in container and let snake discover it, encourages gentle food acquisition. Maintain feeding and health records. Reluctant Feeders– May be more apt to eat at night or with lights off, and may prefer to ambush prey from a hide box. Try a variety of rodents and sizes. Is the animal sick? Reduce handling to a minimum. If an animal refuses all feeding attempts and appears to be wasting, consult a veterinarian or experienced herper.

Water Dish

The reticulated python gets thirsty. Remember–most of this species lives close to fresh water marshes, ponds and streams. Give your snake water every day or provide a clean, large and shallow dish of water so the snake can drink at its own leisure

Food

The reticulated python also gets hungry. Match the food with the size of your snake. Small, juvenile pythons can eat mice, medium-sized pythons (around 4-5 feet long) can eat large, adult rats and larger pythons (10+ feet) can eat rabbits or chickens.

Enclosure

The reticulated python is a beast of a snake. It’s important to have a safe, well-spaced enclosure. Even if you buy a juvenile as a pet, keep in mind that they can grow up to thirty feet long! You’ll have to change the size of the cage as the reticulated python grows. Small, juvenile pythons will feel insecure and unsettled in too large of an enclosure. Of course, a large snake in a small enclosure is bad news. Their extremely powerful muscles can break through non-secure cages..you don’t want a loose reticulated python slithering about. Trust me.

Your cage should be free of sharp edges, easy to disinfect, ventilated and able to hold heat at the same time. If you’re designing a custom cage, avoid unfinished wood and porous surfaces.

Cage Substrate

The cage isn’t enough–you need to line it with a substrate. Specialty bark manufactured for reptiles is a good choice, as it’s easy to clean. Of course, you can also use newspapers and paper towels. They’re cheap and easy.

Heating Pad

Remember, a reticulated python needs to be in an environment that’s at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit for proper health and digestion. After all, these snakes are from Southeast Asia. Make your climate warm and tropical. A heat rock isn’t enough. Invest in a proper heating pad specific for reptiles. There are plenty out there.

Basking Bulb

A basking bulb is another way to heat your container and can create and sustain an atmosphere of around 90 degrees Fahrenhit. Toasty! With your heating pad or basking bulb, be sure to buy a thermometer to ensure that the temperature is in the right range. Yes–it’s possible to have too hot of a cage.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Boidae
Genus: Python
Species: Python reticulates

The word “reticulated” refers to the skin pattern of the snake–large splotches of one color, with relatively thin lines of another color that surround the splotches. Another animal, the reticulated giraffe, has a similar color pattern.

The reticulated python is a non-venomous species of snake found mostly in Southeast Asia. It’s considered the longest snake in the world–the longest reticulated python ever to be found was about 33 feet long! This is longer than the longest anaconda. Most reticulated pythons in captivity will exceed 12 feet.

While the reticulated python has the longest geographic range of any snake in the world, its numbers are dwindling. The reticulated python is exploited in the skin trade, with many of them being slaughtered not only for their hides but their meat. I wonder what the reticulated python tastes like?

Description

The reticulated python is the king of constrictor snakes. Its size and strength trumps others in the snake world, and its rich and strange color patterns make it stand out amongst the other boids, or non-venomous snakes. Regarding captivity, the reticulated python is not a snake for everyone. It does, however, have a small but loyal following. Skilled keepers and herpers continue to breed reticulated pythons and provide proper care for them. The reticulated python is not a beginner snake–previous experience in dealing with large and powerful snakes is highly recommended. Even the most docile of snakes may require an extreme feeding response.

The reticulated python is slender in length and has a highly muscular and round girth. Most other constrictors flatten out. These humongous snakes are extremely variable in design, but most of them have a net-like or rope-like pattern on a silver or tan background. The skin has a lustrous sheen and can change colors. A reticulated python can live up to 30 years in captivity!

