Reptile species profile
Green Python
A detailed profile covering characteristics, everyday care and linked health conditions.
Quick facts
A concise guide to typical adult needs and characteristics.
Lifespan values identify ranges, study medians and open-ended estimates explicitly. Ratings appear only for comparable care or activity scales. Individual animals still vary with age, health, breeding, environment and previous care.
Profile description
The Green Python is native to tropical rainforest of Cape York and New Guinea, living mainly on branches in warm humid but ventilated forest. Total length is usually 120 to 180 cm. Expected captive lifespan is approximately 15 to 20 years and sometimes longer. The Green Python is a highly arboreal, nocturnal and visually striking python. It is sensitive to handling, stagnant humidity and unstable perches and is best suited to experienced keepers. It is a whole-prey carnivore taking small mammals, birds and reptiles.
Pythons are non-venomous constrictors that consume whole vertebrate prey and depend on an accurately controlled thermal gradient for digestion, immunity and reproduction. Their slow metabolism means overfeeding is a frequent captive problem. Respiratory noise, repeated soaking, poor sheds, regurgitation, loss of muscle tone or altered resting posture should not be dismissed as normal variation.
Assess Green Python suitability against adult size, lifespan, enclosure cost, veterinary access and the ability to maintain accurate heat, ultraviolet, humidity and hygiene systems. Excessive humidity without ventilation, overfeeding and unnecessary handling are common husbandry failures. Neonates and adults also require different perch sizes and enclosure organisation. Before acquiring a Green Python, the keeper should practise monitoring and controlling the enclosure conditions on which the species depends.
Green Python (Morelia viridis) is a native reptile included on the Queensland Government's current keeper-licence species search; the listed Queensland requirement is Queensland Standard Licence. State and territory rules for the Green Python, including licence class, possession, breeding, movement and records, differ and can change. Obtain the Green Python only from a lawful captive-bred source; native reptiles must not be taken from the wild and exotic reptiles cannot be imported as pets.
First-time reptile owner tips
Practical preparation for welcoming this reptile into your care.
Care requirements
Provide a tall, secure enclosure with stable horizontal perches of several diameters, carefully controlled temperature, moderate-to-high humidity with excellent air exchange, clean drinking water and minimal handling. Use thermostatically controlled heating for the Green Python, with a guard that prevents direct contact burns. Provide at least two tight hides, stable climbing where appropriate, fresh water and a local humidity option rather than keeping the whole enclosure wet. Record the Green Python's meals, sheds, defecation, weight and feeding refusals. Do not handle the Green Python soon after feeding, and never leave live rodent prey unattended.
Feed the Green Python appropriately sized thawed whole prey at intervals guided by age and body condition. Avoid live-prey injury and investigate repeated refusal, regurgitation or progressive weight loss. Feed for the species and life stage rather than relying on a generic reptile diet. Provide the Green Python with fresh drinking water and a humid retreat that supports hydration and complete shedding without keeping the entire enclosure wet.
Begin with a veterinary check after acquisition and maintain regular annual care with a veterinarian experienced in reptiles. Record the Green Python's weight, body condition, meals, faecal output, sheds, activity, basking and reproductive events. Quarantine a new Green Python in a separate room with dedicated equipment for a veterinarian-directed period before sharing air, water, furnishings or tools. Clean husbandry is especially important in the Green Python's enclosed environment. Remove the Green Python's waste promptly, clean food and water containers, disinfect with a reptile-safe method and rinse thoroughly. Wash hands after handling the Green Python or its enclosure, supervise children and vulnerable people, and keep the reptile and its equipment away from food preparation.
Urgent veterinary signs in the Green Python include open-mouth or laboured breathing, collapse, seizures, severe weakness, prolapse, uncontrolled bleeding, major burns, inability to pass eggs and persistent vomiting or regurgitation.
Conditions linked to this breed or species
Obesity
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General Malnutrition and Inappropriate Diet
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Vitamin or Mineral Supplement Toxicity
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Dehydration
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Thermal Burns
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Hypothermia and Inadequate Basking
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Heat Stress and Hyperthermia
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Dysecdysis / Abnormal Shedding
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Retained Spectacle / Eye Cap
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Skin Trauma and Abrasions
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Rostral Trauma
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Bite Wounds and Cohabitation Injury
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Infectious Stomatitis / Mouth Rot
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Bacterial Respiratory Disease and Pneumonia
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Septicaemia
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Abscesses
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Bacterial Dermatitis / Scale Rot
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Fungal Dermatitis and Systemic Mycosis
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Snake and Lizard Mite Infestation
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Ticks
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Intestinal Nematodes and Other Helminths
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Cryptosporidiosis
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Amoebiasis
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Flagellate and Other Protozoal Enteritis
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Salmonella Carriage and Salmonellosis
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Ferlavirus / Reptile Paramyxovirus Infection
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Reptarenavirus Inclusion Body Disease
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Serpentovirus / Nidovirus Respiratory Disease
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Mycobacteriosis
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Conjunctivitis and Keratitis
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Cataract and Lens Disease
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Cloacal Prolapse
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Constipation and Obstipation
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Gastrointestinal Impaction and Foreign Body
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Regurgitation and Vomiting
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Dystocia / Egg Retention
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Preovulatory Follicular Stasis
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Hemipene or Phallus Prolapse
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Gout and Hyperuricaemia
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Chronic Kidney Disease
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Hepatic Lipidosis and Chronic Liver Disease
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Neoplasia / Cancer
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Fractures and Orthopaedic Trauma
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