Pedigree of the albino tiger python, native habitats, features of appearance, behavior in nature, reproduction, advice on keeping at home. The world of snakes is perhaps one of the most mysterious and magical. There is such a huge number of these animals on the entire planet Earth that there is hardly such a person who could say with confidence that he knows them all by sight.
Previously, these living creatures lived exclusively in open nature and, looking at the most diverse and high-profile stories about how dangerous these creatures are, few could admit the idea of the possibility of having them as pets. But the planet does not stand still, with every century, year and even day, more and more new facts about these seemingly one of the most predatory living creatures in the world are revealed.
When reptiles began to decorate various zoos, at first people even looked at them with some fear, but over time, a lot has changed and some began to harbor a desire to see a snake in their home terrarium.
For some of us, such a desire may seem completely absurd, but there are people who have their own personal, completely different opinion. After all, a person who brings such a pet as a snake to his abode has probably read a lot of literature and knows that not all of them are cold-blooded killers. There are also non-venomous snakes in nature and, adhering to elementary safety rules, you can get a completely different pet.
For example - pythons. There are many different species of these snakes, and most of them do not pose any direct threat to humans. Looking through the Internet pages with which you can purchase such a miracle of nature, you will notice that there are a lot of pythons, so to speak, for every taste, and, perhaps, a wallet.
Most often, the tiger python settles in the human house - this is the most studied species of these reptiles. But if you want something completely original, not like everyone else's and are ready to shell out a lot of money for this pleasure, then turn your attention to an amazing creature - an albino tiger python. Such living creatures are born extremely rarely, so the possibility that your friend will have the same is almost equal to absolute zero.
The origin of the tiger python and its home territories
This reptile is a rather massive snake, which belongs to the genus true pythons and to the species of the same name. Also, following the scientific classification, this reptile belongs to the squamous order and the pseudopod family.
The natural habitat of this tiger "rope" is rather wide. It inhabits many countries of South and Southeast Asia, it is there that the python can be easily found in tropical forests, nearby marshy areas, among dense scrub thickets and even in open fields and rocky slopes.
Characteristics of the external appearance of the tiger python
Sometimes the dimensions of the body of this miracle of nature are simply captivating, on average, the length of the painted body varies in the range from 1 to 8 m, it all depends on age, gender, state of health, and, most importantly, on living conditions.
This handsome man received his name in all likelihood due to the unique ornament on the skin; at first glance, he sometimes resembles a pattern on the body of a tiger. The basic body tone of this reptile can be different, most often it is brownish-yellowish, sometimes with a slight olive tint. The main background is decorated with a large number of the most, that is, a variety of dark spots, which form a specific pattern on the scaly surface. A dark line begins from the nostrils of the animal, which in turn continues the interorbital region and ends in small specks in the projection of the neck. On his head, it is possible to notice another stripe, which is opposite to the first, it starts already from the visual organs and goes to the chin, crossing the shields of the upper lip. At the top of the head there is a dark spot, shaped like the base of an arrow.
Such a phenomenon as the congenital absence of any shade, which is found in all living organisms, but extremely rarely, is characterized by the absence of melanin pigment synthesis. But even if such a unique person is born in the wild, it is extremely difficult for him to survive, because he is very noticeable to all his enemies. The original pattern and skin color of ordinary reptiles is not a decoration, but a way to hide from unwanted guests. If in humans this is considered a developmental defect, then in animals it is a feature for which exotic lovers are ready to pay fabulous sums. The albino python is no exception. For this rare specimen, lovers of unique reptiles are ready to pay over $ 15,000 (in comparison, an ordinary tiger python will be valued from 5,000 to 40,000 rubles).
Behavior of the albino brindle python in open nature
This type of pythons differs from a large number of their relatives by their particular slowness and even, one might say, laziness. He spends most of his free time in different secluded corners, as such he uses holes made in advance by other animals, holes in old rotten trees, large thickets of reeds and bushes, and sometimes he can simply wrap himself up in fallen leaves. One of the hobbies of such snakes is swimming; they can spend most of the day in water bodies, enjoying the sun and water, so for their residence they often choose areas where there is a river or lake nearby. Also, the tiger python climbs trees very skillfully, although this is rarely resolved.
The period of activity for this patterned false-legged is at night, but if the snake begins to understand that it is not so easy to get food on its territory at night, it can go hunting in the early morning or shortly before dusk.
The main food products in nature for albino pythons are various rodents, birds, and even miniature ungulates and monkeys. The literature describes cases when a tiger snake attacked jackals and even leopards. Also, during their existence in our world, there have been cases when they attacked people, but no one knows whether they wanted to use a person, as a dinner, or just defended themselves from him.
Pythons are non-venomous snakes, therefore, they, of course, can bite, but teeth are one of the types of their "weapons" in the process of hunting, but no poison is released. They usually crush their prey with their body, and there is certainly something to strangle, except that the size of an adult of this scaly is simply huge, so also nature has endowed them with great strength and power.
Continuation of the genus of the albino tiger python
There are no special fundamental differences between the female and male albino brindle python, this also applies to the color and parameters of the body.
Some differences can be noticed. considering the tail processes of reptiles, in the male snake it is longer, you can also see a characteristic thickening at the basal part, starting from the anus, the tail has the shape of a regular cylinder, and towards the end it transforms and resembles a cone. In females, the tail has no structural features and is tapered throughout. Another sign of the male sex is the presence of specific, large in size, claw-like outgrowths on the hind limbs, which are located on both sides of the anus; in females they are much smaller in size and not so noticeable. The pythons belonging to the female half differ slightly in the size of the body - they are larger and more massive than the stronger sex.
