Purple albino Mainland Reticulated Python
At only 3 years old Lilith was already 12 feet long and more than 30lbs. She is an excellent example of the massive size potential in the female mainland reticulated pythons. Lilith is a purple albino – the purple albino gene gives her this spectacular contrast between the yellows and purple gray.
Her pictures below show several important things to consider if you plan on getting one of the large snakes. Make sure you have a secure enclosure that is large enough for them to feel safe in, and that they can not escape from. This enclosure is already too small for Lilith and an upgrade is being built in the large python room at Snake Haus.
The middle picture below shows the type of bin we use for holding her when cleaning her enclosure or travel to and from educational programs. It must be lockable and secure to prevent escape, and keep her safe. This picture also shows a bit of hook training technique. Don’t forget to always use a hook for large snakes like this. The hook is used to gently pet her before being picked up. It lets let her know that it is time to come out for handling and be social rather than time to eat. This technique is a vital part of keeping these giants!
Go to “Hides” in the education pages to watch a video of how Sara uses the hook to initiate a handling session with Lilith.
UPDATE: Lilith has been moved into an enclosure upgrade. She is now in the large python room at snake house and is using one of the 7x3x2′ enclosures. You can see her below in the lowest enclosure. She will still need another upgrade in the future and plans are in the works for building her a 10×4′ enclosure. Check back in the future to see her next upgrade!
UPDATE: Lilith has been given another upgrade. She is still growing rapidly and is now almost 50lbs. Her new enclosure is 11 feet long so she has lots of room to stretch out.