Python molurus
Indian python
A room-sized secure enclosure for a lawful adult. Annex A commercial use needs an Article 10 certificate.
Legal status
- EU Annex A · Article 10 certificate
- CITES I
- US injurious wildlife
Python molurus is named in 50 CFR 16.15 as Python molurus, including P. molurus molurus (Indian python). CITES Appendix I. Recorded EU annex: A, from the family listing in Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/966 (Pythonidae spp. or Boidae spp. in Annex B except species placed in Annex A; Python molurus is the python named there as Annex A / CITES I). Confirm the current annex before you rely on it. 50 CFR 16.15 (compilation of 1 October 2024) prohibits importation, transportation, or acquisition of listed live reptiles except under 50 CFR 16.22. Repticentra blocks a rehoming listing when the country is the United States. If the country is blank or somewhere else, the status is a warning and the listing can continue after a legality confirmation. The 2017 D.C. Circuit decision in USARK v. Zinke limited the Lacey Act shipment clause between the continental states; this note does not say that movement between US states is uniformly illegal. State permits still apply. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 26–32°C
- Basking
- 32–34°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 1 to 2. About 0.5–1.0
- Humidity
- 50–70%
- Minimum enclosure
- Several metres of secure floor for an adult
- Adult size
- Often 2.5–4 m.
- Lifespan
- Often 20 years or more.
- Difficulty
- advanced
Diet and feeding
Large prey, infrequently. This is a CITES Appendix I animal. Adults often every 2–4 weeks, with prey that matches the body. Do not power-feed.
Substrate
Cypress or paper.
Health
Respiratory infection, obesity, and the logistics of a bite from a giant snake.
Handling
Not casual. Adults need more than one experienced person.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.