carpet pythons?

[eeethannn]

i am still on the hunt for the perfect snake for me. a carpet python seems to be one of my favorites but i have a few questions. how big to they get? do they like being handled? can i keep them in 4 by 2 as adults? and who are some breeders that sell good quality carpet pythons for a fair price? if you can answer one or more of these for me that would be a huge help.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Size will depends on locality coastal being the biggest, OK, Jungle, Darwin's being on the smallest end.

As far as breeders it depends if you want to get into undergrads or pure carpets.

Nick Mutton of Inland Reptiles has some of the greatest stocks, and he takes pride into the bloodlines he works with, lineage if you are serious about carpet is definitely very important especially if you plan on breeding.

And yes a 4x2 will work.

[Sauzo]

I'm more of a boa guy but i know some about carpets. Sizewise, i believe either a Jungle or Irian Jaya are going to be your smallest at around 4-5'. Coastal is going to be your biggest at around 7-9' but can get bigger.

As for handling, babies are going to nippy until a year or 2 old but some will mellow out faster etc. It all depends on the snake itself.

A 4x2 cage would work for a Jungle Carpet but they are more arboreal so you would need at least 2' in height. As for something like a coastal, you could i guess but that would pretty much torture for the snake.

As for quality breeders, only one i know off hand is Nick Mutton at Inland Reptiles.

I have a chance to pick up a pure Coastal Hatchling which is soooo cute and I'm still kind of on the fence as like i said, I'm a boa guy and i only got 2 cages left available atm lol. If you like carpets, go for it. I know a lot of people who love them. Just know that as babies, for the most part, they tend to be defensive and bitey. I did talk to one guy who had a hatchling and after a month of it being defensive, he wore a t-shirt for 2 days with no deodorant or cologne or anything. Then he put it in the carpets cage for a couple days and now his carpet lets him free hand pick it up as a baby.

[Jollyrogers]

If you are a FB person join or review the Carpet Python Trading Post. There are some good breeders there, and there are a few not so good, but if you follow along there or on Carpet Python Discussion Board, you'll start figuring it out. Nick Mutton at Inland is outstanding, and the book he co-wrote is worth having.

Some things to be aware of: Jags carry the nuero gene. IJ and JCP are the smaller Carpets, and Coastals the largest. Lineage and genetics are the trend, but morphs are fun, but know the lineage of you so much as have any desire to breed.

4x2x2 is perfect for all but maybe a large coastal. I would start a baby out in something much smaller.

My baby diamond jungle jag has bit me once. I use a hook to bring him out of his cage and he settles. He is starting to just greet me now. My big zebra jag I need to get her out while in hide (it has a removable bottom), hook, or let her come out on her own or she will tag me (not a feed bite, more of a head jab). Once she is out she is a baby.

[Reinz]

A 4x2 will work fine for most Carpets.

I felt that my 8 foot Coastal was getting a bit confined in her 4x2x2. Thus, I got her and my 8 foot male which was 7 foot at the time, 6x30"x18" cages.


I wish that I had got 2 foot in height, but won't go into that. Still, the 6 footers are a huge improvement and work quite well.


I'm sure that a 4x2x2 will be fine for most Jungles. However, since my 6 foot Jungle girl is such a great display snake, I wanted to give her full advantage with a 4x2x4 which has not disappointed at all.


It's better than TV at times. And feeding time is enhanced and so much fun. I plan on doing a similar enclosure for my 6 foot male Jungle as well.


As far as handling, snakes don't like it per se, they just tolerate it and adapt.
My Carpets don't chill out like my Boas or Ball. They are in constant, faster motion, but easily manageable.

Have fun in your quest for one of the best display snakes!

[Sauzo]

I beg to differ Reinz. I swear Rosey my biggest boa actually likes to be held. Some days when i open the cage, she will literally climb out and climb up onto my arms and shoulders and sit there lol. Gina isnt big enough yet but when i take her out, she seems to like it too and will just stretch out on me and look around with long tongue flicks. Rango is seeming to start to like it too as when i leave a door open, he is happy to come onto my hand. And finally Luna seems to enjoy outside time. The others seems to really care less and Caesar actually seems to like interaction but he's not particularly enthusiastic about being carried around lol. He LOVES his cage.

[Reinz]

I beg to differ Reinz. I swear Rosey my biggest boa actually likes to be held. Some days when i open the cage, she will literally climb out and climb up onto my arms and shoulders and sit there lol. Gina isnt big enough yet but when i take her out, she seems to like it too and will just stretch out on me and look around with long tongue flicks. Rango is seeming to start to like it too as when i leave a door open, he is happy to come onto my hand. And finally Luna seems to enjoy outside time. The others seems to really care less and Caesar actually seems to like interaction but he's not particularly enthusiastic about being carried around lol. He LOVES his cage.

Just a question or two, not arguing; do they really want to held, or do they see you as a perch, or method of escape/exploration?

If they don't leave you when given the opportunity, I'll concede. I reckon I should have said, generally snakes don't like to be held.

[Gio]

Just a question or two, not arguing; do they really want to held, or do they see you as a perch, or method of escape/exploration?

If they don't leave you when given the opportunity, I'll concede. I reckon I should have said, generally snakes don't like to be held.

They don't have the capacity to "like" anything its instinct with these guys.

I want my animals to enjoy my company but that's what I want.

In nature these animals have several million years of programmed instincts that don't include "our feelings".

Snakes do their thing and if we are lucky enough to have a snake that clings to us, its great!

[Sauzo]

Just a question or two, not arguing; do they really want to held, or do they see you as a perch, or method of escape/exploration?

If they don't leave you when given the opportunity, I'll concede. I reckon I should have said, generally snakes don't like to be held.

Oh I'm sure they see me as a safe tree lol. And if they are inside, they are content to leave me and wander off sometimes. Sometimes not. If they are outside, then no, they prefer to stay on me.

When i took Rosey to the vet, the vet and nurse had a hard time restraining her from trying to get back to me. Finally they conceded and just let her sit on me while the vet did the physical exam. They joked how all my pets 'love dad' as my beardie pooped all over the nurses shoes and exam table and then ran across the table and jumped on me and ran up my shirt and hid under my chin clinging on for dear life lol.

I agree that i dont think snakes 'love' or other human feelings but i do think they have preferences and get used to their owners whether they view them as a safe place or 'enrichment'. But heck, scientists are learning new stuff about reptiles all the time now that they finally are focusing on them. They are no longer viewed as just an 'eating machine'.

[Sauzo]

Well they do have the capacity to learn from each other. I read a study where they put a bug on one side of a sliding glass door that had a little door the beardie could slide open to get to the other side to eat the bug. They taught the beardie how to do it. They then put in new beardies who had no idea how to do it and just slammed against the glass trying to get the bug. They then put the beardie who knew how to do it in the cage with the others and the others watched him do it and they learned.

There are lots of new things scientists are learning about reptiles that they didnt know. I mean birds are decended from reptiles and they have the capacity to love and form bonds. Why couldnt a reptile. Now I'm not saying my snakes love me so dont get me wrong or think i'm a crackpot but the more scientists finally focus on reptiles and study them extensively, i think them and us will be surprised how much they can tell us.

And with all that said, you still see the Youtube videos of retics trying to coil and eat smart phones and garbage bags of old substrate which then sets up back a few years hahaha.