Reptile Series: Pythons - Care and Husbandry
What you'll learn
- How to identify and assemble the correct enclosure set-up for your python.
- Ensure your enclosure environment including heating, lighting and humidity, meets the needs of your python.
- How and when to feed your python, including techniques for fussy feeders and other feeding issues.
- Understand and identifying natural python behaviour.
- How to handle your python safely, how and when to use handling tools to assist.
- How to stimulate a python's senses through enrichment.
- Safe practices including enclosure and personal hygiene, and how to transport your python safely.
- Understand common health conditions, why they might occur and how to deal with them, identify the signs and reduce the risk of illness.
- Learn about when to quarantine a snake and the quarantine enclosure set-up.
Requirements
- There are no prerequisites to taking this course.
Description
This course covers all the basic requirements you need to meet in order to create the correct environment for your python to live in, plus more advanced information to assist you with developing a better understanding and relationship with your python.
You will also learn about stress in snakes, health issues, as well as feeding and handling techniques. Whether you are new to keeping pythons, or have kept pythons for a while but would like to increase your knowledge and expertise, this is the course for you.
Master correct captive care and create an optimal environment for your python
· Consider different types of enclosures
· Learn about correct lighting, heating and enclosure furnishings
· Understand how your python eats and learn different feeding techniques
· Recognise python behaviour and master handling techniques
· Identify stress factors and reduce the risk of illness
· Enrichment for your python
Troubleshooting: Preventing and overcoming common problems
I will talk you through problems that may arise with your python, how to recognise and address them. You will finish this course with a greater understanding of your python and methods to reduce your python’s stress and risk of illness.
Contents and Overview
During the course I will show you video footage and images to demonstrate each topic. This course contains 48 lectures and over 3 hours of video content.
I have added some practical exercises, quizzes and printable resources to help you.
At the beginning of this course I start by introducing you to the many different python species of the world. I give an introduction into keeping these snakes in captivity, and the importance of record keeping for your captive animal. Then we delve into enclosure requirements.
In the feeding section we talk about how and when to feed your python, tackling fussy feeders and pythons that totally refuse to eat, as well as over-feeding issues.
In the safe handling section I will demonstrate how to approach and handle your python, techniques for handling more defensive and aggressive snakes, and what to do if you get bitten.
Pythons like any other animal, can carry bacteria and parasites, so I have included a section about enclosure cleaning and personal hygiene to help you prevent illness and avoid cross-contamination.
Then finally we will go through health issues that can arise with your python and how to deal with them, including quarantining.
Note this course is specifically about keeping pythons, and therefore not all the information in this course will apply to keeping other types of snakes.
Who this course is for:
- Snake owners
- New and beginner python keepers
- People who have been keeping pythons for a while and want to increase their knowledge about correct care and husbandry
Course content
- Preview02:52
- Preview01:59
- 11:06Pythons of the world
- 00:05Downloadable factsheet: Pythons of the world
- 01:51Record keeping
- 00:02Downloadable resource: Record keeping example template
Instructor
![Steve Crawford](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 5.0 Instructor Rating
- 21 Reviews
- 194 Students
- 2 Courses
Steve has been keeping and breeding snakes for more than 30 years both in the UK and Australia. He got his first Garter snake when he was a young boy and his passion for snakes (and all things reptile) grew from that point on.
Whilst keeping his own collections of pet reptiles, Steve also spent a great deal of time as a child and young adult gaining hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge from expert snake keepers.
Having owned all of the different pythons of the world over the years, and successfully bred many of them, Steve is extremely well placed to instruct and guide others on their journeys, whether that be as the beginner hobbyist wanting to get their first snake, or the seasoned reptile keeper looking for effective tips to build on their own experience and collections.
In recent years Steve has become most passionate about enrichment for animals kept in captivity, and wants to encourage every keeper to ensure their animals not only have their basic care needs met, but also have the best quality of life possible, and that means enriching their lives by activating their senses with positive experiences.
Inevitably, with the years of experience Steve has, comes his fair share of disappointments when things within his collections haven’t gone as planned. Every reptile enthusiast has those times when things go wrong, it may be the result of keeper error or something that could not have been foreseen or prevented, but whatever the reason these are all learning opportunities. Steve decided to create these courses because he is highly motivated to help other keepers and breeders avoid some of the common pitfalls and errors, and ensure the best care is being provided to reptiles in captivity.
Steve is well-known and well-regarded by many in the reptile industry. He is also co-founder of the Aussie Wildlife Show podcast which you can find on Podbean, or via other podcast providers, and on all social media as Aussie Wildlife Show.
Check out Steve’s reptile website, Instagram and Facebook pages for Prestige Pythons, and his Youtube channel, The Reptile Plus Network.