The reticulated python native to coastal Southeast Asia, had the largest range of any python species—from the Nicobar Islands, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, east through Indonesia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago (Sumatra, the Mentawai Islands, the Natuna Islands, Borneo, Sulawesi, Java, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Timor, Maluku, Tanimbar Islands) and the Philippines (Basilan, Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Luzon, Mindanao, Mindoro, Negros, Palawan, Panay, Polillo, Samar, Tawi-Tawi).

They can also be found in Madagascar and Australia.

Habitat

The reticulated python is seldom seen in the wild. It is heavily dependent on water and can often be found near small rivers, swamps or ponds in steamy, tropical rainforests. The reticulated python can also be found in a variety of other habitats, like open woodlands, savannah and rocky areas but require a tropical environment with a temperature range of 80 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

The reticulated python is an excellent swimmer. It has been reported far out at sea, and because of its long water range it has colonized many small islands through Southeast Asia. A reticulated python is at home on the ground, in the caves or trees, but has also adapted to live in towns and cities. There, they hunt chickens, ducks, rats, domestic cats, dogs and pigs. A large reticulated python—remember, they can get up to 33 feet long—can eat monkeys, wild boar, deer and yes, even people. This is rare, but it can happen.

In the early twentieth century, the reticulated python has been reported in busy parts of Bangkok, sometimes eating domestic animals.

By golly! Look at these beauties! Whoohoo! Thanks Irwin, we’ll take it from here. This is the battle between the king of the snakes. I mean, people fear snakes no matter if they are even one foot long and harmless. But when we want to see a showdown, we go straight to the giants! We have here two of the world’s biggest snakes. It is hard to tell which one of these is the king of snakes, so we’ll find out now!

Reticulate pythons are from Southeast Asia. These are big snakes. Now when we’re talking big, we mean huge. Reiculated pythons range 10-20 feet in average, yet the largest one was recorded at a immense 33 ft and weighed in well over 300 lbs. Now that is big! Not only are they big, these snakes have been known to have a nasty reputation for biting and believe me, it hurts! Of the big snakes that are kept as pets, this one is definitely for the most advanced snake owners. Can you imagine feeding this guy a pig? Besides that, I’ve seen these guys on TV and they will not let you get close to them without a strike if they must. Of course it’s not their fault, but compared to other snakes, these can be the most aggressive. Now not all pet Reticulated pythons are like this, but you get the point of why you should not just jump to get one of these without years of snake experience first.

Now the anaconda has another story. Living in the waters of South America, the anaconda is actually not as long as Reticulated pythons. The record anaconda was an intense 29 ft., but… it weighed over 500 lbs.!!! That’s so much heavier than our python friend. These snakes have the largest girth of snake species. We’re talking about being able to double the weight size of a Reticulate python any day. Now both of our contenders are water going snakes, but anacondas really love the water, especially with all that muscle in weight, they would have to swim in water just to save energy from moving around.

So if these two met up in a showdown, it would be one heck of a battle. Both are aggressive snakes, but only one can be the winner. Both have been known to eat humans, but the anaconda just is too thick when it comes to a fight. Thickness also means muscle mass. Think of them as a long strong biceps like Arnold, the governor of California. If you had that wrapped around your head, your eyes would pop out like a cartoon!

So the winner is, the king of snakes: The Green Anaconda!!!

[text from Reticulated Python vs. Green Anaconda!!!]

Like many other reptiles, the reticulated python is born with unusual colors and complex geometric patterns on its scales. Due to hybridization in captivity, there are wide variations within the species. A few examples of these variations in design are, by name: super tiger, tiger, albino (dark lavender, lavender, white, and purple phase), genetic stripe, albino super tiger, albino tiger, golden child, sunfire, ivory/white flame and calico. A reticulated python has the ability to transform its shades and intensity of colors.

Albinos are usually yellow and white in color, and tigers are, fittingly enough, black and tan. The Calico, another variation mentioned above, is colored black, tan and white.

