Woma

Womas are a medium sized python species native to arid environments of central and northeastern Australia, although another population exists in the southwestern portion of Western Australia. They are a rather unique taxa of python that seem to have many characteristics of colubrid snakes, such as lacking the heat-sensitive pits along the upper jawline that most other pythons have (the other species to lack heat pits is the Blackhead python, Aspidites melanocephalus). They are nevertheless, active predators of small mammals and other snakes, and often "crush" their prey against the burrow's walls as a means of subduing them. Womas have also been known to exhibit caudal luring, which is unlike most other species of python .

Size
Woma hatchlings are usually around 9 to 12" in length. Adult womas range from about 48 to 72" (or 4 to 6') in length.

Enclosure/Housing
The enclosure you choose must be secure to prevent the escape of the inhabitant and provide adequate ventilation. Although glass terrariums with screen tops can be used, I personally prefer plastic, Melamine, or PVC enclosures with sliding or hinged acrylic doors on the front of the cage (there are several brands commercially available or you could go the route of custom building). This is due to the increased security the enclosures provide for snakes within them and simply because space can be better utilized with them (they can be stacked). A 4' X 2' enclosure is more than adequate for an adult woma.
Womas can also be housed in commercially available racks consisting of appropriately sized plastic shoe boxes (for neonates/juveniles), sweater boxes, or larger containers for adults. Ventilation here can be created by melting holes along the sides of the container with a soldering iron. Racks are usually heated with Flexwatt heat tape, and should be monitored with a quality thermostat. A hide-box for allowing the snake to retreat from view is recommended as part of any setup as well. Besides commercially available hide boxes, you could modify many things to serve as a hide box. They can include opaque plastic storage containers and inverted flowerpots for example.
A water dish should also be provided within the enclosure and be changed at least once weekly or sooner if fouled. The dish should heavy enough so that it isn't easily tipped over (plastic or ceramic crock dishes work well). It should also be cleaned and disinfected periodically.

Temperature and Heating
Since womas are ecothermic, it is important to provide them with a thermal gradient for proper digestion and gestation. There should be a warm side and a cooler side to the enclosure. To create the warm side, you can use an under tank heater (UTH), Flexwatt heat tape, or a radiant heat panel on one half of the enclosure. Some commercially available plastic and PVC enclosures and racks come with their own heating elements. I like to have the warm side be around 87-90 degrees Fahrenheit. It is also important to disallow any snake to come into direct contact with any heating element, as thermal burns can result, and can sometimes be severe, requiring professional veterinary attention.
Additional lighting other than the room's can improve the enclosure's aesthetics, but is not required for most species of snakes. If you want additional lighting, mounting a fluorescent light on the ceiling of the enclosure and setting it on a timer to create a photoperiod is always an option for you.

Substrate
Newspaper, Carefresh, or aspen shavings are all acceptable substrates for womas. Avoid pine and cedar shavings, as these substrates are toxic to snakes. Substrate should be kept dry and be spot cleaned when needed to reduce the likelihood of bacterial outbreaks.

Feeding
Womas normally possess aggressive feeding responses, so few feeding problems are normally seen with them. Womas will feed on small birds, rodents, and other reptiles. In captivity, they feed readily on rodents. Neonates can be started off on rat pinkies or hopper mice weekly, with the size of the prey being increased accordingly. Adults can be offered adult rats every 5-7 days. It is important to not to overfeed your woma, since obesity and compromised health of the snake can result over time.
I generally prefer to feed frozen thawed rodents, which can easily be offered with the appropriate tongs or hemostats and do not pose the risk of inflicting injury to the snake. If you (or the snake) insists on feeding live, then at a minimum do not leave the snake and prey unattended. Sometimes during feeding, a snake may get substrate bits in its mouth, leading to the concern that some have about the snake becoming impacted. I will say that it is not generally a problem if only a small quantity of substrate is accidentally ingested and the snake is well-hydrated.

Temperament and Handling:

Womas, like many species of snake, may be initially nippy and defensive as hatchlings or juveniles. However, with patience and gentle handling, many will become more docile and can be worked with more easily. It should be kept in mind however that even a docile snake may bite or react defensively if suddenly startled or frightened, or when food is detected (resulting in a feeding response bite). Womas do tend to possess strong feeding responses, which could be mistaken for defensiveness. This particular species of python also seems to be more sensitive to touch stimulus, since it burrows frequently and often hunts in subterrain environments.
When handling womas, try to avoid grabbing or restraining the snake too tightly, as this may cause injury to the animal and/or force it to react defensively (as mentioned previously). Handle snakes of any age or size gently and avoid sudden rapid movements, particularly in front of or above the snake. It is also important to wash or sanitize your hands after handling reptiles (or any animal) as a precaution against salmonella.

Reproduction and Captive Breeding of Womas
I will first start by saying there are many finer details involved in woma breeding than what will be covered in this section. If you have any questions about woma breeding that are not answered in this section, feel free to email me. As background information, woma pythons are oviparous, (meaning they lay eggs). Female womas reach sexual maturity at 2 or 3 years. Males reach sexual maturity in 1 1/2 to 2 years. Before you even attempt to breed your woma, both the male and female snakes should be in good health, appropriate age and sexual maturity, and be of adequate weight.
To begin around the start of November, reduce the ambient temperature of the female's enclosure to the low 70's at night and around 87 degrees F during the day. This is a good way to simulate natural photoperiods and there are several light sensing devices that can be used in correlation with a digital thermostat. Whichever male you plan to breed should then be introduced to the female's enclosure, where courtship and copulation (I call it "locking up") usually occurs on the day of introduction. The male has small claw-like remnants of limbs that are used to stimulate the female during the copulation process.
It is a good practice to periodically separate the pair (every week or two) in order to offer food as well as some rest from breeding. You do want the pair to stay in relatively good health and weight. Males in particular should be carefully monitored since they expend allot of energy during breeding.
At around the onset of January of the following year, the female should begin to ovulate. During ovulation, the mid body of the female sells considerably. At this stage, the female is considered gravid and the male can be removed from the female's enclosure. The time between the initial follicular development and ovulation in the female is highly variable. It can be up to 6 months. Then at some point, the female will undergo her pre-lay shed (which will usually be within 20 days). After ovulation, the female will seek higher temperatures, which can be provided by offering an adequate warm or basking spot. Females which are gravid may be observed inverting their bodies over a warm spot, which is not cause for concern. After the pre-lay shed, a nest box can be placed into the enclosure. This is a 32 quart plastic sweaterbox from Sterilite filled halfway with vermiculite. Water should be mixed with the vermiculite, but if too much water is added, the eggs will be killed. Around 30 days (around early March or so) the female will typically begin to lay eggs. The size of the clutch is variable depending on the weight and size of the female. Anywhere between 8 and 15 eggs are possible. It is important to NEVER turn the eggs, as this will kill the unborn snake. If it helps you, you can lightly mark the top of each egg with a pencil.
The nest box with eggs is then carefully removed from the enclosure and a lid is placed on the box. Then place the container into the incubator. Incubators can be purchased commercially or be made from a modified cooler or refrigerator depending on the size and number of clutches you have (I won't go into the incubator construction details here). Providing adequate air flow to the eggs is important; this can be done either by opening the lid briefly every few days or by punching a few holes in the container's sides. The eggs should be carefully incubated and monitored with a thermostat set at around 89 degrees F for about 55-65 days before they hatch. After the neonates have hatched, they can be separated. You can then begin caring for and feeding them as mentioned in other parts of this page.