Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have cared for snakes off and on for about 15 years now. I have always desired a small breeding set up of several pythons and perhaps colubrids. That said, I have always heard good things about carpets. I really like the look of both but have ZERO experience with them. Could everyone share their experience and husbandry of this species, as well as, their disposition. I have a 4 year old daughter, so I got rid of all big snakes when she was born. My wife and I did not feel comfortable with grown boas around her ( our 12' female kitty had a temper at times).

I am new to this thread and will read up on past posts. I am leaning towards Irians. I LOVE the color variations of this snake, furthermore; read that they are the smaller of the two. Important to me with my daughter. Anyways, I will be interested in breeding down the road and I have not owned arboreal snakes before. Anything ya'll can share would be fanatastic. The key to owning o a pair is convincing the Mrs., hehehe.

One last thing, how hard is it to get rid of the clutch?

TIA,

TOdd
-----
1.1 Balls - Male het/albino, Female 66% het/albino
***Fingers crossed for next season!!!***

Quite possibly the ultimate "pet" snake. At least in my opinion. They're easy to care for, resilient, and in most cases quite docile. I personally am a Jungle guy, but just about any of the carpets are the same. Of the most common carpets, coastals are the largest, jungles in the middle, and irians are the smallest. There are exceptions in some cases. I've got a pair of irians from an 8ft female, and some female coastals mature and tend to stay under 8ft. If you're looking for purity in a carpet, you can't beat the irians. Anything from Australia has a questionable ancestry, since animals haven't been legally exported for quite a few years. Jungles have the benefit of the most generations of selective breeding, but Irians are coming along quickly, and coastals have two great new morphs to consider. Its really up to you in deciding. Some great places to get carpets...

Will Leary for Jungles and Coastals www.reptilicusreptiles.net
Selective Origins for Jungles www.selectiveorigins.com
Yasser Moustafa for Irians www. spitfirereptiles.com
and numerous other small or less well-known bigger breeders. Just do your research beforehand.

Tim

Carpet pythons are wonderful snakes!!! They are very easy to keep and have wonderful temperaments. There is a myth about the bad temperament of carpets (particularly jungles), but it is completely false. Of the six hatchlings I bought last year three arrived not even trying to bite and the other three quickly calmed down. My older snakes are more calm and trustworthy than my Balls. All but one of my carpets are completely handle able but that’s because he wasn't handled enough when he was young. I have kept jungles and Irian Jaya's and find them both to be great snakes, I personally like the jungles colors and patterns better but Irians look amazing as well. Coastals are great snakes to and if you want to get into the morphs, there are some very interesting snakes showing up.

I highly recommend Will Leary at Reptilicus Reptiles for jungles and coastals.

Or if you want Irians, Yasser Moustafa at Spit Fire Reptiles.

Here is a pic to try and sway you towards jungles

Thanks a million Tim and Ben...

I appreciate the feedback. ALL of the carpets have a striking appearance so it will be a hard choice when the time comes. Maybe I will have to just go ahead and get both, LOL! The high yellow jungles truely are breath taking, Ben, I must admit. The pic of your python is absolutely gorgeous.

A few more questions:

On a scale from 1 - 10 ( 10 being the nicest ) I put ball pythons at the top. Where would carpet pythons fall on this scale? I am trying to compare them as much as possible with BPs to get a good idea of there behavior.

Next, do you have any links to general husbandry and/or breeding for carpets? Example: Cage set ups, temps, humidity levels, etc...

I will be searching the net but always ask to save time.

Thanks again and good luck with your projects.
ToddG
-----
1.1 Balls - Male het/albino, Female 66% het/albino
***Fingers crossed for next season!!!***

I've been pleasantly suprised with my JCP. Of the two I bought, only one has ever even attempted to bite me.

If you are experienced with snakes (seems like you are) they are easily tamed. For a more novice keeper, it would be a little more difficult to tame, but in general these snakes are very nice to people.

On a scale of one to ten, JCP get about a eight. If held when young they are tame, but if not they can be snappy.