Below is some more detailed information of different variations of the reticulated python, courtesy of the New England Reptile Discovery. All snakes mentioned are from their personal collection:

Albino

This mutation is incredible – they almost glow! Albino retics have to be the one of THE BEST albino manifestations of ANY constrictor. Albino retics appear as a luminescent-white snake with rich saffron-yellow markings. I have a very difficult time taking good photos of them of them; they cause the flash to go off, as they’re so light. We have 1.2 of these animals and the male is breeding well this year. This morph originated from Bob Clark’s original wild caught sire male. There seems to be at least three different color variations among hatchlings: I’ve witnessed babies that looked amelanistic albino and some that looked like caramel albinos within the same litter. I am a bit lost with this mutation since it is so variable and the potential to breed into other phases is just beginning. A very nice mutation, to say the least; a specimen for the serious retic enthusiast!

Ambon Yellowhead

These locality-specific retics are the classic “yellow head”, very attractive snakes with a pronounced yellow head, yellow pattern edging, and often a yellow chin and throat. As babies the head color is often normal, and these may even be mistaken as a silver retic at birth. As the young serpent begins feeding and sheds a few times, the yellow coloration becomes distinct. Our Ambons have pleasant dispositions and make for an ideal “pet quality” retic. They seem to max out around 16 -18′ regardless of our efforts to make them larger. It is our goal to consistently produce Ambon Yellowheads here at NERD, as they are a pleasure with which to work.

Axanthic

A striking animal in tones of black gray and white, this single specimen is the first we’ve witnessed lacking the majority of its brown & yellow coloration. We believe that an “axanthic” animal is limited in yellow and brown pigment due to the gene that calls for its production. An axanthic snake may still carry the gene that creates this coloration, yet pigment production is so low that the colors are only slightly noticeable, if at all. This may be why we observe very limited yellow markings on this particular snake. This animal is very distinct and like nothing I have ever seen in a retic. His pattern is very irregular with strange striping, his eyes are silver and his head appears to resemble that of a scrub python. Our Granite-backed retics are a result of breeding this “Axanthic” retic to a Calico female, and we are very excited to someday realize this snake’s genetic potential.

Borneo Bateater

With bright orange eyes, olive & black “camouflage” markings, and a name conjured from the darkest Indonesian jungle, the Borneo Bateater is a serpent of lore brought to life. A hybrid of Burmese and Reticulated pythons, the offspring are together variable and strange. A difficult cross to produce, many infertile clutches may be produced before you achieve this one!! In our experience, this fascinating hybrid possesses the alertness of a retic and general good nature of the Burmese, and has proven fertile when bred back to either species. The first Bateater ever brought to our attention was at Tom Crutchfield’s in FL many years back. This snake was supposedly an animal imported from the wild and caused quite a stir at the time! Bateaters may reproduce rarely in the wild if at all, in comparison to other boids. We look forward to someday producing Bateaters with more consistency so that others may come to enjoy them as we have!

Calico

This color mutation is an obsession at NERD, we have a serious fixation for retics and are crazy about the various color combinations of the Calico form. We have a large colony of these snakes and all of the white form animals are females! This leads us to believe that this morph may be sexed-linked, similar to the majority of calico cats. On the other hand, we have worked with a male calico retic in the past, and have some of his male offspring that are in the process of turning calico.

Calico retics vary but all possess the pure, stark white scalation that gives them such a stunning appearance. Eye color varies from animal to animal in a spectrum of black, grey, orange or silver. As female retics typically mature in 3 years, takes time to see the full physical manifestation of this trait. We do not expect to produce hatchling Calicos; in our experience there has never been a Calico collected from the wild under 8′ in length. The Calico corn snake has proven itself as genetic, normal as babies and as they matured acquired the white pied coloration; at this point we theorize that the Calico retic gene is very similar. At this point we maintain & breed a large collection of these snakes, all of which are extremely variable. Various breedings we have done involving the Calico gene indicate to us that this is a simple recessive trait.

