Aspidites

The genus Aspidites comprises two of the best captives a keeper could desire. The Blackheaded python is the larger and rarer of the two and is best known for their glossy black head and neck. This python is found over the northern third of Australia, allowing for a great range of diversity by locality. Considered to be specialist feeders upon other reptiles in the wild, captive Blackheads can be fed a diet of rodents. This change over requires time, so patience must be practiced when waiting for hatchlings to be available. The readiness of juveniles to feed is a totally individual trait. Some may feed right after the first shed and present no problems while some may require assist feeding for up to one year. Once eating a diet of rodents however, Blackheads are greedy and eager eaters and never will experience a problem feeding again in their lifetime. Several very exciting mutations have occurred with Blackhead pythons in recent years including albinism, axanthicism, hypomelanism and several pattern-based phases. These, combined with already tremendous diversity ensure many years of exciting Blackhead projects for keepers to work with.

In some ways, the Woma can be thought of as the opposite of the Blackhead. Womas are smaller, overall more brightly colored and are generalists feeders in the wild. The Woma is found throughout the central belt of Australia and, like the Blackhead, is known for remarkable diversity from locale to locale. This python is easy to house, simple to feed and can possess incredible beauty. Herpetocultural advances have produced a surge of Womas to the buying public, but great care must be taken to ensure the purchase of the finest animals. Because of the wide variety of colors and patterns, this python has become one for the true aficionado and the best specimens should never be compared to average animals frequently available at low prices. With Womas, one truly gets what you pay for, but it's not a huge price range. Why would you want to buy a $300 python that will grow up to become muddy brown and olive green when you can spend $450 and get one that will grow up to be lemon-yellow with brilliant orange banding? Several new morphs of Womas are currently in development here and in other facilities that are going to really open the door for selective breeding efforts and show the world how beautiful these pythons can be. Some of the projects we are working on here include shatter-pattern, hypomelanistic, striped and tiger morphs.

Womas