Lamprophis fuliginosus (African house snake)

Origin: West Africa
Length: 1 meter (men up to 70cm)
Age: 15 years
The skin color varies widely from black to brown to orange to olive, rarely also yellow, while the ventral side is generally completely off-white. There is a creamy white stripe on either side of the head. The sturdy body has an elongated, triangular head. Males are smaller than females, but have a longer tail.
Grooming
Experience: Average snake keeper
Food: Live or dead prey. Main prey animals are mice and rats.
Feed adult: every 5 days
Feed young: Every 3 to 5 days
Water bowl: Yes
Change the water: 3 times a week

Nutrition
There is the choice of offering the prey alive or dead. It is advisable to offer dead food. This is more practical and prevents the food animal from injuring your snake. In addition, it is recommended to offer the food animal with a pair of tongs and to feed your snake outside the enclosure. This ensures that your hand is not associated with food and prevents your snake from grabbing your hand while feeding. If you do go for live food, you must supervise the feeding. The prey can also injure the snake. Feed the snakes separately, because when two snakes catch the same prey they can injure each other and sometimes eat each other themselves. The ideal prey is about as wide as the widest part of the snake.

Water
The water bowl does not have to be very large, but you can provide a water bowl in which the animal could lie if the animal was bathed by it. They do not need a very high humidity in the accommodation, so you do not have to take this into account with a water bowl.

Cleaning
A hygienic living environment is important to keep your hose healthy. To achieve this, the accommodation will have to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning once a week is enough. In addition, to prevent the build-up of bacteria, the entire accommodation must be cleaned and disinfected a few times a year.

Handling
From time to time you will have to handle your hose. If you handle a snake, it is wise to use a snake hook to remove the animal from the enclosure, after which you can handle the snake in your hand. The young snakes or snakes that have not been handled before can be defensive and can attack. The snake is not poisonous, but it is better to avoid bite marks. After multiple handling, the hose will get used to it on its own and become less defensive. Never squeeze your hose while handling as their vertebrae are fragile and can break easily. Also make sure your hands are washed and don't smell like food. Finally, do not handle your snake when it is shedding and do not handle it in the dark.

Housing
Minimum stay for 1 couple: 60 x 40 x 50
Laying surface: 0.4 m2 and can lie per hose.
Day temperature: 28 - 34C
Night temperature: 20-22C
Hours of light: 12 hours
Humidity degree: 20% -30%
Ground cover: Newspapers, bark, sand or beech chips

Design
The African house snakes require a very dry terrarium. They need as much ground surface as possible. A dry environment is very important here. Preferably, a thick layer of sand or chips is recommended as ground cover. Flat stones, open stones, open wood or a cave can be offered as shelters. It is important that there is always a shelter available.

Before the stay there are some extra things that need to be taken into account. Ventilation is required to keep the air fresh and it is advisable to keep it out of direct sunlight and as vibration-free as possible.
Behaviour
Hunting method: Strangulation snake.
Lifestyle: dusk and night active

Character
The African house snake is a quiet snake that is very easy to keep and will be active around the evening hours.
Points of attention
Snakes can be defensive, especially in the enclosure. Pay attention to this when handling your hose to avoid unnecessary injury. Regular handling will eventually tame and calm the snake.
Costs and Purchase
Legislation: No documentation is needed to keep the African house snake.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for the accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl and decoration. All together this can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is several tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs have been incurred when your snake happens to get sick or your equipment breaks down.