Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, My name is James and I am new to this forum. I am thinking of getting a jungle carpet python and have been researching them for quite some time now, but I still have a few unanswered questions.

First off, I have been dealing with herps for awhile and have and have had geckos, tree frogs, anoles, and a mali uro (also non herps like hamsters, gerbils, a squirrel, fish etc). I want to know if a JCP is suitable for a first snake in my situation. Also what age would be best to get, I was thinking of getting a 6 month - 1 year old so that I wont get too frustrated with a nippy hatchling and it will be quite well started, would this be a good choice? What would be a reputable breeder, I was thinking of buying from Reptilicus Reptiles, would that be good or could you recommend a different breeder? Should I get a male or female or doesn't it really matter, I know that females get bigger, but is one easier to take care of than the other?

Sorry for so many questions and thanks in advance for any replies.

-JaMeS-

Hi James,

A JCP is definitely not the best beginner snake, but if your like me, you want what you want and will have it no other way. So I say go for the JCP, I know I will be going for one soon(Hopefully at the NY Reptile expo on the 7th.) I would recommend going with a 6 month old or older, as is my experience with snakes most hatchlings don't like to be handled and can be quite nippy and "musk" in the case of colubrids very much.

I don't know much about JCP's so there isn't much more I can offer, from what I was told a 3x2x2 cage will be sufficient for an adult, but bigger is ALWAYS better, I think I will be going with a cage around 4 foot long x 2 foot wide x 3 foot high for my first JCP.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help,
Ralph
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2.1 Bearded Dragon
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

man these snakes are great! just get a hatchling it(to me) is the best thing to do!i your going to get a jungle carpet python get one from Will Leary. He's a great guy and i Know you will love his snakes!!!here is one i bought from him a couple weeks ago.
from Alex

What a cutie! I think I like them best when they're all eyes and tail!LOL!

Anyways, I would consider Carpets in General to be intermediate. They tend to be, as a species, 'high strung'.

...But if you really want one then this would be my suggestion. Meet the snake or buy from a reputable breeder. Make sure they know you want a calm hatchling or yearling. Some carpets are born tame as kittens, so as long as you're on the look out for one like that you should be good. Sex won't make much diffrence and subspecies doesn't always garantee a 'tame' animal either. Also another BIG thing to watch out for is to make sure that it eats rats on a regular basis. This can be an issue for some Jungles, and for a first snake its better not to have to deal with it.

After you pick your new little tyke and get him home. Handle him with slow movements and don't restrain him too much. Just be like a 'tree'. And of course, try to stay calm when handling any snake. Snakes are sensitive to pheromones which you give off when your worried or excited.

Hope this helps,
Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

I'm a little curious why you would term carpets to be 'high strung'? Sure, they're nippy as babies, but that's usually not something that lasts all that long, especially with some judicious handling.

I've got three jungles. A yearling male and two adult females, and they are definitely not what I'd call high strung. All three are calm, easy to care for snakes that seem to really tolerate, if not enjoy, being handled. My older girls especially are never anything but well-mannered, alert and curious, but content to be held or slowly cruise around in your arms.

By contrast, my boa is actually a bit jumpier and prone to move faster like she'd really prefer to get away. And my rat snake is a pain in the @ss compared to all of the boids.

>>I'm a little curious why you would term carpets to be 'high strung'?

Well, my experience is that Carpets are very sensitive the the world around them. More so than the Kings, balls, and Rosey Boas that I have had previous experience with. I don't precieve the term 'high strung' as agressive or hard to deal with. Its just when they react to stimuli, THEY REACT! Even the slightest smell if rat in the air and my 4 carpets are on the hunt. If a person is nervious around them they become very nervious too. Ect...

There are always exceptions to any rule, and if I've learned one thing about Carpets. Its that they're just a variable in personality as they are in color/pattern.

Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

...as you may have read earlier. I got a male because I'm not yet interested in breeding and males usually stay smaller than females. Mostly I just wanted a neat arboreal display animal that was easier to maintain than a GTP and MUCH less nippy than amazon or emerald treeboas- which never seem to stop biting.

Anyway, my hatchling is feeding on rat pinks already so that part is done. He is pretty nippy right now though today was the first time I took him out- nailed me once and tried several other times.

My plan is to grow him slowly- one rat pink every 2 weeks at the most- and maximize handling frequency (once every 1-2 days) while minimizing handling time (5-10 minutes max). Hopefully this should calm him down while he is small and his bites don't hurt all that much. I've worked with frisky adults before and let me tell you, a bite from an adult JCP is not fun at all. In addition, this plan should help him stay in smaller enclosures for a longer period of time.

Good luck
Van

You are underfeeding that snake, it will be extremely hungry and more prone to biting on that feeding regimen. Feed it once a week.

Snakes in the wild are lucky if they can get one meal every two weeks. Boids especially are adapted to long periods of fasting between meals since prey can be rare- especially in the dry season. Underfeeding would be more like one rat pink every 2 months. 2 weeks is perfectly acceptable in my experience. In fact, I've seen snakes that were much healthier- less obese, more active, more alert- on a slower feeding schedule.

Van

If it is a baby it's metabolism is very fast so if you feed it once every 2 weeks rather than once every week it will be hungry a lot of the time and will bite you, simple as that.

In the wild, hatchlings spend a lot of their time in roden burrows gorging on baby rodents so you can't really relate captive to wild.

Snakes only bite when hungry if the keeper smells like prey or if the keeper uses the same technique to handle as to feed the snake. Also, what you say about gorging on rodent nests is true about many species, but not most pythons. Australian pythons especially evolved in habitats where lizards and frogs are much more common than small mammals. Carpets do not burrow much at all but are more arboreal- seeking out ectothermic prey for much of the early part of their life.

I agree that captivity is very dissimilar from the wild. However, these animals are adapted to a wide range of conditions- otherwise its likely they wouldn't survive in captivity at all. A 2 week feeding schedule is not going to cause undue stress to a hatchling carpet python. If it does I will let you know.

Van

First of all good luck with your JCP, a male for a nice arboreal will be great. Second if it is a male I dont think you have to worry much about size. Feeding it once a week wont get it to big. Good luck
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"Victory is reserved for those willing to pay its price"