Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I may be taking care of a friends carpet python for a few months. I was wondering about the proper care for him. Do they need UV light like a bearded dragon or tortoise? Also do they prefer a moist enviroment.

Thanks for your time,

Erik

As a general rule, no purely carnivorous or even mostly carnivorous reptile needs UV radiation to be healthy. Beardeds and tortoises do because they mostly consume vegetation, and need UV radiation to properly make and process Vit D. Carnivorous herps get Vit D directly from the prey they consume, so animals like snakes and Varanids (monitor lizards) don't require any special lighting. Some say that UV helps to bring out colors in their animals, and there may very well be some truth to that. Also, it may help as an in general health stimulant for your herp, but it is certainly not required. For animals that don't have to have it, it basically boils down to how much you want to spend on lighting for your pet (or in your case, someone else's).

As for humidity requirements, carpets don't require anything too out of the ordinary. A relative humidity percentage of between 50 and 70% would suffice. If your ambient humidity (normal, room humidity) tends to be on the low side, such as if you live in a desert type area or some other slightly more arid climate, you can always provide a "wet box" for the snake, basically consisting of a Rubbermaid or Sterilite type container with moist green or sphagnum moss inside. This would be closed with a small hole cut in either the top or sides, just large enough for the snake to get in and out easily, but small enough to retain moisture. Usually snakes will retreat to these hides, when given the option, during shed cycles and in too low ambient humidity situations.
-Chance

Thanks