irian Jaya Carpet Python vs Jungle Carpet ?

if you're looking for quality like that above, you're looking at a minimum of $250 for a female... probably $350-$550, or slightly less for a male. good jungles ain't cheap and cheap jungles ain't good!

I agree with Colin. Unless you have a really big show (MARS, Hamburg, ect.) I would hold out and buy online. ACreptiles.com

personally, i think AC's jungles suck compared to a lot out there...
i'd go to moreliapythons.com and poke around there for a good breeder.
inlandreptile.com or reptilesbyah.com or spectacularcarpetpythons.com or google 'morelia trophy club'... just a few leads. can't go wrong with australianaddiction.com either... great guys and good stock.

All lines can throw very pretty and very ho hum looking carpet pythons. If you're looking for top notch carpets, try and purchase them when they're a little older so you have a slightly better idea what they're going to look like in their prime. There's always nice looking jungles and IJs available. You just have to look for them.

If you want to start out with a youngster and grow'em up, by all means, check out pictures of the parents and purchase based on what the adults look like. Careful what you believe & hear about the different lines, be selective with your own eyeballs.

...my 2 cents when buying carpets. There's plenty of folks who have bought $250 jungles or IJs, that have not grown up into $250 jungles/IJs - myself included - and on the other side of the coin, there are plenty who have bought jungles or IJs for $100 that have grown into really really nice jungles/IJs. It's a crapshoot with young carpets, and buying offspring from good looking parents can only shift the odds a little better in your favor that they'll turn out outstanding.

Shea Peterson
www.petersonreptiles.com

thanks everyone for the good info... but honestly i dont like buying material goods online...let a lone a live animal lol ... how do they ship it so that it stays alive and well ?

priority overnight in an insulated box... they do fine. :)

Rico (green tree breeder) ships in a small foam cooler inside of a box. It's became pretty much a science. They use hot or cold packs depending on weather. Buying from someone repubable means they will be happy to explain how stuff works. Andrew Hare produces some amazing carpets as well. Nick and inland has some killers too. Theres one guy on moreliapythons.net with some for 80 and they look like crap to me, then another with some for 125 that are amazing. You'll find what you want if your patient which doesn't seem like a problem to you. Holding out is often best.

The reason why I got my JCP as an adult was to avoid getting a beautiful baby that turned out brownish. Since this is one of my only snake, I wanted a good looking one :)

well then my next question is what are the sizes for hatchlings, yearlings, juvi's and subadults ??

Hatchlings are around 8-10 inches but grow quickly.

yearling is gonna be around a pound and 2 to 3 feet long and very skinny.

sub adult is anywhere from 3-6 feet and a few pounds. These guys really gain length before weight until the get a good bit older.