Breeding animal
Species
Northern African Rock Python
A very large African python found in savannah, woodland edges, rocky country and habitats close to water.
Our collection
Breeding animals of this species
JZ-ReptilesPhoto coming soon
Breeding animal
Clyde
Species profile
Northern African Rock Python Python sebae
Origin & natural range
Widespread across much of sub-Saharan Africa, where it uses savannah, woodland edges, rocky country, wetlands and habitats close to rivers and other permanent water.
General husbandry
Northern African rock pythons need a very large, extremely secure enclosure with strong hides, a proper temperature gradient and a generous water area. The setup must be built to cope with a heavy, powerful and active snake.
Key parameters
General guide: roughly 27–30 °C through the warm daytime zone with a local basking area around 32–34 °C and a mild night-time drop. Provide dry and more humid retreats plus a large, clean water area.
Space & enclosure
A very large, heavily built enclosure with secure double locking is recommended. Adults need plenty of usable floor space, strong resting areas and enough room to stretch, turn and move away when they choose.
Diet
In the wild: A broad range of mammals and birds; large animals can take correspondingly larger vertebrate prey.
In human care: Appropriately sized whole prey such as rats and, for large specimens, rabbits; controlled feeding and body-condition monitoring are important.
Conservation & CITES
Conservation status: CITES Appendix II (Python sebae). International transfers are subject to the relevant CITES and national documentation rules.
Special notes & safety
A very large, powerful python species. Some individuals can be highly defensive, so keeping and handling should only be done with a robust safety routine.
The husbandry information and space recommendations on this page are general guidance. Legal minimum requirements vary between countries and regions and must always be checked locally. Before buying any animal, please take the time to learn about the species in depth – you are welcome to ask us, and we also recommend good specialist literature. Husbandry should always be adapted to the species, locality, age, size and individual animal.
Skeleton of Northern African Rock Python
Natural range
