First carpet Python.Questions.

Hello everyone!

I have had a single ball Python in the past but that is about the extent of my knowledge with snakes.

I have a gorgeous female IJ jag sibling yearling on hold with a breeder, feeding well on f/t rat pups and puppy dog tame. She is paid for; he is justwaiting for me to give the okay to ship her.

I have a drilled 60qt Ziploc weather guard bin (23x17x11.5 approx) with paper towels for substrate, a couple of hides, a water bowl, and some climbing branches. I also have a medium heat mat with a thermostat for the temperature gradient.

I have read evey care article I can get my hands on but would like clarification on a few things. Now on to the annoying questions!

I have read a lot of debate on back heat vs belly heat for ball pythons but haven't really seen it discussed for carpets. Should I Mount the heat mat on the bottom of the enclosure or on one side since she is semiarboreal? Or should I ditch the heat mat and go with a radiant heat panel? I didn't think those were safe for bin cages but if they are, I would be happy to go ahead and get one.

What size should she be before I look into a more permanent enclosure? Or should I ditch the bin and get one ASAP?

She is over 90%. IJ blood, so I am anticipating (read hoping) that she tops out around 5 ft. I have been looking at an animal plastics cage as her permanent enclosure. They have a specialty cage for carpet pythons, but it seems a bit small to me and is only 15" high. I could be off base here but I would think that a semiarboreal snake would need more height. I would like everyone's opinions on an appropriate cage size, height included. I do not plan on getting more snakes (famous last words) so a display cage is preferred. I would also like brand suggestions.

I have read that carpets don't need a water bowl big enough to soak in. The thought of going with a smaller bowl makes me uncomfortable but it would give her more floor space.

When it comes to feeding, inside the enclosure or in a separate tub? If inside the enclosure, does anyone have suggested methods for getting her to differentiate between feeding time and handling time?

What substrate is currently the most highly recommended? Something like ecoearth? Repticarpet or newspaper? Keep the paper towels?


Thanks for taking the time to look at this and I am sorry for the stupid questions.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

Should I Mount the heat mat on the bottom of the enclosure or on one side since she is semiarboreal? Or should I ditch the heat mat and go with a radiant heat panel?

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Personal preference. Top heat will encourage more arboreal/perching behavior though.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

What size should she be before I look into a more permanent enclosure? Or should I ditch the bin and get one ASAP?

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Any size you like. Just be careful with sliding glass doors and smaller snakes. Depending on the brand, there can be a rather sizable gap that could allow an escape.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

She is over 90%. IJ blood, so I am anticipating (read hoping) that she tops out around 5 ft. I have been looking at an animal plastics cage as her permanent enclosure. They have a specialty cage for carpet pythons, but it seems a bit small to me and is only 15" high. I could be off base here but I would think that a semiarboreal snake would need more height. I would like everyone's opinions on an appropriate cage size, height included. I do not plan on getting more snakes (famous last words) so a display cage is preferred. I would also like brand suggestions.

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More personal preference. I have some 15" enclosures set up with perches and the height is fine. The problem with going higher is temperature gradients. If you're using belly heat and your house is on the cooler side, you could end up with areas too cool in something higher than 15 inches. If you want to go with more height, you should then seriously consider going with a RHP - which works out I suppose since you'll want to encourage more climbing activity anyway.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

I have read that carpets don't need a water bowl big enough to soak in. The thought of going with a smaller bowl makes me uncomfortable but it would give her more floor space.

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Either way works fine. A bowl large enough to soak isn't going to do much harm to their floor space.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

When it comes to feeding, inside the enclosure or in a separate tub? If inside the enclosure, does anyone have suggested methods for getting her to differentiate between feeding time and handling time?

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I seldom feed any snake outside the enclosure. The smell of the rodent should be enough to let your girl know it's feeding time. You can always hook train too to tap her out of feed mode and/or sleepy time.

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

What substrate is currently the most highly recommended? Something like ecoearth? Repticarpet or newspaper? Keep the paper towels?

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I personally like newspaper because it's easy to clean and you know at a glance when it's soiled.

I've recently moved my JCP and Bredli into their "grownup" AP cages, see my "Perch Size?" thread for more details and pics. I agree that the AP "carpet" cage sounds a little small, but clearly the breeder its named for likes it.

Since you have the tub almost ready, I'd start her in that, with the UTH on the bottom (Even if you ordered an AP cage today you'd have to wait for it). Once you get her, you can watch her behavior and decide if she's ready for more space yet. My JCP is 2, 575 grams, just moved him out of the 24" x 24" x 16" tall cage I started him in back in October. The move was a little overdue, but our big cage order ran into a production delay.

Right now my Morelia have only RHPs in the new cages. When fall rolls around we'll see if they need UTHs, but I kind of doubt it.

Feed in the enclosure. My Morelia seem to like food presented from below, but they're definitely not fussy! I use 12" forceps, occasionally debate getting a longer pair for feeding my bredli (6-ish ft.). [emoji15]

We use aspen, but bedding is mostly personal choice, after humidity control.


