Kritter's Crumble

Out and About with Brad in Singapore

Brad — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 08:01:23 +0000

Out & About in Singapore, September 2012

Early in September 2012 I took a flight to Singapore for the ICZ International Congress of Zookeeping. The conference was held at Jurong Bird Park and Singapore Zoo. In case you don’t know me, I have been keeping reptiles for over 30 years privately on the outskirts of Sydney. I have had a fruitful career as a Zookeeper/Curator for the past 25 years. The reason for my visit to Singapore was to deliver a 15 minute presentation to Zookeepers from all over the world on a course I will be running online in February 2013 called Zoological Horticulture.

There were many highlights. Visiting another country and meeting other Zookeepers from all over the world was great. However I love seeing new species of animals that I have not seen before. I was fortunate to get to go on a behind the scenes tour of the Reptile house at Singapore Zoo where I was able to handle a Spitting Cobra Naja naja nigricollis.

This is me handling a Spitting Cobra at Singapore Zoo. This is not a common occurrence at the Zoo. I was fortunate to get special approval to do so.

Singapore is about 6300 kms from Sydney (about 7 hours, 20 minutes flying). It is at the Southern end of mainland Malaysia. It has very unique plants and animals. Singapore also boasts some of the best Zoos in the world. There are 4 worth mentioning: Jurong Bird Park, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and another currently being built, which will be awesome. It will display the eight major rivers of the world. Now I did not get as much time to go out looking for frogs and reptiles as I would have liked, however I look forward to going back.

The Oriental Whip Snake Ahaetulla prasine from South and South East Asia including Singapore. I spotted one in a tree outside of Singapore Zoo.

Two Malayan Horned Frog Megophrys nasuta mating Singapore Zoo.

Overall I had a great trip even though I was only there for a week. Singapore is only very small compared to Malaysia. It is very dense with large commercial areas and condensed apartments. It has a population around 5 million people. So to really find animals in this country you need to visit National parks and natural areas, which are becoming more scare.

Nevertheless, I would highly recommend a visit! Bye for now from Brad’s Snake Pit.

Australian Pythons, Under the Microscope: North Western Carpet Python

Brad — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 07:57:12 +0000

Hi and Welcome to Brad’s Pit!

Over the years I have visited the top end of Australia, particularly in and around Darwin a number of times. In my Zookeeping days I was given the task of flying to Darwin to visit Janamba Croc farm where I had to select a large estuarine and three small Freshwater Crocodiles for the Wildlife Park where I worked.

This is Nuukur a large 4 metre Saltwater croc that I hand picked and transported from Darwin to Featherdale Wildlife Park NSW where he is still housed today.

When I think of Darwin I think of the North Western Carpet, which is a stunningly beautiful python.

An Adult male NW Carpet.

Enclosure Size:

The suggested size should be Length x 1200mm Depth x 600mm x Height x 1200mm. I also like to keep them outside in large enclosures during the warmer months (October to February) This species is highly arboreal: it loves to climb. So give it plenty of climbing branches and places to wrap around branches and bask in the sunlight. The best temperature gradient for this species is 17 degrees celsius in Winter and up to 36 degrees celsius in Summer.

Diet:

Adult: Medium to large rats, Adult king quail, small chickens, small to medium rabbits. Normally fed one times weekly. Juveniles: Fuzzy mice, day old rats or 2 day old quail

Sexing:

Sex determination is by cloacal probe. Males to a depth of 10-15 sub-caudal scales, Females 3 to 5 sub-caudal scales

Breeding:

Mating takes place in June and July. Eggs are laid from late September to December in Australia.

Egg-laying:

Average Clutch size is 23 eggs. Incubation is 56 to 6 days.

Over the past 15 years this Carpet python species has produced a wide variety of unusual colours. In particular beautiful albinos are now widely available . I have kept this species for the past 10 years. It is easy to keep as a captive species.

Size:

Attaining a length between 2.0 metres ( up to 6 foot long) and reaching a weight of over 5 kilo.

Overall:

This is a medium-sized carpet python. The North Western Carpet or also known as the Darwin Carpet Python comes in a normal colour phase, a hypo melanistic colour phase and as Albinos.

A beautiful Albino Darwin Carpet Python


I hope you liked my North Western Carpet Pythons under the microscope! Any questions? Shoot them on over to our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below. Bye for now from Brad’s Pit.

