Carpet pythons

Gio - Oh yeah, I obviously need more than one snake (or lizard or tarantula or whatever) eventually! But, it will happen over time. The only issue with Carpets is that as they grow they will want big & tall cages which I don't have a ton of, and I have to keep expenses reasonable which in part means not getting big expensive cages. Anything that can permanently live in what we've got will be much easier to get permission for which is a 75gal, 40gal, various tubs and critter keepers, 18" cube, and a 4x2x1 Boaphile. The big 4x2x4 is already reserved for the Carpet. I think a Blood python would work nicely as it can eventually live in the Boaphile and won't be bothered by only 12" of height. A sand boa could permanently live in a tub and also doesn't care about height. 18" cube could eventually take a Crested or Gargoyle gecko, or some semi arboreal snake that stays smaller.

Well, theoretically I could also house something in our Coke cooler but it would take some effort to make it safe and secure. Really I think it would only work for 100% terrestrial animals but you could probably have a huge Leopard Gecko colony in there if you wanted and it's pretty big. I'm not really sure what else can use that much room but can't climb at all. This one is the same model as mine, but with better paint and mine has a bottle opener on the right front. You can see the two screws there that it mounts on.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2F100_0397.JPG

rock - In The Complete Carpet Python on p119 about bredli: "This is a relatively fast growing species and the small juveniles care capable of reaching lengths of 1.5m (5 ft) by their second winter." So that's what I was going by with that. A 2014 being nearly 6 feet seems to jive with what the book says too.


So last night I managed to "liberate" a sort of rack system that was being used elsewhere in the house. It's one of these:
http://www.salamanderdesigns.com/pro...5-5125e28270f2

I bought it probably 15-20 years ago, but it's still in good shape. Basically, the four legs are giant bolts and each shelf has a big nut on top and on bottom so it has infinitely adjustable shelf heights for any size tubs you wanted. Each level has 19"x16" of usable space, and you could add heat tape pretty easily. I'm going to Home Depot today to check out their tubs and take notes for the future. I also sent an email to the company asking what it would cost to buy an additional shelf for it.

Zebra - Not as mean looking, but too "busy" like a Diamond. Wife not a fan.

Older bredli: Almost 6 feet long, which is too big for right now. I need something my wife can get used to at a smaller size.

rock, did you say your 2015 is 3 feet long now? That's significantly more than the striped caramel which is only 18".

So that puts it down to the 2015 Bredli or 2016 Striped Caramel. I can't seem to link directly to the picture but you should be able to see him here:
https://www.facebook.com/52717249407...type=3&theater

There's actually one more striped one he has that might be good - I need to ask if he can send me better pics where I can see their whole pattern instead of coiled up tightly.

I like the Coke cooler!

Yes, you and the book are definitely correct. I was thinking Bredli growth and sexual maturity compared to other Carpet Pythons. As in, I didn't think they outpaced them.

My 2015 Bredli is about 2.5 feet and 150 grams as of last week. I do expect this will be a big growth year as he is now onto rats so 5 feet by the end of the year fits my expectations as well. I would like to get him into a 4x2x2 with a RHP by the end of the year or as soon as possible, based on his growth.

The Striped Caramel looks awesome. Really, really nice.

I will get a new pic of mine this afternoon so you can see where he's at for comparison.

I asked the breeder for non-coiled pics of two of his striped caramels so I can see their entire pattern but he replied back that they are "deep in shed" right now so I think we're going to give them some time to finish shedding and get better pics then. So, it might be a little while. I prefer a zig-zaggy looking stripe over a totally straight one.

Yes, I would love to see how big your guy is now - maybe in a hand or near a familiar sized object for scale would be good? The one from Nick should be very similar in size. Thanks!

Salamander rack system: 19"x16" usable space, adjustable height

IRIS 32qt Weathertight storage box: 17.94"L x 14.50"W x 10.88"H

I think we have a winner, this is the biggest storage container I could find which will fit in my "rack" and seems pretty roomy. It also has a locking top if you want it, but the clips don't get in the way so the top is optional.

At some point I will also look into the best sized container that can fit two side-by-side on these shelves.

That striped coastal looks really nice.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

I asked the breeder for non-coiled pics of two of his striped caramels so I can see their entire pattern but he replied back that they are "deep in shed" right now so I think we're going to give them some time to finish shedding and get better pics then. So, it might be a little while. I prefer a zig-zaggy looking stripe over a totally straight one.

