Reptile & Amphibian Forums

...carpets are nippy for a while especially as juvies and that there are a few exceptions. I'm happy to say that if that info is true, then my baby coastal is one of those exceptions. From the day I got her (a month ago), she only nipped at me one time and didn't even get to bite me. I've never had to use any gloves or have any fear. Queen is a great little snake that eats well and has a very docile cool personality. I just wanted to throw a little piece of my new experience of keeping a carpet out there because I've seen lots of ppl worried about getting a carpet because they are convinced that they are mean little monsters :-P I'll keep you all posted w/ more pics in the near future. thanks to everyone that helped me w/ my concerns on the care of Queen
Joel H.

Out of my 7 JCP's 6 of them have never even showed any sign of aggression. I can reach my ahnd in and grab them in the middle of the night and they don't care. I do have one female that is aggressive, but I got her as a yearling and I think it is due to the previous owner not handling her. Other than that they are great tempered snakes.

I got an IJ as a hatchling in Aug and he too has only nipped at me once. I watched the breeder at the show go through and pop a good 5-8 hatchlings out of the same clutch he came from and not a single one snapped at him. And it was not that they were lethargic or anything, they were all active, helthy little carpets. I was pretty amazed by that. I thought he'd get nailed for sure.

Ben

I'd say a good 95% of the baby Carpets I've had have been totally tame from the get go. Just because they don't curl up in a ball and tuck their head away when they're frightened doesn't make them nippy. People who say Carpets are aggressive are saying that out of ignorance, as they have obviously not dealt with enough Carpets to make that assertion.
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Anthony Caponetto
http://reptiles.drivennewmedia.com

>>I'd say a good 95% of the baby Carpets I've had have been totally tame from the get go. Just because they don't curl up in a ball and tuck their head away when they're frightened doesn't make them nippy. People who say Carpets are aggressive are saying that out of ignorance, as they have obviously not dealt with enough Carpets to make that assertion.

...Or they own one of the other 5%. Actually I think that number is not as low as that. More Like 80% to 20%, but thats neither here nor there. Just because you don't own one doesn't mean they do not exist.

My Female yearling Coastal carpet python is VERY aggressive if not constantly handled. It took about 3 weeks of handling her every day to tame her down the first time and then I laxed on the handling so that I was only handling her 1-2 times a week. After a month it was like I had never handled her at all...Anyways, just to give you guys another perspective.

Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

Some young carpets can be totally crazy! I could see how these few specimens could be the starting point of the urban legend of nippy carpets.

Jake

Oh I know...that Jungle that my friend bought in '01 from Stelpflug was a total psychopath.

Then again, out of the 7 hatchling Ball Pythons that I have (the ones that I produced this year), there are two that will bite you if you give them half a chance. I guess I'd better go tell everyone that 2 out of every 7 Ball Python babies are nippy, huh?

Well, I'm getting confused. I'd better leave this up to Darci and the rest of the kingsnake experts.

-Anthony

>>Some young carpets can be totally crazy! I could see how these few specimens could be the starting point of the urban legend of nippy carpets.
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>>Jake
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Anthony Caponetto
http://reptiles.drivennewmedia.com

Darci,

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if you would read my post more carefully and try to stick with the facts, you'd have noticed that I was only speaking of the ones that I have worked with, and you'd also notice that I never said that I didn't own a nippy carpet, nor did I ever say that they don't exist.

And about your one nippy Coastal...That's exactly my point. People like you, who've probably owned no more than five or six Carpets total in your entire life, end up with one or two that are nippy, and then you go telling everyone how they are, based on your limited experience.

Thanks,
Anthony

>>>>I'd say a good 95% of the baby Carpets I've had have been totally tame from the get go. Just because they don't curl up in a ball and tuck their head away when they're frightened doesn't make them nippy. People who say Carpets are aggressive are saying that out of ignorance, as they have obviously not dealt with enough Carpets to make that assertion.
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>>...Or they own one of the other 5%. Actually I think that number is not as low as that. More Like 80% to 20%, but thats neither here nor there. Just because you don't own one doesn't mean they do not exist.
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>>My Female yearling Coastal carpet python is VERY aggressive if not constantly handled. It took about 3 weeks of handling her every day to tame her down the first time and then I laxed on the handling so that I was only handling her 1-2 times a week. After a month it was like I had never handled her at all...Anyways, just to give you guys another perspective.
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>>Darci
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>>Takes all kinds to make a World...
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Anthony Caponetto
http://reptiles.drivennewmedia.com

Its a bit hard to tell sometimes the tone of a post. I am sorry to have misinterpreted it. I do respect your experience and your knowledge so please don't feel like I'm trying to down play your opinion. I just felt that you and others were making the same mistake that you were chastizing(sp?), by disreguarding that there are nippy carpets(instead of the opposite were all carpets are nippy). Again I misunderstood and I appologize...

>>And about your one nippy Coastal...That's exactly my point. People like you, who've probably owned no more than five or six Carpets total in your entire life, end up with one or two that are nippy, and then you go telling everyone how they are, based on your limited experience.

True I only have four carpets and I have only owned carpets for 4 years now. I only shared about my carpet to balance the perspective. My little girl is the exception to the rule and thats what my experience, and the reading, and the advice I have heard from the other professionals here and elsewhere has told me. I am not fighting you nor am I an enemy. I am not trying to be 'the expert' here. Please stop being so defensive!

Darci
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Takes all kinds to make a World...

so my experience is WAY limited but of the three carpets I have, only my jungle X diamond acts nippy or spastic. My yearling coastal has been a sweet heart since day one when I got her as a hatchling last year and I have a subadult/adult male coastal X jungle that has also been nothing but a sweetie since I got him earlier this year. Otherwise, most of the ones I've seen at shows seem okay with a few disgruntled ones mixed in (wouldn't you be grumpy around all those people though?). FWIW, I never heard any of the nippy rumours until after I got my coastal girl...then everyone started telling me how nippy they were.