Australian Pythons, Under the Microscope: Centralian Carpet Python

Brad — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:20:47 +0000

Australia is well-known around the world for its unique Flora (plants) and Fauna (animals). Equally abundant in Australia are its variety of unique Pythons. The Centralian Carpet Python was discovered in 1870 in and around Alice Springs, which is in the centre of Australia. This species’ colours reflects that of the red centre in the way of reds, oranges, yellows and creams. It’s a very popular medium to large size python among Australian reptile keepers, a snake that is also known as Bredles python.

An Adult Centralian Carpet Python

Enclosure Size:
The suggested size should be Length x 1200mm Depth x 600mm x Height x 1200mm. I also like to keep them outside in large enclosure during the warmer months (October to February). This saves on power costs (we all now how expensive that can be) and they are healthier and fitter for the experience.

Diet:
Adult: Medium to large rats, Adult king quail, small chickens, small to medium rabbits. Normally fed one times weekly. Juveniles: Fuzzy mice, day old rats or 2 day old quail.

Sexing:
Sex determination is by cloacal probe. Males to a depth of 10-13 sub-caudal scales, Females 5 to 7 sub-caudal scales.

Breeding:
Mating takes place in August to October. Eggs are laid from September to December in Australia.

Egg-laying:
Clutch size is 20 to 25 eggs. Incubation is 55 to 60 days.

Of all the Carpet python species, this one would have to be the largest. I have caught specimens in excess of 2 metres. However, it can be difficult to locate in and around the Macdonnell Ranges on the outskirts of Alice springs. I find this species to be an incredibly robust and compatible captive species.

West Macdonnell Ranges near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory Australia

The distribution for the Centralian Carpet Python

Size: Attaining a length between 1.8 to 2.4 metres ( under 6 to under 7 foot long) and reaching a weight of over 7 kilo.

Overall: Again, if you are a first time python owner in Australia, the Centralian Carpet Python has beautiful colours and comes in a normal colour phase or a hypo melanistic colour phase.

Wild Centralian pythons live in amongst rock crevices and hollows in tree near Alice Springs as seen here.

I hope you liked my Centralian Carpet Pythons under the microscope! Any questions? Shoot them on over to our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below. Bye for now from Brad’s Pit.

Australian Pythons: Some of Brad’s Favourite Photos

Brad — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:16:16 +0000

Hi and welcome to Brads Snake Pit. I have often been asked what I see in snakes. I guess it is like anything in life, everyone has different tastes and sees beauty in many different things. Some may really like a Red Ferrari. Others, the beautiful colours of coral on a reef. I myself really like the mystique, colours and patterns of a really pretty snake. So here are some of my favourite carpet python photos.

A beautiful Diamond Python. This species is found locally around Sydney.

A Striped Carpet Python.

A Black and White Cape Tribulation Carpet Python.

A Honey Jungle Carpet Python

A Black Headed Python

A Black and Gold Jungle Python

A Woma Python

I hope you liked my Pythons shots! Any questions? Shoot them on over to our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below. Bye for now from Brad’s Pit.

Australian Pythons, Under the Microscope: Jungle Carpet Python

Brad — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:15:30 +0000

Hi and Welcome to Brad’s Pit, short for Brad’s Snake Pit.

One of my favourite places to visit in Australia is the Rainforest of North Eastern Queensland. Rainforests provide a unique environment for a variety of Pythons, including the Black and Gold Jungle Carpet Python. These species’ colours reflects that of yellow, gold and black. The Jungle python is a stunningly colourful medium to large size python.

A Black and Gold Jungle Python

A Stunning Juvenile BGJ python

Enclosure Size:

The suggested size should be Length x 1200mm Depth x 600mm x Height x 1200mm. I also like to keep them outside in large enclosures during the warmer months (October to February) This species is highly arboreal, it loves to climb. So give it plenty of climbing branches and places to wrap around branches and bask in the sunlight. Although it lives in the Rainforest, this species does not like temperatures above 30 degress celcius.

Diet:
Adult: Medium to large rats, Adult king quail, small chickens, small to medium rabbits. Normally fed one times weekly. Juveniles: Fuzzy mice, day old rats or 2 day old quail

Sexing:
Sex determination is by cloacal probe. Males to a depth of 8-13 sub-caudal scales, Females 3 to 5 sub-caudal scales

Breeding:
Mating takes place in August to October. Eggs are laid from September to December in Australia.

Egg-laying:
Clutch size is 6 to 25 eggs. Incubation is 61 to 65 days.

Of all the Carpet python species, this one would have to be the most aggressive by nature. I have kept this species for over 20 years and I find they are snappy by nature due to the fact that they are found in the closed forests and are generally an ambush feeder. Ambush feeders tend to bite at anything that moves. This is a survival and feeding response. I find this species to be an incredibly robust and compatible captive species.