Calico Tiger

A fascinating manifestation of the Tiger & Calico genes in one snake, this female represents the first known specimen to exhibit the combination of traits. The well-known Tiger pattern is a mosiac of yellow, white, black & gray calico scales. At this point we have created several Calico X Tiger crosses, and have begun breeding the het Calico Tigers to produce more of these genetic wonders. Calico Tigers appear normal upon hatching and like the other Calico forms, change colors upon maturity. As with regular Calico babies. we have seen several consistent subtleties in color & pattern changes in the Calico Tiger offspring and have high hopes for those youngsters in particular!

Dwarf

This insular retic is a true dwarf!! They stay small and they grow SLOW!! Jampea’s are distinct from other retics in appearance and are typically a blue gray with limited yellow and a silvery eye. Females breed at 7′ and males around 4.5 – 5′. Maturity in females is 3 years. The nice thing about this dwarf is that their limited size creates the opportunity to breed this into other morphs to produce mini designer retics. The dwarfs we have originate from the Jampea island chain and Kayuadi island. I find these two localities to be very similar and almost interchangeable in some cases. We have to rely on the origin notes of the shipper to class them.

We also have a unique striped female that is very odd and has minimal pattern. She has unusual striping with none of the normal saddling or banding. Her head is very hypomelanistic and white/yellow, she is unlike anything we have ever seen. We note that dwarfs are smaller and slower growing than their larger counterpart but the can still grow (females) to 12′+ if desired. Our largest female is 15′, she eats like a monster and this translates into growth. We hope to breed our best female to a Borneo Bateater to create some dwarfish Jungle Retics in the future.

Granite Backed

These fantastic, speckled babies were a surprise from breeding our male Axanthic/Anerythristic retic to a female Calico. The entire clutch exhibits the same broken, granite-like pattern, so we are extremely excited to delve further into the genetics behind these animals. Time will tell what the exact recipe is for this morph, in the mean time we’ll be dreaming of Granite Lavender, Granite Albinos, Granite Tigers, even the possibility of Granite Super Tigers! Our second clutch of these babies was produced in late May 2003, so be on the lookout for exciting updates on the Granite-backed retics!

Jungle

This form is new and originates from a single first time breeding @ NERD. Created by breeding a Borneo Bateater back to a retic, the babies hatched out in all forms: semi-normals as well as a variety of weird ones. No two babies in the clutch were alike, and every single one was aweseome! When bred to a retic the babies should vary in appearance throughout the litter to different extremes. Some of them are completely striped while others are banded; most of them have intense yellow heads! The future looks very good for Jungles, if you are a retic freak like us you have to have one of these guys in your collection. You may even recognize one of our Jungle retics wrapped around Jeff Corwin in one of his commercials on Animal Planet! A cutting-edge mutation to say the least!

Silver

The silver-gray head of the animal easily identifies this form of reticulated python. They have incredible iridescence when exposed to a bright light or sunlight, and brilliant orange eyes that give them a menacing appearance. They are not locality specific outside of the fact that no yellow headed retics come from Malaysia. Silvers can occur within a population of yellowheads: we have adult retics that will produce both forms. Most silver retics we see originate from Malaysia; they can become quite large if the dedication is put into them. Typical sizes range from 14 – 20′ within our strain. They are generally well behaved and if you raise them properly you should have a reliable monster some day!! Our largest is 20′ and growing.

Sulawesi

These serpents grow larger than almost any other retic that we have encountered! Their heads are noticeably larger than those of similar-sized animals; Sulawesis have the potential to grow very fast! This locality tends to be a bit more nervous and flighty than others, but in our experience Sulawesi animals also tame and settle down nicely with gentle, consistent handling. Our adults all originate from wild caught stock; it took long hours and hard work to finally establish their trust. Sulawesi retics are brilliantly colored with a velvety, rope-like dorsal pattern. The head is orangey yellow with a black line running from neck to nose. The eyes are pale gray/green. NERD achieved the first captive Sulawesi-to-Sulawesi breeding in 1997, hatching 26 gorgeous babies. At the time retics were just starting to become popular and we ended selling them all off at a wholesale rate…boo hoo. Fortunately we are again working with some lovely “classic” Sulawesi animals and look forward to reproducing this amazing locality for years to come.