A distinctive feature of these snakes is that females reach puberty much later than males, which is extremely rare. The age of a python female, when it can be considered sexually mature, is 3, 5–4 years, in males, the ability to reproduce is formed at about 2, 5–3 years. The mating season for these reptiles usually begins in November, sometimes in the first days of winter. Females tend to lay eggs, the number of eggs that make up one clutch is very different, on average, this number is from 10 to 110 pieces, usually this figure is 50-60. When the expectant mother has laid all her eggs in the place where she will expect the birth of her cubs, she carefully folds her large body around the clutch. Having seated herself on the nest with her mass, the female, thus, protects her future pythons from the attack of predators and from the cold. She also warms the eggs with her body, with the help of rhythmic muscle contractions. The incubation period is approximately 2–2, 5 months, all this time the responsible mother does not leave her nest a single step and does not even feed.
Keeping tiger python, home care
If you wholeheartedly wish to contemplate such an extraordinary resident in your house every day, then you can be calm, caring for him does not require any supernatural efforts, except perhaps some financial waste, but acquiring such an animal, you must be ready for this.
The first point for a comfortable and safe living under the same roof with such a huge reptile will be the construction of its personal living space, so that another roof separates you from it, but already above its head. Usually, in people's homes, all reptiles settle in pre-purchased terrariums. Going to a pet store, immediately think to what maximum size your pupil can grow in the future, taking this indicator into account and you need to choose a house for him. After all, you want to provide your python with comfort, and for this he needs a sufficient amount of personal space so that he does not constantly lie curled up in a ball, but has the opportunity to stretch his graceful body while walking through his possessions.
In order to bring your home conditions as close as possible to the conditions of its natural habitat, it is advisable to enrich the interior of the snake's personal living space with various branches, trees, snags and, very importantly, shelters. You can also install several wooden shelves - for this your pet will also be grateful to you.
An equally important attribute that a tiger python should have in a house is a pool with clean water. Firstly, it is necessary to maintain optimal air humidity, and secondly, your pseudopod will plunge there if desired, and during molting it can spend almost all of its free time from sleep there, and, of course, drink water from there.
A coarse substrate is better used as a floor covering, since the albino python can inhale or eat fine sand or fine sawdust, which promises unpleasant problems with the health of the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract. In the event that you use natural substrates, they need to be changed regularly in order to prevent unwanted neighbors from settling in the form of various parasites. Such a not entirely successful neighborhood can also leave an irreparable imprint on the health state of the false-legged organism that is dear to you. In principle, this type of scaly is not famous for its love of burrowing in the ground or digging holes on its own, then to simplify the care of the reptile, you can cover the floor with filter paper or linoleum, this measure will help to maintain heat in the house of your dangerous tenant.
When you buy a terrarium, it is recommended to immediately buy the necessary installations to ensure optimal climatic conditions for your friend.
The temperature in his personal room during the daytime should be at least 32-34 degrees, while at night it is recommended to maintain the indicators within the range of 23-26 degrees. As heating devices, you can use a thermal cord and a thermal mat, if the terrarium is of the size you need, it may be a little difficult for you to find, then these devices are in every pet store. It is necessary to install heating devices in one corner of the reptile's personal room, so you will get completely different thermal conditions in the entire terrarium, which will leave your albino tiger python to choose the climate suitable for him at one time or another of the day. It is not recommended to use heat stones or ordinary incandescent lamps. If they are incorrectly installed, then your snake can get a severe burn, which will be very stressful for it, it may not die from this, but such a shock can have a very negative effect on mental health, and as a result, on your behavior, and without that unpredictable pet.
The optimal coefficient of air humidity is an equally important component of the favorable life of any reptile in an artificial environment. As for pythons, the minimum humidity in their house should be about 80–85%, and during molting it would be better to increase it to 90–95%. Of course, you can maintain these values yourself by regularly spraying the snake's dwelling. But nevertheless, it would be better to purchase a rain installation in a specialized store, which has the ability to turn on when needed, or a fog generator.
Molting is an integral procession in the life of every reptile, it is a kind of wardrobe change, but only for our smaller friends. The frequency of molting directly depends on the age of the tiger snake. If the pythons are young, then they molt quite often, at least once a month, and sometimes more often. Adults, on the other hand, change their "clothes" about once every six months. This is due to the fact that baby snakes grow quite actively, and, like small children, very quickly their "suits" become small, so they have to throw them off more and more often. Older individuals change their skin when the old one has lost its presentation.
During this habitual process, the python is most often very sluggish, with a sickly appearance and a completely lack of appetite - you should not be afraid of this, as soon as your friend refreshes his appearance, everything will immediately fall into its usual place.
In some countries of the world, fallen snake skin is a symbol of wealth and good luck, therefore many of the inhabitants of these states wear a piece of python skin in their wallet, sincerely believing that this particular attribute will attract wealth to their home. As the main food for your kind of home pupil, the most variegated animals of the appropriate size are perfect. These can be mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, quails and chickens. The frequency and number of meals will vary depending on the age of the python. Young representatives of reptiles should be treated a little more often - about once every 4–5 days, there should be at least 3 mice per meal, while adults are fed once every 9–11 days, the approximate amount of food is 8–14 rats, or 1– 2 rabbits. As additives, you can give them eggshells, it will enrich the growing body of your pet with calcium, and from time to time it is recommended to feed it with various vitamin complexes to strengthen the health of the snake as a whole.
More about the tiger python in the following video:
