Taming my new jungle carpet

Sorry, maybe my post wasn't clear. I'm eager because I still have to take care of him during that time. I have to change his water and clean up after him, etc. I don't particularly like trying to do that stuff with him in there since he's very good at shuffling around and staying in strike pose. I don't think he wants to strike me but its very unnerving. Oddly enough, I find it much less unnerving to take him out first.

What about just getting a piece of cardboard to block him from your hand while you get the water dish out?

yea I actually did that last night. After I got done with potty cleanup I realized that his water had gotten some bedding in it. I didn't want to push my luck trying to get him out again and that was the solution I came up with. It was kind of clumsy trying to get him to move and keep the lid on (even with a helper) and then trying to do everything in a tiny space but it was OK.

I'm sure all of this will be easier when he's in his 90gal. Also, his mood will surely start improving.

I'm rushing to get his tank set up today. Hopefully it will be done by tonight.

:carrot:

regardless of whether or not you handle him regularly he will settle down if he's going to settle down...

what i mean to say is that it's my experience that carpets reach a point in life where its almost like they give up on being mean. the biggest thing is to be confident in your movements and handle him properly every time you take him out.... if you do that, you'll be fine. and believe me - i have had some extremely mean carpets!

You know I'm finding this out. Before I was trying to be very gentle and just lighting touching him to warn him I was going to pick him up. This FREAKS him right out.

Even though he wasn't biting I eventually decided to get a glove so that I could be more confident when initially handling him. I've found that if you just grab his neck firmly there is almost no reaction!

I fed him for the first time today. I'm still impressed...

oh yea - and I should say that I've down 2 or 3 short handling sessions so far. So far each one is better in some respect. Things tend to go downhill once he gets fixated on crawling on something nearby me. I do a sort of endless-treadmill trick with my hands so that I'm not really restraining him but he just never gets anywhere. eventually he gets pissed and starts huffing at me alot.

I figure notable progress each time is a good thing so I'm optimistic. And, I'm not going to be put out if he never totally tames down.

Also, he's gotten pretty happy with his tank. He comes out at night and drapes across all his branches - its really cool!

That thread mill trick is a great way to work with him. This method is really nice for scrubs. Once they get a fixed point of moment like you standing next to them they become defensive. If you keep them moving in your hands they seem to do better. So this seems to apply in your case also. You know most jungles clam down with handeling, but some don't. Keep handeling him, he hasn't take a swipe at you yet so thats a plus. You should buy a Hook and practice using it to hook him out of the cage. Its nice to have a little distance betewwn you and the Teeth. ;)

You should try to feed him its a good indicator of how adjusted he is. I have had snake eat hours after being shipped some take weeks. So is it taking rats?

Chuck

Yea I fed him Sunday. I tossed a live rat in the cage and, in no time, was given an impressive show. Except for some distant childhood memories of watching a boa, I've only seen a ball hunt. Chewie (JCP) was much more aggressive in closing the distance between him and the rat and once he had it cornered he got into strike position and then started doing these slow circular swaying motions.

The guys at the pet store strongly suggest not feeding him in-cage. Their thinking is that you can get away with in-cage feeding with BPs but that they are really an exception to the rule. I feed my BP out-of-cage anyway and would be inclined to do the same with my JCP. But right now he's just not used to being taken out of his cage. I eventually decided that it would be best to make things as easy as possible on him for the time being.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chuck

You should buy a Hook and practice using it to hook him out of the cage. Its nice to have a little distance betewwn you and the Teeth. ;)
Chuck

---

Yea, I'm sure he's got some good chompers in there. I'd rather not find out the hard way! :O Right now I'm putting a leather gardening glove on one hand. I use the gloved hand to grab his neck and then my other hand to support his body as I take him out. I'm getting better at it. I'm finding that quicker, more confident movements tend to get it over with more quickly. If I chicken out and let him pull back on me then it drags the whole thing out and he gets more agitated.

Once I've got him out I take the glove off and he's pretty cool. I think I'm going to try handling him with lots of space around me in all directions so that he doesn't become fixated on trying to crawl over onto something. I would be really stoked if I could get him to fully relax for me. that's one thing I haven't gotten him to do yet. He's not aggressive at but he's also clearly not comfortable yet. I don't think he's ever been handled so it might take a little while. And, if he doesn't tame down, that's OK too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bearhart

The guys at the pet store strongly suggest not feeding him in-cage. Their thinking is that you can get away with in-cage feeding with BPs but that they are really an exception to the rule. I feed my BP out-of-cage anyway and would be inclined to do the same with my JCP. But right now he's just not used to being taken out of his cage. I eventually decided that it would be best to make things as easy as possible on him for the time being.

---

So what is different about JCPs in regards to in-cage feeding?