Carpet questions and concerns

Back on the 22th of feb Ibrought home a 3yo male jungle carpet python. See thread: http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=85682.

For the first week and a half all it did was curl up in its water bowl with no immediate signs of shedding. then since then all it does is sit in its hide and I never see it come out. I have been checking on it and it did end up shedding last week thursday and had a clean shed. But I never see him climb up on its branches or anything.

Also I have been having no luck feeding him. I have offered 3 meals since bringing him home and he won't take anyof them. he'll strike at it and bite it but will not latch on, coil, constrict and eat.

He is a little nippy in his cage but once I pull him out he settles right down. His cage is 47" high x 41" wide x 30" deep. he has two big logs to climb in there and his temps flux from 85-89 in the middle of the cage on the warm side. I was thinking bout bumping up the size of his ceramic heat emitter as it is only a 60 watt working in conjunction with a 150 basking lamp for heat and a day/night cycle.

any input about why he's not eating or why he is staying in his hide and not coming out whould be greatly appreaciated.

he's not eating because he's three years old and got cold when you brought him home... this triggered his body to throw up a red flag that it may be breeding season... thus he won't eat. his feeding response is still there but there's no will to eat.

to say all carpets climb is a misnomer - only 1/3 of mine do at all.

that's my theory... there's really no way to even guess. just don't offer food for a couple weeks if his weight is fine.

ok, thanks Colin. would you say bumping his temps up may kicking him out of breeding mode? or is this something that only time will tell?

Whodinidunit,

My carpet went (I'm pretty sure) into breeding mode this winter... what I did is just turn off the heat at night... I actually started cycling him for breeding (a little late though).

When room temps were warming up, I gave him heat at night as well. This should've given him the feeling of winter being over.. you could definitely try raising the temps, because my carpet started eating right away.

Hope this helps.

just keep him at normal healthy carpet temps and he'll be just fine... and, like and quarantined animal, keep a good eye on him just in case something is up.

yeah, I think this may be the case. because at first I thought he was stressed because he is in a room where there is alot of traffic (in the family room where we have 3 computer desks so 3 people are in and out alot. Along with a big dog and 2 cats. he tank was right on the floor.

So I moved the tank off the ground and put it on a table thats 34" inches off the ground and even blocked the bottom half of his glass with paper so he didn't see anything unless he was to climb and perch. which woul be even higher then I stand. but no go.

I thought it was stress from handling him too much so i left him alone for the last couple weeks but same story. So I am guessing he went into a breeding /hibernation mode

so sure enough after I post this, I come home from work in the morning and find my JCP out and about on his branches hanging out

That's good news!

I'd offer him food in a few days.. if you feed f/t, make sure to really heat that rodent up with a hair dryer :)

Getting the tank off the floor was one of the best things you could have done for him. It is really hard to monitor temps in a cage on the floor.
As Colin, another experienced carpet breeder suggested, give him a week or two and then offer him food.