Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone. I just got my first JCP and I'm so excited. Its about a month and a half old. Right now I have a shoebox with holes in it inside of a 10 gallon tank for him to crawl into if he feels comfortable. So far he seems pretty outgoing. Any tips and suggestions you have for housing, feeding etc for a first time JCP owner would be great. I was told he had been feeding on live pinkies so far but from what i've read here it says he may not take to pinkies and I also would like to switch him to F/T mice if possible. Any tips on that would be great. Also, what is the typical growth rate for these snakes? Thanks everyone...the information so far has been fantastic and i appreciate it all. Jake

Congrats on your new purchase and welsome to the carpet world. Housing sounds fine, but how are you heating it? What are your temps, and how are you offering a humid area? Feeding is pretty straight forward, I would offer a f/t fuzzy mouse with tongs or even with your fingers if your brave enough. The typical growth of a yearling fed weekly would be between three and four feet and about as fat as a hotdog.
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Jim Kuroski

Thanks for the reply. I think his temps may be a bit off right now....its about 85-90 on the hot side and 80-85 on the cooler side. I'm providing humidity with water in the tank. Suggestions on that would be great as well. So far he seems pretty content. He really enjoys his shoebox and is usually in there. Its nice and dark. He's a little jumpy if he's sitting in the tank and I walk by. I have been able to pick him up without getting bitten too much. Today he didnt even strike once. He ate the other day with no problem so next time I will try to feed him f/t. Jake
PS--How can I post pictures?

I don't see any problems with what you are doing. As far as handling...key in on over stimulating the neck, tail, and motion infront(above) it. It will probably strike for a while and then learn you are no harm and get used to the interaction. If it does bite, don't put it down for a while. Same thing if it musks you...don't want to reinforce bad habits.
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Jim Kuroski

Thanks for the reply. I think his temps may be a bit off right now....its about 85-90 on the hot side and 80-85 on the cooler side. I'm providing humidity with water in the tank. Suggestions on that would be great as well. So far he seems pretty content. He really enjoys his shoebox and is usually in there. Its nice and dark. He's a little jumpy if he's sitting in the tank and I walk by. I have been able to pick him up without getting bitten too much. Today he didnt even strike once. He ate the other day with no problem so next time I will try to feed him f/t. Jake
PS--How can I post pictures?