Bredl’s Python (Morelia bredli)

Difficulty: Advanced

Bredl’s pythons are cathemeral, semi-arboreal snakes native to Northern Territory, Australia. Their preferred habitat is characterized by dry forest, rocky gorges, and shrubland, and tends to be warmer and drier than where you find other Morelia species.

As a type of carpet python, Bredl’s pythons are constrictors with a typical peanut-shaped head, vertical pupils, visible heat pits on the lips, narrow neck, and a muscular body. They can be quickly distinguished from other carpet pythons by their unique coloring, which is a red- to gold-brown with an overlaying pattern of dark-outlined cream bands and spots, and the belly is cream to yellow with darker markings. Adult length is usually between 6.5-7’, but larger individuals are known.

Bredl’s pythons can make highly engaging and eye-catching pets for people with the space to keep them. Expect this pet to live 20+ years with good care.

What You Need for a Bioactive Bredl’s Python Enclosure:

• 7’L x 3’W x 3’H front-opening enclosure, or larger
• Arcadia Ceramic Reflector Clamp Lamp 5.5", x4
• 75w Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp, x4
• 34” Arcadia Forest 6% T5 HO UVB bulb
• 36” Bio Dude Solar Grow T5 HO Single Bulb Light Strip
• Bio Dude Glow & Grow LED with Adapter and Props, 24”, x3
• Bio Dude Terra Sahara Bioactive Kit 4’x2’x2’, x2
• Bearded Dragon Clean Up Crew Kit, x2
• 6” pot Elephant Feed plant, x2
• 4” pot Aloe Vera plant, x3
• 8” pot Ponytail Palm plant
• Exo Terra 2qt Pressure Sprayer Mister
• Bio Dude Terra Bowl, large
• Large *Show Grade* Cork Bark Tube 24" - 32", x3
• Large *Show Grade* Cork Bark Flat 24" - 32", x2
• Sandblasted Ghostwood Branch, x2
• Bio Dude Digital Thermometer / Hygrometer, x2
• Zoo Med Stainless Steel 10" Curved Feeding Tongs

Terrarium Size

When it comes to choosing a terrarium for pet reptiles, keep in mind that larger is always better! Bredl’s pythons are active snakes, and since they’re semi-arboreal, they need plenty of room both in terms of height and floor space. This means that for housing an adult Bredl’s python long-term, the enclosure must be no smaller than 7’L x 3’W x 3’H, although taller is strongly advised.

Can multiple Bredl’s pythons be housed in the same enclosure?

Bredl’s pythons are not a particularly social species, so there’s no need to worry about this pet getting lonely without a roommate. Furthermore, housing two or more of these snakes together requires a lot more space in order to provide the resources necessary to mitigate competition and stress. Bottom line: Keep just one Bredl’s python per enclosure.

Lighting

Bredl’s pythons are known to be active during the day, so it’s particularly beneficial to provide plenty of light during daytime to help support their mental health. Although they are capable of surviving without UVB lighting, it’s best practice to include it as part of the snake’s setup so they can still reap the benefits. Our goal as good reptile keepers is not to simply allow our pets to survive — it is to do everything in our power to enable them to thrive. And there is mounting scientific evidence that UVB is, in fact, beneficial to carpet pythons and other snakes!

We recommend installing one of the following UVB bulbs above the terrarium mesh at the listed distance:

• Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% or Zoo Med T5 HO 5.0 — 9-12”
• Arcadia T5 HO Desert 12% or Zoo Med T5 HO 10.0 — 14-18”

Why do you need to pay attention to the distance between your lamp and the basking platform/branch? It’s because UVB strength decreases with distance from the bulb, so measuring distance is important to get the right exposure. The right basking UVI for a Bredl’s python is 2.0-3.0. The abovementioned distances are an estimate, so it’s best to check actual UVI strength with a Solarmeter 6.5 if you can.

The bulb must be mounted in a reflective fluorescent fixture, not an under-counter light fixture from the hardware store. For the above listed bulbs and basking distances, use the Arcadia ProT5 fixture or Bio Dude Solar Grow T5 HO Light Strip. The bulb must be long enough to cover about 1/3 to 1/2 of the enclosure’s length and overlapping with the heat lamps. So for a 7’ long enclosure, you will want a 34” T5 HO UVB.

If your enclosure has a mesh top, it’s best to install the UVB fixture on top of the enclosure. If it does not, it’s best to also install a mesh lamp guard such as the Arcadia LampGuardPro over it so the snake can’t come into direct contact with the bulb.

Your UVB bulb must be replaced every 12 months to maintain its output. Also resist the temptation to use other brands — when it comes to UVB, brand matters!

Finally, you will also need a plant light to better simulate daytime brightness and encourage healthy plant growth. We recommend the Bio Dude Glow & Grow LED light strip for this purpose, long enough to span most of the enclosure’s length.

Heating

Because Bredl’s pythons are reptiles, they need a range of temperatures within their enclosure so they can regulate their own body temperature as needed. Areas of heat speed up their metabolism and promote activities like digestion and healing. Cool areas slow the metabolism and promote activities like rest and energy conservation.

Your Bredl’s python’s basking surface temperature should be between 98-104°F, and the cool side should be between 82-84°F. Create the basking area by placing a platform or sturdy branch below the lamps. Nighttime temperatures should not drop lower than 73°F.

Many carpet python keepers will recommend using heat pads as the snake’s primary source of heat, but heat pads don’t work well in a bioactive enclosure, nor do they work well in a tall semi-arboreal setup.  Instead, use a cluster of heat bulbs like the 75w Arcadia Halogen Heat Lamp in small dome heat lamps.