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Welcome and best wishes Angel. Carpets are fun snakes to keep and I hope you really enjoy yours. As John stated a lot of your questions are pretty subjective and really come down to what works best for you and your snake. I'll share a few of my preferences.

If possible I'd skip the tub and get the pvc enclosure right away. I have all AP cages for my critters that aren't in QT with one exception. I love my AP cages. I'll be ordering 1-2 more pretty soon. I think RHPs are the most efficient heat source, especially for display cages, even though my young carpets currently have UTHs and IR heat bulbs for heat. They're in a split AP T8 and I went with bulbs instead on (2) 40W RHPs. I'll be upgrading to 80W RHPs in the next few months when they move into their larger enclosures. I've only used UTHs with tubs and they're ok for snakes in quarantine but you can't really boost the ambient temps with them which I need to do especially in the winter months.

I think a 4x2x2 or 4x2x3 are the ideal enclosure sizes for carpets but 15-18 inches of height are acceptable too.

Most of my water bowls aren't large enough for my carpets to soak in but even the snakes that have larger water bowls don't soak in them.

All of my snakes are fed inside their enclosures and only realize it's feeding time when they see or smell food. You can always use hook training for the nippy ones but none of my (4) carpets are biters.

I use aspen sani-chips for substrate in my permanent enclosures because it's very easy to clean and looks nice. I'd like to try eco-earth at some point. My snakes in quarantine are always on paper towel.

Keep us posted on your progress and please share pics of your snake and setup when you can.

Thanks everyone!

I will probably have her shipped on Tuesday. I will likely be getting an AP cage very soon. Would a 5' x 2' x 2' or a 5' x 2' x 1.5' be total overkill? I would like to make sure she has plenty of room if she tops out over 6'.

Here are some horrible cell phone pictures of the tub she will be in until the display cage comes in. Should I add more branches or try to rig a shelf for her? The branches are bolted to the bin and the small amount of exposed bolt has been coated in hot glue. Probably overkill but I am a bit paranoid. The heat mat want been added yet but probably put it on the bottom. Please do not be alarmed by the lack of hides, as I am waiting on the breeder to tell me what type/ size she is currently using.

http://i64.tinypic.com/29uvtl3.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/286qvpz.jpg

Both of my IJ's are a tad over 6' and have plenty of room in their 4x2x2 Boaphiles. They spend a lot of time 'up' and just hanging out, not so much cruising around the bottom.

They have RHP's and I use newspaper, their bowls are big enough to soak in but they rarely do (mostly they just tip them over, bad snakes!). I feed them in the cage with no issues.

Great snakes, you will love yours.

I agree with Clem. I'd go for more vertical space than floor space. Those are the exact tubs I use for my QT but I do provide hides which they sometimes use.

Congratulations on the carpet. The only thing I can add is any way to use an rhp is the way to go. I have 2 now and love them.

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Does the AP A20 seem like a good size? I haven't used the panel's before. How many/what wattages would you recommend for a 4' x 2' x 3' enclosure? I read that if I purchase them and have them drop shipped, they will install them for me. Should I let them do it or try to do it myself?

I was thinking of buying four of these and bolting them to each other to make a cheap stand for the cage.
http://m.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/art/60275812/

Is that advisabe?

Angel- for the A20 I'd probably go with the 120W RHP even though the 80W might be enough. There's only a $5 difference between the two and better too much than not enough IMO. I plan to have AP install my RHPs as I see no reason to do it myself. As long as your stand can support the weight of your enclosures I see no problem with it.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

That seems pretty expensive by the time you get 4 of them. I got a great cabinet at a flea barn place for less, look around on Craigslist or go to garage sales. I also plopped a piece of plywood on top of another table I already had but was too small. Made a bigger table for a few dollars. I'll post a pic later so you can see what I mean, they look good and were not at all expensive.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...915a2ea8e4.jpg

I just realized the cages are 48x24x18(h), and it's been fine for them all these years. The one you are looking at is a lot of space to heat.

I also have 2 stacked on a dresser that I picked up at a used furniture store. Those are for the BRB and Corn snake that are my son's, they've been mine for years though [emoji6]

Thanks everyone!

So I only need one 120w rhp? I assume I mount it to one side like I would a heat pad or che.

I have a 4' x 2' folding table, but I wouldn't put a glass tank this size on it. How heavy are these cages?

I appreciate everyone's patience. This is the first snake I will have as an adult, where I am calling the shots, and I want everything to be perfect for her.

I called them and gave them the info and got what they recommended. I installed both which is not hard. Don't forget a herpstat to control it.

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Hi I got this stunning jungle carpet python that hadn't been handled for a while, she was a pretty good handler before they stopped handling her. When i tried to take her out of her enclosure she made a run for it and almost cleared the hole enclosure in a blink of the eye. I'm using gloves by the way because i don't want to stick my bare fingers in a perfect feeders enclosure. i slowly put my hand underneath her and lifted her up a tiny bit then she darted off my hand. I made another attempt but she went to the far corner, and when i went to grab her she darted to the other side and almost got out. This is a long comment but I am just wondering how i'm meant to get her out. I'm trying again tomorrow.

