Scrub Pythons(Simalia sp.)
Long before Scrub Pythons were something that anyone gave any attention to, I was fascinated by them. In the mid-90’s I had started keeping Moluccan Scrub Pythons(Simalia clastolepis) and classic Bar-neck Scrubs(Simalia amethistina). We had managed some captive breedings over the years and maintained a large, diverse collection. When we started importing that really opened up the doors to us for pulling in diversity within the species. Our collection started moving in other directions but this species eventually started gaining in popularity among hobbyists. I continued pushing my exporters for as many as they could get and it seemed that there were always scrubs here and new animals coming through our doors on a regular basis(and still are). Typically adults are cage aggressive but are fine once removed with a hook. These snakes can get quite large. They command respect and should only be owned by responsible keepers that have experience with larger snakes. The photos below represent a wide sample of the diversity that we have had the pleasure of keeping. In recent times, availability has become far less than what it was but DM Exotics has become the “go-to” and we have decades of experience keeping, acclimating and breeding. In addition, we are unique among the reptile industry as we have made it a goal to go and document Scrub Pythons in the wild…you can find these videos on our YouTube Channel. We have some new projects with new ideas so if scrub pythons have your interest, you will want to stay tuned. Please inquire for availability…
Papuan Spotted Pythons(Antaresia papuensis)
I tend to look at this as my “miracle project”. I had been aware of a spotted python occurring in Papua for quite some time with credit given to Mark O’Shea for making this accidental discovery while filming his television program “Mark O’Shea’s Big Adventure” in 2000. I had mentioned this snake a few times over the years with my exporter and he was also aware but it was always dismissed as something unlikely to ever come across. At some point, it was mentioned that there was a chance and three animals did make it to the farm in Java but failed to thrive. A couple of years later another three animals were sent to the farm and actually got exported and I received them in the USA in 2019. It happened to be a 1.2 trio, 1.1 small adults and 0.1 baby. The baby was a great eater from the start, as was the male….but the adult female would not eat. The male also was covered in dermal bumps from parasites but manual removal was not an option because of the sheer number of them. I decided to treat for internal parasites and hoped that time would clear up any issues. The adult female did not take any food for eight months. I offered various meals on a regular basis but also opted to give time and not assist or force-feed in the meantime. All of my instincts proved to be the right decisions as the male cleared all the dermal bumps over several months and the female started feeding out of the blue around the eight month mark. The trio continued to thrive from that point onward. I was able to import one more single individual which was a male so I now had 2.2 wild-caught animals. We have now successfully bred this species in 2022 and 2023, and are looking at 2024 for a repeat performance.
I see a lot of mentions about the “rarest pythons in the world” with various candidates tossed into the hat such as rough-scaled pythons, Boelens pythons, Oenpeli pythons, etc. This is up for debate but what really is the rarest python in the world? Going by the numbers, just how many of those aforementioned species are in captivity or in the wild? Rough-scaled pythons, there are for sale ads posted right now and multiple captive breedings every year. Boeleni are imported every year in pretty solid numbers and also with ads posted currently for sale. Oenpeli pythons there is a breeding colony for sale at the time of this writing(but not in the USA so accessibility is restricted depending on the country you reside in). For Antaresia papuensis, I am only aware of the four individuals in captivity as founding stock plus several offspring. Status in the wild is unknown and almost zero are being collected and/or exported. I may be accused of having a biased opinion on this one, but taking everything into consideration, my vote for the rarest python in the world goes to this one. For more information, watch our Masterclass Video
Green Tree Pythons (Morelia sp.)
Another staple of DM Exotics over the years has been Green Tree Pythons. We have bred these pythons many times but in the early years the information was not as “free-flowing” as it is now so it felt as if hobbyists pioneered breeding this species in seclusion. For me, I was able to get eggs relatively easily but the hatching part was a challenge. I eventually reverted to maternal incubation and had pretty good success. In recent years, we have used the no-substrate method with good success. When we broke into the act of importing, this also opened the doors to access large numbers of these pythons and also many localities. We have developed a good sense for husbandry, acclimation and feeding and now with this many years in business as our reputation speaks for itself. The images below represent and large sample of what we have bred, imported and sold over the years. In addition, we are unique among the reptile industry as we have made it a goal to go and document Green Tree Pythons in the wild…you can find these videos on our YouTube Channel. Please inquire for availability…