The trick is just to hold them everyday possible (not after feeding) for about ten minutes, and make sure that they are comfortable getting out of the cage.

As for the care sheet... I was contemplating writing one and putting it on here for suggestions/changes, so today or tomorrow I will do that.
-----
Currently have:
0.1 Antherystic Elaphe guttata - Corn Snake
1.0 Elaphe vulpina gloydi - Eastern Fox Snake
1.1 Morelia Spilota Cheyni - Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Leucistic Elaphe obsoleta linheimeri - Texas Ratsnake

Saving for:
Agkistrodon Contortix mokasen - Northern Copperhead

I don't know. I kept a small group of ball pythons for a year, and a fairly sizable collection of jungles for about 4 years. They're both just as hesitant to strike. Carpets just tend to want to move more. I'd put them in the same category. And now a pic to sway you to the jungles...

Tim

HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

MAN, everyone I meet is pushing jungles, lol. Maybe I should take the hint. Your pic does a splendid job of convincing. How did the snake on the left achieve such a vibrant shade of yellow? If I was to be persuaded into getting a JCP I would certainly want one like that! Do they cost more? Also, is it selective breeding or simply random when one has the bright yellow coloration?

Everlight,
I would LOVE to read your husbandry sheet. I read most everyone I find because there is always a new idea or practice to be learned. Also, I will probably buy a group of two or three for breeding purposes, so all information is helpful at this point. I am researching the species now since I will not be in the market to buy for awhile.

Isn't it great to be a herper!

ToddG
-----
1.1 Balls - Male het/albino, Female 66% het/albino
***Fingers crossed for next season!!!***

Anthony Caponetto's site for care. This sheet will work especially well for you since you are comparing them to balls and Anthony, through out the care sheet, compares carpets to ball pythons. The site is acreptiles.com.

-J.C.

Thanks for the link, but I got it in my favorites. I haven't had a chance to read it yet. Hope to find time tonight.

Todd
-----
1.1 Balls - Male het/albino, Female 66% het/albino
***Fingers crossed for next season!!!***

to show you all the colors a Carpet can REALLY have compared to the two toned color of a Jungle!!!
Here are some of our IJ carpets....

A yearling male...

A striped Yearling female...

A 2 week old female...

2 year old female...

5 yr. old male...

8-9 yr. old male....

Why settle for black and gold when you can have black, gold and everything in between...and then some?
Whatever flavor you choose, carpets are great snakes to keep. They are hardy, manageable and come in many colors to suit your tastes. But I felt I must do my part to represent my beloved Irian Jayas!!!

-Yasser
Spitfire Reptiles

-----

Yasser,

The pics are spectacular! My recent descision to pursue carpets was inspired by Irians. I REALLY like that fact that they are the smallest. Less space required and the smaller the better with my daughter. She LOVES to handle snakes at 4 years old, but I did not feel comfortable when she played with our Burm. Our Burm ( Belladonna )was a rescue that I bought my wife as a college graduation present. She was mistreated by starvation and lack of proper housing among other things. Belle, as I called her, had stunted growth and I wondered if her early demise was inevitable. I was trying to sell her when she got mites, and during her treatment she passed unexpectedly. I believe the mites lowered her immune system to a level where other parasites or infection thrives. We miss her dearly and did not want to see her go that way. Sorry, did not mean to go on like this but it happened maybe three weeks ago. I did not have the heart to tell my daughter, so I told her she went back to live with her "snake" family.

Anyways... Your high contrast are my favorite. This is not goiong to be an easy descision, I have plenty time to decide.
Thanks for sharing your pics and I REALLY enjoyed them!

Todd
-----
1.1 Balls - Male het/albino, Female 66% het/albino
***Fingers crossed for next season!!!***

post a bunch of pictures. Oh well....

Jungles forever

I'm not exactly sure why the one on the left is still vibrant. Some get sooty, some never develop that great yellow, and some just stay phenomenal year after year. The male on the right only started to get that melanin well after he turned six. Good luck in your decision.

Tim