She is older than a year old and currently feeding on hopper rats.

Thx

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Originally Posted by Twisted_Angel

Thanks everyone!

So I only need one 120w rhp? I assume I mount it to one side like I would a heat pad or che.

I have a 4' x 2' folding table, but I wouldn't put a glass tank this size on it. How heavy are these cages?

I appreciate everyone's patience. This is the first snake I will have as an adult, where I am calling the shots, and I want everything to be perfect for her.

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CHEs and RHPs go on top, they're meant to sent heat down. They're not so good sending heat out to the side.

Heat panels are specifically made to heat the surfaces below them, but they raise ambients rather well as well. They work like the sun's rays, making the surfaces nice and toasty while also raising the air temp.

I would assume an 80 watt would be ok if you went with 2' of height. If you made it 3' tall then maybe 120 watts would be good but it seems like a whole lot of heat for such a small area. If you make it 3' tall and get 120 watts definitely make sure you get a Herpstat or some other dimming/pulse-proportional capable thermostat. 80 watts is almost too much for my T12's (4'x2'x2'), but the dimming setting on my Herpstat keeps it from getting hot in there, I would not want to use an ON/OFF thermostat with those set ups.

I have a basking shelf in my T12's with the probes attached right on the underside of the basking shelf so that I can make the basking spot on the right side of the basking shelf. This means I'm really only aiming to heat the top half of the cage, and the heat disperses throughout. The basking shelf surfaces are around 95F, with air temp at 90F, and directly under the RHP on the ground it's 85F, and the left side on the ground gets down to 80F. The 80 watt heat panels are too big to allow a bigger gradient, the panels take up over half (or at least roughly half) of the length of the enclosure. So something like that might help make it easier to heat a 3' tall enclosure, too. :) (These are for a retic and ball python but it still gives you an idea of how an 80 watt heat panel works in an enclosure of those dimensions.)

Congrats on the newcomer! Can't wait to see pics. :D

Thanks Cloud. You can see some pics on my "She's here!" thread.

Addiction, I would ditch the gloves and just pick her up. In my albeit limited experience confidence is key. Hesitation will freak them out.

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Originally Posted by MoreliaAddiction

Hi I got this stunning jungle carpet python that hadn't been handled for a while, she was a pretty good handler before they stopped handling her. When i tried to take her out of her enclosure she made a run for it and almost cleared the hole enclosure in a blink of the eye. I'm using gloves by the way because i don't want to stick my bare fingers in a perfect feeders enclosure. i slowly put my hand underneath her and lifted her up a tiny bit then she darted off my hand. I made another attempt but she went to the far corner, and when i went to grab her she darted to the other side and almost got out. This is a long comment but I am just wondering how i'm meant to get her out. I'm trying again tomorrow.

She is older than a year old and currently feeding on hopper rats.

Thx

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Carpets are much quicker than Boas and BP's. They dart around fast. They can really freak folks out as they are darting towards your head and face. That's just the way they are. They are constantly reaching with their neck and the first 1/4 to 1/3 of their body. They will latch on to anything and everything if given the opportunity. Sometimes it's as if you are playing paddle ball :)

You think it's tough now, just wait until she is 2 yrs, then 3 or 4 yrs, and 5-6 feet. As T/A said, ditch the gloves. Worse case scenario, it's better to get bit by a smaller snake now rather than a big one down the road.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...27668cc5cf.jpg

Etta, 2 yr old Coastal Carpet

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...4fbafd5074.jpg

You'll really enjoy your carpet. I have a little Jungle Carpet that is a character and seems to really like being out exploring but you have to keep a close eye on her she is so fast.She is too small to be a "neck" snake but still tries to wrap around my neck and she keeps trying to get in my shirt (up the sleeve, down the neck - she is fast and can wrap that long, skinny tail around anything). But she is a messy thing too - crapped all over her climbing tree, what a flipping mess. She was a bit defensive when I first got her but I handle her a lot and she is great now. She is much more active than my ball (hardly ever see her out of hide) or boa (although he roams a lot on certain nights) plus a superb eater.

Ok thx guys i will try that this arvo :)

I have a Jungle Jag and a Zebra Jungle - one around 2 years old now and the other around 1.5 years. They are both VERY arboreal - rarely do I see them on the ground. When I got my first one, I started with a heat cable beneath the substrate, but after a few months I switched to a ceiling-mounted radiant heat panel. I noticed a significant change in behavioral patterns and increased activity when I switched to the ceiling-mounted heat source. As I've added elaborate backgrounds, vines, plants, etc. to my enclosures, they've used them to the fullest extent. If I give them something new to climb on, they're going to climb on it. They love to hang from stuff and stalk prey at night. Give them some height in their enclosure and some stuff to climb on, and they'll repay you for it. I'm constantly having to run for my camera to catch them in cool poses at night when they become active!

@ Thumpa- you'll have to share some of those cool pics of your carpets. ;)

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

@ Thumpa- you'll have to share some of those cool pics of your carpets. ;)

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My thoughts/wishes as well!