Turning off your heat lamps should be enough to create the right nighttime temps, but if your house gets cold at night, you will need radiant heat panel to supplement with lightless heat. Radiant heat panels should always be connected to a proportional (dimming) thermostat like Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics to maintain the right temperature and prevent them from overheating.

To monitor the temperatures in your snake’s enclosure, place one digital probe thermometer in the basking area, and another on the floor of the cool end.

Humidity

Bredl’s pythons are a semi-arid species, so they don’t need particularly high humidity. Maintain an average ambient humidity of <50%, but the snake must still have access to at least one humid hideout/burrow at all times. This hide should be placed on the cool half of the enclosure and lined with moistened sphagnum moss or substrate.

Occasional spikes in humidity from misting or watering the plants is safe and likely beneficial — the key is just to let the enclosure dry out afterward.

Substrate

To create a Bredl’s python vivarium, you will need a bioactive-compatible substrate. That means things like aspen shavings or coconut husk aren’t going to work. You need a soil-like mix that mimics the conditions of your snake’s natural habitat. You can try making your own with a base mix of 50% plain topsoil, 3-040% play sand, and 10-20% coarse gravel (measured out by weight). Or, you can let The Bio Dude do the work for you with the Terra Sahara Bioactive Kit.

Because you’re setting up a bioactive habitat, you will need to mix and layer the substrate with paper bark pieces, sphagnum moss, and leaf litter. For best results, combine with an appropriate amount of Bio Dude Bio Shot soil inoculant.

Finally, in order to make the substrate functional, make sure to add drought-tolerant CUC organisms like powder blue/orange isopods, giant canyon isopods, and temperate springtails. You can also add other species like blue death-feigning beetles!

**Remember, bioactive setups are best suited for long-term housing, not grow-out enclosures. If you’re using a grow-out enclosure for your juvenile Bredl’s python, it’s best to use a disposable substrate until it’s ready to graduate to its long-term setup. Suitable disposable substrates for Bredl’s pythons include a sand/soil mix without additives or just plain sand. Solid and liquid waste should be removed as soon as they are noticed, as well as all contaminated substrate.

Decorating the Enclosure

Enclosure décor is more than just making your setup look nice. It’s also an important part of providing environmental enrichment to your Bredl’s python, which enhances your pet’s quality of life by providing opportunities to express natural behaviors, explore, and exercise. In other words, this aspect of setting up the enclosure is just as important as every other part of this care sheet.

Here are some ideas for ways that you can decorate and enrich your Bredl’s python’s bioactive enclosure:

• cork logs
• sturdy branches
• sturdy, drought-tolerant live plants
• sturdy artificial plants
• additional hides

Good candidates for live plants in a Bredl’s python enclosure include carex grass, agave, aloe, haworthia, aeonium, ponytail palm, elephant feed, and sanseveria.

Make sure to arrange the enclosure in such a way that provides plenty of both climbing material and cover to help the snake feel comfortable and secure in its environment. Branches must be firmly secured to the walls or floor of the enclosure to prevent them from collapsing under your snake and causing injury!

Feeding Your Bredl’s Python

Bredl’s pythons are obligate carnivores, which means that they must eat whole animals in order to get the nutrition they need. There is no replacement. Here is a rough sketch of how often you should be feeding your snake, based on age: 

• Established juveniles should be fed once every 10-14 days
• Adults should be fed once every 3-4 weeks

Variety is essential to complete nutrition. Aside from the usual mice and rats, you can add variety to your snake’s diet with appropriately-sized hamsters, gerbils, African soft-furred rats, guinea pigs, chicks, quail, and Reptilinks. Do not offer live prey if it can be avoided. Choose feeders that are approximately 10% of your snake’s weight or less than 1.5x the girth of your snake at widest.

Frozen feeders should be completely thawed to 100°F before offering. Feed your snake inside its enclosure, not outside. Contrary to the myth, feeding inside does not make snakes more aggressive. However, use feeding tweezers to offer the prey, not your hand, in order to prevent accidental strikes.

Handling Tips

After bringing your new pet home, do not handle it until it is eating regularly. This can take anywhere from two weeks to two months, so be patient and use this time to make sure your husbandry is on point. Once your snake is ready for handling, handle it at least 1-2x weekly to keep it accustomed to you, but no more than once daily. Handling is also a good way to encourage your snake to exercise and provide additional enrichment!

Wash Your Hands First

Before you pick up your snake, first wash your hands with soap or hand sanitizer. This removes potentially harmful bacteria, viruses, or parasites from your hands, as well as makes your hands smell distinctly inedible. Carpet pythons can be enthusiastic predators, so if your hand smells like food, it might get treated like food.

How to Pick Up a Snake

Next, use a paper towel roll to tap its head (gently). This sets expectations by letting the snake know that it’s time for handling, not food. Pick it up with two hands, one behind the head and one supporting the rest of the body. NEVER pick up a snake by its tail — this can really hurt their spine!

Safety with Snakes

Always supervise children closely when they are handling a pet snake (or any kind of pet, frankly). This is as much for the snake’s safety as it is for the child’s. Keep the snake’s head away from your face, and always wash your hands and arms with soap or hand sanitizer after handling.

DO NOT Handle If…

Don’t handle your snake within 48 hours of a meal, as this can stress them out and lead to regurgitation, which is a traumatic experience that can actually lead to death. Also do not handle if your pet’s eyes have turned opaque or cloudy. This means that the snake is preparing to shed and can’t see well, making them more jumpy than usual and more likely to bite out of self-defense.

Care information courtesy of ReptiFiles.

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