Yes, I would love to see how big your guy is now - maybe in a hand or near a familiar sized object for scale would be good? The one from Nick should be very similar in size. Thanks!

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Funny, my Bredli hasn't shed in the 4 weeks he's been with me. Bet it's coming soon. I'll get the hand pic today and TRY for a can too. No telling what will happen once he's out. 😊

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rock

Funny, my Bredli hasn't shed in the 4 weeks he's been with me. Bet it's coming soon. I'll get the hand pic today and TRY for a can too. No telling what will happen once he's out. [emoji4]

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They're all so very different , some of mine go months without shedding it seems ...


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Here you go, from today.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ge_280888.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ge_913069.jpeg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rock

Here you go, from today.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ge_280888.jpeghttps://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...ge_913069.jpeg

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What a stunner!

I want one!

Thank you, Gio. I agree! I had a great session with him today. Took the gloves off, just relaxed and let him crawl around. I get it even more now. More fun than BPs.

Nice pics, and a very good size indeed. Hopefully those gloves aren't really necessary and he's a good boy.

btw, I forgot to mention that we ran into a guy with a ball python at the park yesterday. Just kind of walking around with it. We were on our way out but stopped to chat a few minutes and let Isaac touch it.

why the gloves? Confused.....was he biting you?

No need for the gloves. At all. He is the sweetest snake. Just curious and fun and has never even taken a strike. I'm just a terrible handler. Pretty much had an unfounded fear of snakes my whole life. Only got over it 6 months ago for the sake of my 8 year old daughter. Empowered her and myself, I guess.

Anyway, it's just the movement that gives me a knee jerk reaction. BPs too even though they move much slower so it hasn't been a problem. I really haven't handled my Bredli much over the first month. Just a few sessions. I could tell he was nice but I would get nervous. Anyway, today I just went with it and let him climb around as usual and after a few minutes I sat down and took the gloves off and enjoyed him being curious. Sorry for the confusion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rock

No need for the gloves. At all. He is the sweetest snake. Just curious and fun and has never even taken a strike. I'm just a terrible handler. Pretty much had an unfounded fear of snakes my whole life. Only got over it 6 months ago for the sake of my 8 year old daughter. Empowered her and myself, I guess.

Anyway, it's just the movement that gives me a knee jerk reaction. BPs too even though they move much slower so it hasn't been a problem. I really haven't handled my Bredli much over the first month. Just a few sessions. I could tell he was nice but I would get nervous. Anyway, today I just went with it and let him climb around as usual and after a few minutes I sat down and took the gloves off and enjoyed him being curious. Sorry for the confusion.

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Hey,,,,,,,
Good for you.

I've been bitten by 3 of the 4 we have here. None of them hurt, but I still don't want to be bitten LOL! I too was not into snakes until we bought our son a royal for his 9th B-day. Obviously I knew I'd be the primary care giver.

If you have a carpet, I highly recommend early handling with what I call an "acclimation branch". My new retic came with many unknows and I was obviously cautious at the start. Funny, he bit me later on after I was comfortable and too aggressive removing him from the cage LOL!

Try this if you are the slightest bit apprehensive. Also use a tight fist when you move your hand toward his face. My carpet and retic saw a fist, not fingers and seemed to know a bite was not worth trying.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_1795.jpg


My retic bite
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...tput_3141.jpeg


And a dog bite I got about 15 years ago during a protection training exercise.

Neither hurt at the time but I was sure surprised.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_3656.jpg


The Bredli is really neat and eventually if its anything like my coastal, it won't bite you even if you try to get bitten LOL!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9AmwoQc68xQ

Here is a video from today, you can better see his size... And what poor handling looks like. I quickly got better, though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Hey,,,,,,,
Good for you.

I've been bitten by 3 of the 4 we have here. None of them hurt, but I still don't want to be bitten LOL! I too was not into snakes until we bought our son a royal for his 9th B-day. Obviously I knew I'd be the primary care giver.

If you have a carpet, I highly recommend early handling with what I call an "acclimation branch". My new retic came with many unknows and I was obviously cautious at the start. Funny, he bit me later on after I was comfortable and too aggressive removing him from the cage LOL!

