The headshields are large and regular and the tail is relatively short and not prehensile. Among pythons, they are unusual in that they lack heat-sensitive pit on the labial scales. The eyes are brownish to black and the pupil is almost invisible. General disposition in captive specimens is very docile and amenable to handling. In captivity, we feed these animals on rats.
Juveniles are large enough at approx.
500mm long, to begin on baby rats. Sometimes the first few rats offered may need to be scented with lizard scent to initiate a feeding response. We keep our blackheads in cages 1600mm long x 600mm wide x 600mm deep. They are constructed from 16mm veneered MDF and have sliding glass fronts. A large vent at each end of the cage provides adequate ventilation.