The distribution map for the Jungle Python

Size: Attaining a length between 1.8 to 2.4 metres ( under 6 to under 7 foot long) and reaching a weight of over 7 kilo.

Overall: Again, if you are a first time python owner in Australia, the Centralian Carpet Python has beautiful colours and comes in a normal colour phase or a hypo melanistic colour phase.

: Tully Gorge, QLD, provides suitable habitat for Black and Gold Jungle Python.

Under the Microscope: Inland Carpet Python

Brad — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:53:31 +0000

Hi and welcome back!

I keep a wide variety of Carpet Pythons, a group of snakes that is not only very popular in Australia but also around the world. I’d like to tell you a little more about the Inland Carpet Python variety.

Inland Carpet Python: Morelia spilota metcalfei

A two-year old Inland Carpet Python

Of all the Carpet Python species, this one would have to be considered the most placid. I believe that’s because it’s a foraging species that must cover larger distances to find food. These habits contribute to them being of a quiet nature, not like the Jungle python that is considered an ambush feeder having to strike basically at anything that moves. This species is found west of the great dividing range and throughout the Murray Darling River Basin.

The distrubution for the Inland Carept Python

Size:
Attaining a length between 1.5 to 2 metres (up to 6 foot long) and reaching a weight of over 2 kilo

Enclosure Size:
The suggested size should be Length x 1200mm Depth x 600mm x Height x 600mm.

Diet:
Adult: One medium rat or Adult king quail one times weekly. Juveniles: Fuzzy mice, day old rats or 2 day old quail

Sexing:
Sex determination is by cloacal probe. Males to a depth of 9-13 sub-caudal scales; females 3 to 5 sub-caudal scales

Breeding:
Mating takes place in August to October. Eggs are laid from September to December in Australia.

Egg-laying:
Clutch size is 15 to 20 eggs. Incubation is 50 to 60 days.

Overall:

Again, if you are a first time python owner in Australia, I highly rate the Inland Carpet Python mainly for their easygoing temperament and beautiful colours. Plus, they are easy to keep. A very underrated species. There are also a few nice variations coming through now for the hobbyist to acquire.

A granite inland carpet python. A popular variation.

Bye for now from Brad’s Pit.

Any questions? Shoot them on over to our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below.

Australian Pythons, Under the Microscope: Coastal Carpet Python

Brad — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:48:43 +0000

Hi and Welcome to Brad’s Pit, short for Brad’s Snake Pit.

For over 15 years a signature species of mine here in Australia has been the development of unique forms of the Carpet Python. I have particularly specialised in developing striped Coastal Carpet Pythons. Most Australian reptile keepers at some stage have kept this robust and colourful medium to large size python. This group of snakes is very popular in Australia but also around the world. I’d like to share my experiences and images on keeping Coastal Carpet Python myself!

Coastal Carpet Python: Morelia spilota mcdowelli

A typical looking Adult Coastal Carpet Python

A striped form of Coastal Carpet Python that I have been developing over the past 15 years.

Of all the Carpet python species, this one would have to be the largest. I have caught specimens in excess of 3 metres. However, in various locations up and down the East coast of Australia you can find smaller varieties reaching a length of around 2 metres or under. I find this species to be an incredibly robust and compatible captive species.

The distribution for the Coastal Carpet Python

Size:

Attaining a length between 2 to 3.4 metres ( 6 to 8 foot long) and reaching a weight of over 7 kilo

Enclosure Size:
The suggested size should be Length x 1200mm Depth x 600mm x Height x 1200mm.

Diet:
Adult: Medium to large rats, Adult king quail, small chickens, small to medium rabbits. Normally fed one times weekly. Juveniles: Fuzzy mice, day old rats or 2 day old quail

Sexing:
Sex determination is by cloacal probe. Males to a depth of 9-13 sub-caudal scales, Females 3 to 5 sub-caudal scales

Breeding:
Mating takes place in August to October. Eggs are laid from September to December in Australia.

Egg-laying:
Clutch size is 20 to 50 eggs. Incubation is 50 to 60 days.

An adult female that has just laid 50 eggs.

Overall: Again, if you are a first time python owner in Australia, I highly rate the Inland Carpet Python mainly for their easygoing temperament and beautiful colours. Plus, they are easy to keep. A very underrated species. There are also a few nice variations coming through now for the hobbyist to acquire.