Try this if you are the slightest bit apprehensive. Also use a tight fist when you move your hand toward his face. My carpet and retic saw a fist, not fingers and seemed to know a bite was not worth trying.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FIMG_1795.jpg


My retic bite
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...tput_3141.jpeg


And a dog bite I got about 15 years ago during a protection training exercise.

Neither hurt at the time but I was sure surprised.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FIMG_3656.jpg



The Bredli is really neat and eventually if its anything like my coastal, it won't bite you even if you try to get bitten LOL!

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Thanks, Gio, great ideas. I'll try that. You've really come a long way as well. That dog really gave you the business!

The video wasn't bad. My carpet was a bit silly to handle. Boas hold tight my carpet started out a little erratic and did a bit of falling too.

You've got a really nice Bredli and I see more in the future.

+1 for the closed fist. Nothing small sticking out to bite.

I got bitten by a baby (2016) carpet at the Atlanta reptile show recently, couldn't really feel it or find the spot where it hit me - it's just not a big deal with little snakes, more just a surprise than anything else and frankly almost cute at that size. It's like a baby kitten trying to kill you, they're so adorable doing it that you don't really mind.

OK, so that was a weird conversation... My wife basically said that I should start with one snake but it's OK to get another one eventually provided that all goes well. She doesn't want to have to take care of it herself though. Also, she said that I can get one of the yellow & black ones if I want. Confusing... I mean, like it's not hard enough ALREADY trying to pick one.

Eureka! The sudden, unexpected realization of the solution to a problem. So let it be written, so let it be done.

I think she just gave you clearance for 3. Just my take. :)

I have to remind myself not to jump if my baby water python strikes, even thought the most recent bite didn't even break skin. Some day Kajura's bite may work its way up to angry Velcro, but today is not that day. [emoji4]


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Prognathodon - I think you need to update your sig, I don't see a water python listed there.

For the moment, nothing much changes here. I'm still looking for just one carpet going between 2016's with better selection available or larger 2015's which are more scarce/picked over. But it's good to know that I may be able to get another in the future. It may not be a carpet though because I'm still constrained by available housing and my only other tank big enough for a bigger snake is a 4x2x1 foot which isn't ideal for a semi-arboreal snake. It would be a good home for a Blood or Borneo python though, and anything that can live in a 32qt tub is no problem.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

Prognathodon - I think you need to update your sig, I don't see a water python listed there.

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Oof, you're right, that was really out of date. Fixed that, and the list in my profile.



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Currently just in a holding pattern waiting for the two striped caramels to complete their sheds so I can get better pics of them.

In the meaning, also continuing to monitor the various carpet python "for sale" groups on FB in case anything else tempting pops up.

OK, so it's been a long winding road but I've finally ordered my new snake. It's not the striped caramels I was previously looking at, but when I saw her it was just one of those "wow" moments. Breathtaking. She's a Diamond/Jungle cross.

Facebook pics still don't seem to work to include directly, so here's a link you have to click on:

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...8d&oe=5988A63A

She will arrive Tuesday, so I'm working on ordering some frozen rodents and getting her home all fixed up to be ready.

Wow, you nailed it! What a beautiful animal. Congrats!!

Very nice choice DB. She's a beauty. :gj:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

OK, so it's been a long winding road but I've finally ordered my new snake. It's not the striped caramels I was previously looking at, but when I saw her it was just one of those "wow" moments. Breathtaking. She's a Diamond/Jungle cross.

Facebook pics still don't seem to work to include directly, so here's a link you have to click on:

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...8d&oe=5988A63A

She will arrive Tuesday, so I'm working on ordering some frozen rodents and getting her home all fixed up to be ready.

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Perfect!

The jungle will take care of any of those particular diamond care requirements.

Extra beautiful!

VERY WELL DONE!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Perfect!

The jungle will take care of any of those particular diamond care requirements.

Extra beautiful!

VERY WELL DONE!

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I was thinking the same thing. I haven't read up on them but I am starting to think the diamond/jungle combo gives a brisbane a run for it's money! I always wanted a diamond, this might be the way to go. Again, great job, DB.

Thanks guys :)

Talking to the breeder (East Coast Exotics), he says that you can keep them the same as other Carpets and don't have to do anything unusual due to the Diamond heritage.

However, I've still been listening to back episodes of Morelia Python Radio about Diamonds just to get a better sense of them.

