Jungle Carpet Pics... (DUW)

I took a couple of new pics and measured Chewie today - he's 5'9" :carrot:

http://www.slamsoftware.com/Chewie/ChewieStreeeetch.jpg

http://www.slamsoftware.com/Chewie/ChewieTopSide.jpg

He's not a beauty - but he IS a beast :taz: :sunny:

So, does anybody have any suggestions on how much I should be feeding this guy?

That is a nice big guy! How long have you had him? As for feeding, with adult males I usually feed them about once every other week through the warm months of the year and they usually take about 2-4 months off (absolutely no feeding) during the cool months. Item size is usually about as big around as the male is, sometimes a little larger.

Hey thanks!

I was thinking his looks have actually improved a quite bit. When I first got him he always had this dull, scuffed look on his back. But he's considerably darker now and actually has a bit of shine on his back. Perhaps the occasional fowl feed he gets actually works like some other guys here said it would.

Anyway, I've had him around 4 months now. For the first two months he was much more active and would come out and hang on his branches (http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ghlight=Chewie) but he's become a real home-boy lately. Unfortunately, I didn't get much time to talk to his previous owner so I've been kind of guessing about diet. You're not the first person to suggest bi-weekly feeds.

Also, I've got him on a 75 to 85 degree gradient. How does the best cage setup differ from BP's?

Thanks!
Ben

That is good that he is looking better. Don't know how the keeper kept him before you, but I have noticed that good care can make a WORLD of difference in the looks of a snake, sure it works with other animals as well. Sounds like you are taking good care of him. As far as keeping compared to ball pythons, pretty much the exact same. I keep and breed many bps and carpets in the same room, the only difference really is that I usually give carpets more verticle space. Other than that, they are pretty identicle. Carpets seem to have less problems with stuck sheds, and of course are MUCH better feeders, and will perch and be more visiable and active than balls are. Anyway, there are my :2cent:

wow hes giant lol i have a jungle carpet hes only 2 ft but hes 3 months old not too bad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bonheki

wow hes giant lol i have a jungle carpet hes only 2 ft but hes 3 months old not too bad

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Cool! My first snake bite ever was by a baby carpet. Fast as lightning! :O

Chewie hisses alot but has never tried to bite me. His original keeper was a breeder and said he didn't really bother with handling. Even so, I'm still able to make progress w/ Chewie by regular handling. But I really love his attitude anyway!

Perhaps one day I'll raise one up from hatchling stage. But now that I'm up to three snakes and a cham I can barely give them all the attention I'd like to!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bhmorrill

That is good that he is looking better. Don't know how the keeper kept him before you, but I have noticed that good care can make a WORLD of difference in the looks of a snake, sure it works with other animals as well. Sounds like you are taking good care of him. As far as keeping compared to ball pythons, pretty much the exact same. I keep and breed many bps and carpets in the same room, the only difference really is that I usually give carpets more verticle space. Other than that, they are pretty identicle. Carpets seem to have less problems with stuck sheds, and of course are MUCH better feeders, and will perch and be more visiable and active than balls are. Anyway, there are my :2cent:

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Thanks! I originally had him up more in the BP temp range but I decided to cool him off based on reading the NERD caresheets. I'm starting to think maybe their recommendations are a bit on the cool side. The more I read real carpet-specific stuff the more I see ambient temps in the low 80's recommended.