couple of questions for carpet owners

[robeyeshua]

recently bought my son a diamond coastal carpet from peter lindle - pets galore - loiusville, ky. - first one for me - just wondering??? - he is about 14 months old - presently in 10 gallon tank on aspen with uth about 88 at glass - room temp maintained about 75 - ambient in tank about 76 - lines up pretty good with what all i've read - his favorite spot has proven to be in the front corner of the tank - have not seen him use the heat at all - just wondering what other's have experienced - also was obviously fed recently as a small lump is noticeable where it should be - doesn't seem to be going down much - wondered about the breeds metabolism specifically what should be my frequency of feed - peter had him on hopper mice but i didn't ask how often - i want to take him to rat pups right away just not sure the frequency particularly for his size - most of what i've read suggests they need maybe only 10 - 12 meals a year???

[Muddyredneck]

everything iv read says thy hve fast metabolisms, so i wouldent worry about it a decent lump is alright just make sure the lump isnt to big. i have to get my girl on rats, id reccomend u do that soon as it will be easier iv never read the 10-12 meals a year tho, i use a 5day feeding plan 7 at the most. as babys they need the food, but can be slown down at an older age to once every two weeks depending on the rat size they get up to.

and as for the heat, the best and easiest way to put it IMO is they know what they want better then we do, snakes may not be the smartest but if givin the proper temp gradient (which it sounds like u have) they will do whats best for them.

on a side note, hows the attitide on yours? cause my girl is nuts! i have a female coastal whos a youngin maby a foot long if that and man is she quick! bites first and sees what shes chewin on second.. lol cant wait till she grows out of it

[gman8585]

That's funny I just got my first carpet and he seems to be doing the same thing. Same setup a ten gallon. I was thinking of switching a uth to a lamp maybe .

[Wh00h0069]

Carpets are an arboreal species, so a lamp or basking area would be a good idea. They also would use something to climb on if offered. I imagine that a 14 month old should be on a larger prey item, and would be able to take a rat pup down with ease. Good luck.

[Clementine_3]

When my IJ's were babies/small I had them set up in 10 gallon tanks with heat lamps, not UTH's. They had those stick on branches/leaves and spent most of the time in those, or on top of the hides.
They now have radiant heat panels in their cages and a lot of high spaces, they are rarely on the ground.

[robeyeshua]

thanks to all - mine's attitude is good - better on each handling session - just last night was the first time i retrieved him without a blow or hiss - he is still cocked up pretty good when you handle him - is easily startled and will offer somewhat of a swing at you on occasion but mostly just defensive - i'm starting to appreciate him for what he is more and more , day by day - if you get a chance and havent check out anthony carpeletto reptiles - breeder of carpets - may have spelled it wrong - its a nice site - but his opinions and he makes it clear they are JUST OPINIONS fly in the face of traditional carpet husbandry posts - like these snakes being arboreal???? - feeding frequencies, etc. check it out and tell me what you think after reading

[Colin Vestrand]

I've owned and bred carpets for awhile and have several... they're all different from each other, but if i had to give a blanket description i'd say they:

are nippy when young but settle down when they get about 12-18 months
even when they're striking, a lot of times it's just head butts instead of full teeth
generally do not need a lot of supplemental heat
are often times fed too much as adults (very thin bodied snakes naturally)
are fed too small of prey items as neos/subadults
are really not usually arboreal at all (1 in 10 spend decent time hanging out)
are hardy, but can get RI's, especially if they get too cold for long or have mites
are prone to prey imprinting (feed them rats only, even when young)
are somewhat easy to breed if healthy
good beginner snakes, except that they live a very long time

how i keep them:
keep them at 75-85 degrees gradient temp
feed once a week for 18 months, then once every other week to once a month depending on weight
always have water, usually over the hot spot of a bit of humidity
don't give adults hides, perches, or supplemental light (mine don't seem to care about that stuff)
newspaper for substrate (although this is just because i have a lot, otherwise i'd rather use non-cedar mulch of some sort or sand/leaves/moss mix)
no night drop unless breeding
feed rats only

[robeyeshua]

this is a fantastic post - thanks alot colin - tons of straight shooting information - gonna cut it and paste to save on my hard drive - thanks again

I've owned and bred carpets for awhile and have several... they're all different from each other, but if i had to give a blanket description i'd say they:

are nippy when young but settle down when they get about 12-18 months
even when they're striking, a lot of times it's just head butts instead of full teeth
generally do not need a lot of supplemental heat
are often times fed too much as adults (very thin bodied snakes naturally)
are fed too small of prey items as neos/subadults
are really not usually arboreal at all (1 in 10 spend decent time hanging out)
are hardy, but can get RI's, especially if they get too cold for long or have mites
are prone to prey imprinting (feed them rats only, even when young)
are somewhat easy to breed if healthy
good beginner snakes, except that they live a very long time

how i keep them:
keep them at 75-85 degrees gradient temp
feed once a week for 18 months, then once every other week to once a month depending on weight
always have water, usually over the hot spot of a bit of humidity
don't give adults hides, perches, or supplemental light (mine don't seem to care about that stuff)
newspaper for substrate (although this is just because i have a lot, otherwise i'd rather use non-cedar mulch of some sort or sand/leaves/moss mix)
no night drop unless breeding
feed rats only

[robeyeshua]

our carpet is 3 ft about 135 grams - probably a little underfed?? - what size should he bo on now and are the coastal's a less pickier than others about rats / mice - ie. whats my chances of getting him on rats when the previous owner was feeding hopper mice?? - i've only fed him once and he seemed to have his "hands full" taking down a small hopper mouse - thanks

this is a fantastic post - thanks alot colin - tons of straight shooting information - gonna cut it and paste to save on my hard drive - thanks again

[Colin Vestrand]

good, glad it was helpful.

with rats, the only thing you can do is try... some of my carpets will eat anything, but others are heavily imprinted or have been imprinted on specific items.

it's hard for me to envision the size of your carpet, but at 3 ft long, it should be able to eat a rat that's 1.5 times its girth at the widest point of its body.