Ordered some aspen bedding and some frozen mice & rats, and everything else in the cage is in place and ready to go from heating to thermostat to lighting and climbing branch. Could maybe use another branch sometime, we'll see how much she climbs or I can fake it with a tinkertoy play-gym. Just gotta add the aspen when it gets here and put some water in the bowl.

She eats mouse hoppers currently (she's about 2 feet long) and I thought it would be a bad idea to try to transition her to rats at the same time as moving into a new home with no mice to fall back on. So, when I get down to about 5-6 mice left I'll start transitioning and I can use the last few mice to scent with if necessary.

My Diamond/Jungle girl will be arriving tomorrow morning by 10:30am!

Just about everything is ready to go. I put down the aspen shavings, filled the water bowl, added more hides and cork bark, hung black cloth covering two sides of the cage for a more secure feeling, set up some lights, and have been testing temperatures.

Belly heat is about 88F which seems good (it's on a thermostat), but I need to find a smaller watt bulb for a basking spot. The 40W is giving me around 96F so I'm going to pick up a 25W and maybe a 15W or whatever they have to try out. There's also an LED bulb that I can use to give white light without heat (it's a 2-bulb fixture). I could also raise the light higher as a temp fix but that won't look as good.

I also found two timers I can use to program a day/night cycle, they're just ON/OFF but better than nothing.

Frozen mice will be here on Wednesday, I wanted to give her some time to settle in before attempting a feeding anyway.

Also - gotta work on a name. So far I've been looking at some star themed options (to call out the diamond look) or female characters from mythology, Tolkien, etc...

Carpets were formerly my thing. I love carpets. They can be easy if you give them what they want. But they can grow to be snappy. I just learned to ignore their snap, and all of my past carpets grew out of it. I did learn that if I handled them everyday, they would not snap. If I gave them days off, there was no telling. They're beautiful snakes and great for home display because of the arboreal nature of them. As for an almost guaranteed scaley friend, they're no ball.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

My Diamond/Jungle girl will be arriving tomorrow morning by 10:30am!

Just about everything is ready to go. I put down the aspen shavings, filled the water bowl, added more hides and cork bark, hung black cloth covering two sides of the cage for a more secure feeling, set up some lights, and have been testing temperatures.

Belly heat is about 88F which seems good (it's on a thermostat), but I need to find a smaller watt bulb for a basking spot. The 40W is giving me around 96F so I'm going to pick up a 25W and maybe a 15W or whatever they have to try out. There's also an LED bulb that I can use to give white light without heat (it's a 2-bulb fixture). I could also raise the light higher as a temp fix but that won't look as good.

I also found two timers I can use to program a day/night cycle, they're just ON/OFF but better than nothing.

Frozen mice will be here on Wednesday, I wanted to give her some time to settle in before attempting a feeding anyway.

Also - gotta work on a name. So far I've been looking at some star themed options (to call out the diamond look) or female characters from mythology, Tolkien, etc...

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Great planning and prep there DB. :)

25W bulb seems to do about right, giving me a 90F basking spot. The store didn't have any 15W to try out. Without any bulb the same spot is around 81F.

Just got word that it's going to be a little longer as she is entering shed so he's going to wait and ship after that is completed. So... could be an extra week or so, hard to tell :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

Just got word that it's going to be a little longer as she is entering shed so he's going to wait and ship after that is completed. So... could be an extra week or so, hard to tell :(

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Dude, that's just too harsh for your excitement. :(

That slurps DB :(. Why delay shipping because the animal is in shed though?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ringorock

Carpets were formerly my thing. I love carpets. They can be easy if you give them what they want. But they can grow to be snappy. I just learned to ignore their snap, and all of my past carpets grew out of it. I did learn that if I handled them everyday, they would not snap. If I gave them days off, there was no telling. They're beautiful snakes and great for home display because of the arboreal nature of them. As for an almost guaranteed scaley friend, they're no ball.

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OH,

I don't know about the last part here.

There are plenty of testy royals out there, and plenty of wonderfully, pleasant, inquisitive, active carpets.

We have a royal here. Boring is a great description, but that's how they live in the wild. Secretive, and out of sight until its time to eat. As far as a "friend" I have a motionless rock in my lap that usually wants to be away from me and more like back into a hide.