Super Tiger

This color and pattern mutation is incredible. A large one is a breathtaking site with incredible colors and a stunning pattern. The Super Tiger is butter yellow with dark contrasting stripes that may run from half to the full length of the animal’s body. This dominant morph is the result of breeding Tiger retic to Tiger retic = 25% normal, 50% Tiger and 25% Super Tiger in the clutch. When bred to a normal phase retic all of the resulting hatchlings are Tigers. A Super Tiger X Tiger breeding yields half Tigers and half Super Tigers!! The next few seasons should bring an amazing palate of Super Tiger combinations, such as the Albino Super Tiger, Calico Super Tiger, and a few other surprises!

Tiger

This morph is responsible for a rekindled interest in reticulated pythons that has been building over the past decade. A very pretty pattern with soft yellow color and dorsal striping, this mutation was first proven in 1993. When Tiger retics surfaced a few people took notice and attempted to breed them; as they produced first generation babies they simultaneously produced some sweet, gentle captives. Tigers mark the first designer reticulated python bred in captivity. They are generally quite tractable animals that are the visible heterozygous mutation of the Super Tiger retic. When bred to a normal phase retic 50% of the offspring are visible Tigers. Contrary to what some people say they can grow to be quite large; our largest is now over 20′ and has a lot more growing to do. Striped and lace pattern variations are available within this mutation, and these animals are typically priced according to appearance. We have bred the Tiger strain into our Calico strain; the future looks very good for some new, unique pythons involving the Tiger gene.

White Calico

So amazing she deserves a page all her own, this beautiful animal represents a very unique calico form. Her base coloration is a blinding platinum-silver white, with soft yellow and denim-blue markings, and a patch of dark gray scales on the head. This lovely lady is affectionately known as “Poison Ivy” here at NERD, and bred to our Axanthic male she has produced two clutches of Granite-Backed offspring. We are very excited at the possibility of breeding her back to one of her heterozygous sons to produce more of these exquisite white gems in the future. A dream come true for any Calico retic fan!

Click here for a Flickr: Reticulated Python search

Google Images is also a good place to look for pictures of the reticulated python. Many of the sites that come up in a Google search are full of fun media and interesting information.

Click here for a Google Images: Reticulated Python search

If you’re looking for stock photography (images that you can pay for, download and use professionally), then Shutterstock is a great place to start!

Click here for a Shutterstock: Reticulated Python search

Kid Rides Giant Python (YouTube)
“A small boy in Cambodia has made friends with a 5 meter-long Burmese python. Let’s hope it lasts.”

Sun Fire Reticulated Python from Mike Wilbanks on ReptilesTV (YouTube)
“Mike Wilbanks of Constrictors.com shows off a stunning Sunfire Reticulated Python for the viewers of ReptilesTV. For more go to: http://www.reptilestv.com or http://www.constrictors.com”

Encounter with reticulated python in the rainforest Borneo (YouTube)
“Travel and Animals”

Platinum Citron Reticulated Python (YouTube)
“Jay begins the series with a look at a recently hatched clutch of Citron Reticulated Pythons. This is just a glimpse into the videos to come, so make sure to stay tuned.”

The Crocodile Hunter Diaries: Reticulated Python (Animal Planet)
“Steve Irwin and staff tend to an injured reticulated python at the Australia Zoo.”
Click here for video!

These links will hopefully help you out!

exoticpets.About.com: good information on what to expect when owning a reticulated python

Associated Content: explores the question, Is owning a snake right for you?

Wikipedia: comprehensive information on the reticulated python and its behavior, habitat and feeding schedule

Answers.com: information from their animal encyclopedia; good resource