The numbers
Thermal gradient
Day: a real gradient, 32–34°C warm against 27–31°C cool, so the animal chooses. Night: 26–27°C.
Why
Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.
The sheet stateswarm 32-34 °C / cool 27-31 °C / night 26-27 °C
Humidity
The sheet statesaround 60%, with occasional spikes higher during misting
UVB
The sheet statesZoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0 or Arcadia T5 HO Forest 6% | Achieve a UVI of 2.0-3.0 in the basking area
Identity
Enclosure and conditions
Enclosure
Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.
Why
The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».
The sheet statesLength = snake length | Width = half snake length | Height = as tall as possible | 8'L x 4'W x 4'H mesh-top reptile enclosure (preferably larger)
What your climate adds
This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.
Diet
Feeding rhythm
Twenty-eight days, one row. Each band is a meal window. The sheet gives several ages on one line; this is the adult figure.
Why
The windows widen as they go because the interval is a range: four meals after a 10–14 day cycle land anywhere between day 40 and day 56.
The sheet statesAfrican soft-furred rats, domestic rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, quail, pheasants, chickens, ducks, piglets, lambs, Reptilinks | Hatchlings (<1 year) — every 1-2 weeks | Juveniles (1-2 years) — every 2-3 weeks | Young adults (3-4 years) — every 3-4 weeks | Adults (>4 years) — every 4-6 weeks
Good to know
- Can go many months without eating and detect prey heat with lip pits.
Common questions
Is this one dangerous to keep at home?
Treat it as a serious animal. It is enormously heavy and powerful as an adult, so we insist on two competent adults present for any handling once it is large.
How big does it get?
Females commonly pass four metres and become extremely thick and heavy. The weight is what surprises people more than the length.
People say they are calm. Is that true?
Most are calm compared to a retic, which is exactly the danger. People get relaxed with a huge snake that still has a very strong feeding response.
How long does it live?
Twenty years or more is normal. That is a two-decade commitment to a very large animal, so think about space before you buy.
What it needs
Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation.
Sources
Others in this group
What this sheet states
This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.
UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.