The carpet of ALL snakes here, which includes a boa constrictor, and a young retic, is the most "social/friendly" and predictable snake in the house. They are all solid, but the carpet seems to enjoy company. She doesn't technically enjoy anything, but WOW what a snake to display and handle without worry.

You are correct that there is often a need for some handling work on the front end, but the reward later on in most cases is beyond well worth it.

IMO carpet pythons and boa constrictors are wonderful first snakes for the right keeper. Royals are great, but the feeding issues they present are often misunderstood by most keepers and it lead to questions and stress. The snake itself is fine but then you step back and just look at all the worried royal keepers that post feeding questions you get a picture of something other than ideal IMO.

Of the 4 snakes here, and they are all completely different species from completely different continents, I find the carpet to be the most entertaining and "friendly". The retic is becoming a special part of the crew, and the boa constrictor is perfect, in every way sans a "personality".

I'm not knocking your post, but I will say the chance for a keeper to obtain a "scaly friend" can be very, very high with almost any carpet species.

As a matter of fact, some wild carpets are very handleable and non-defensive.

The O/P is going to love this experience!

What was it that made you go from carpets to royals? Usually things progress the other way

OK, I actually just misinterpreted the message. She's going into shed but shipping will proceed as expected. Sorry for the false alarm.

Baby carpets are known for often being a bit nippy, but most people seem to agree that it's something they grow out of and mostly due to being very low on the food chain at that small size.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

OK, I actually just misinterpreted the message. She's going into shed but shipping will proceed as expected. Sorry for the false alarm.

Baby carpets are known for often being a bit nippy, but most people seem to agree that it's something they grow out of and mostly due to being very low on the food chain at that small size.

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Yes,

You will have nothing to fear.

Mine bit me 3 times and I laughed at the antics because she was trying to be so bloody tough LOL!

I suggest using a perch or branch to introduce them to handling at first.

I call this "The Acclimation Branch". The snake will eventually crawl right over your hands. I used it on my carpet AFTER she bit me a few times. Problem solved!
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_3567.jpg

The retic never bit me durning handling. He only tagged me defensively while pulling out of the cage. My fault not his.

Glad you're still on schedule D. Sounds like your temps are dialed in nicely. I use 75w red heat bulbs with a dimmer to create a basking spot and boost my ambient temps. They're great for night viewing too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dboeren

OK, I actually just misinterpreted the message. She's going into shed but shipping will proceed as expected. Sorry for the false alarm.

Baby carpets are known for often being a bit nippy, but most people seem to agree that it's something they grow out of and mostly due to being very low on the food chain at that small size.

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Awesome, glad you are still on schedule. Sounds like you are dialed in! Looking forward to your first pics!

Great news!

So apparently Fedex had an IT outage last night which is causing all sorts of shipments to be delayed and they've missed the expected 10:30 delivery window. No real way to tell when my package might get here, but it's been "out for delivery" since 8:09am so hopefully not too long...

She finally arrived 15 minutes ago, I was getting pretty stressed out after several hours of waiting there :)

Anyway, she's fine and currently warming up and investigating her new home.

No selfie, never happened. :) Glad you got her home.

I'll try to get something up later tonight. Right now she's curled up under a log hide (the one that's halfway on the heating pad) and between the long ride and shedding I don't want to bother her.

I'm hoping she'll come out later tonight to explore again and that will be a better opportunity to take a pic.

Glad she made it to you safe and sound DB. Hope she settles in quickly for ya.

She seems to be settling in fine. Most of the time she's coiled up in the main hide. I've got three in the tank but this is the biggest one and it partially overlaps the heating pad so I can see why it would be her hide of choice ;)

She did come out exploring late last night which I was happy about, a really stressed snake probably wouldn't come out at all. Anyway, I expect once she's done shedding (and more used to the new surroundings) I'll see her out and about more often. I was able to handler her no problem, she's quite gentle. A little head shy but that's probably in part due to shedding. Everyone is more cautious when they can't see well.

I've been going through the breeder's old photo uploads on Facebook and managed to identify a couple more pictures of my girl when she was younger and I'm working on getting these into an album. I also set up an iHerp account. For some reason the activation emails were ending up in my spam folder but I finally got that sorted out.

Are you guys able to see my iHerp gallery page here?
http://www.iherp.com/HerpTrack/Photo...nimalID=194321

I'm getting "access denied"