A Hypo Melanistic Carpet Python

: A Beautiful Juvenile Striped Carpet Python

A lovely photo of a very pretty striped carpet python

I hope you liked my Coastal Carpet Pythons under the microscope! Any questions? Shoot them on over to our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below.

3 Kinds of Winter “Sleeps” In Australian Reptiles & Mammals

Brad — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:35:23 +0000

Hi and welcome to Brad’ Pit. It is currently very cold here at Brad’s Pit. It was -1 degree celcius this morning. We had a nice white frost on the lawn, though in Australia our winters are nowhere near as cold as other parts of the world. Nevertheless, I was chatting with a few reptile keepers a couple of weeks ago and the discussion came up as to why reptiles sleep (also known as Brumate) in the winter? So I thought I would post information about the three amazingly different types and natural processes of sleeping through the coldest season.

First an anecdote: last week I visited Coffs Harbour with the family for 4 days. We went to a lovely place called Muttonbird Island where we not only got to see Humpback whales migrating north, but also we saw a Blue-tongue lizard basking in the sun.

Last week I visited Mutton Bird Island near Coffs Harbour NSW

A Blue-tongue lizard basking in the sun.

Why was this Blue-tongue out sunning itself in the middle of winter? The Blue-tongue is COLD BLOODED and goes into Brumation, the equivalent in reptiles of mammalian hibernation. Brumating reptiles “shut down” their bodies and typically stop eating, drinking, and — once in full brumation — defecating. It’s a period of time that can last for several weeks to months depending on temperature. So if the temperature warms a little this can wake up your reptile, as was the case with the Blue-tongue I saw.

In Australia a wide variety of our mammals also sleep when it gets cold. This is called going into Torpor, sometimes called temporary hibernation because it is usually a short-term state of decreased physiological activity, usually characterized by a reduced body temperature and rate of metabolism. Some animals that do this are the Echidna, Mountain pygmy possum, Sugar and Squirrel gliders to name a few.

An adult Echidna.

Now the last term Hibernation. This is the dormant state in which certain animals SLEEP in the winter, marked by a sharp reduction in body temperature and metabolism. The ground Squirrel is a very good example of this.

A ground squirrel from California in the USA.

I hope you liked that little summary. I find it fascinating. Anyway I must go and get all my female Children’s pythons set up for laying eggs. Bye for now from Brad’s Pit!

Egg Laying Tip for Keepers of Children’s Pythons: It’s All In The Preparation

Brad — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:20:52 +0000

Hi and welcome to Brad’s Pit.

Well everyone, it is a busy time at Brad’s Pit. I have spent the day preparing containers for all my children’s pythons, which are due to lay eggs soon. Here is a photo of a Spotted Python. It belongs to the Genus Antaresia, also known as the Children’s python group.

An adult female spotted python.

Mating normally occurs from April to July. Females lay eggs from August to October. A couple of weeks before then, females get ready to lay eggs. This is how I prepare the egg laying containers.

1. Buy smallish black hides (20cm long x 16.5 cm wide x 8cm high) as seen in the photo and drill a small hole in the containers at the back.

Step 2. Prepare to join the two hides together with a cable tie.

Step 3.When the two containers are joined with a cable tie, half fill the base container with KRITTER’S CRUMBLE fine. The snakes love this substrate because it holds moisture, it is natural and they can shape it for egg laying.

Step 4. Place egg laying container in the snake enclosure ready for the female to investigate. After placing the container in the enclosure, I stay and watch for a while. The females really like this arrangement as it is black in colour and gives the female a sense of security. Pythons are very tactile so they like to be able to touch or grip an object, so these two small hides work well.

Egg laying normally occurs 21 to 25 days after a pre-lay shedding of skin. I am about two to three weeks away from up to 10 females laying eggs. I will keep you up to date on how this all goes.

Bye for now from Brad’s Pit. If you have any tips or questions on how to set up for your female snake to lay. Please feel free to post this on our Facebook page, give us a hiss on Twitter or post them in the comments below.

Brad to present a talk at the International Zookeepers Conference in Singapore, September 2012

Brad — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:43:46 +0000

Welcome to Brad’s Pit.

It is official! I am off to Singapore in September 2012 to give a talk on Zoological Horticulture. In summary, I will be talking about a new course I’m developing about the use of plants when it comes to animals.

I’m really looking forward to visiting the Singapore Zoo and Jurong Bird Park.

Singapore Zoo

I will keep you all posted on my progress. I am so excited, especially since I have never been to Singapore before. If we have any followers that can give me tips on where to go and what to see, it would be greatly appreciated!

Bye for now from Brad’s Pit.