Anyone Have A Jaguar Carpet?

[MD_Pythons]

I've heard they can have some neurological issues, had any problems with that? Does it vary from snake to snake like the spider wobble? Does it affect perching or cause some feeding issues? Do het Jaguars have the same issues?

[artgecko]

I only own one carpet (an IJ jungle Jag), so I'm not familiar with normal carpet behavior. That said, I'll tell you what I've observed.

I didn't notice any neuro from mine while at the show (I've heard they do better at cooler temps and it was cooler at the show). Mine went through the typical carpet baby "nippy" stage and has always been very high energy (flighty) when handled.

He feeds well (I use f/t), he moves well, and seems to be fine when in his enclosure. He does not show symptoms when feeding / striking prey or moving around (no corkscrewing, wobbling, etc.). His cage has a basking shelf and a climbing branch and he seems to maneuver fine on both.

That said, handling is a whole other ball game. I've heard that all carpets are usually high energy and flighty when handled and he is no exception. His neuro shows when he is trying to climb and "judge" distances and maneuver. He feels very unstable IMO...i.e. he would fall if not watched carefully. Because of this, I handle over a table top or something soft that would prevent him from injuring himself. He will "run" quickly up my arm and attempt to reach for things and seems to "loosen" his grip too much or too early before he stabilizes himself, etc. His head also shows the wobbling during this time. Not upside down or corkscrewing, but bobbing, wavering, etc.

All-in-all I think I am pretty lucky that he functions normally 99% of the time. However, I do like to handle my snakes and find myself handling him less due to my fears that he will hurt himself.

I originally wanted a pure jungle carpet due to fears of jag neuro issues... I intended to buy one, but after going to 4 reptile shows over the span of a year and coming up empty-handed, I went with my jungle jag...as I said, he didn't show signs during the show (maybe due to the coolness of the show hall or because he developed it later on, I'm not sure). He's still a great looking animal and is an excellent display animal, but now that I have experience handling him, I wish that I had waited for a pure jungle and not had to worry about the neuro.

If you don't handle your snakes as much and just want a display animal, I think a jag showing behaviors like mine might work for you. If you want to handle a lot, then maybe consider a different morph or locality. I know some people have jags with worse neuro or less neuro than mine, but I won't personally take the risk again by purchasing another.

If you do purchase one, I'd def. go with a breeder who has a good reputation and I'd inquire about which hatchling is showing the least neuro from a clutch...knowing that it may get worse but you at least don't want to start out with one that has severe signs. If you could handle it in person, or buy an adult who is already showing all the signs it will develop, that would be even better.

For me, I don't find the morph so stunning that I think the neuro is worth it (after seeing how it effects mine). But if you really like the morph and can buy an animal from great bloodlines (with good color) and really only want a display animal, I think you'd be ok.

here's a couple pics of my guy about 8 months ago. He is about double this size now and has much larger quarters.

[MD_Pythons]

Yeah, my IJ tends to be pretty fast and flighty when I handle her. Who produced him?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I've heard they can have some neurological issues, had any problems with that? Does it vary from snake to snake like the spider wobble? Does it affect perching or cause some feeding issues? Do het Jaguars have the same issues?

It is comparable to Spider wobble but I would say even less noticeable, most are healthy and hardy, I have owned and produced IJ jags and they were healthy (just like spider if it is a Jag combo the neuro issue is there)

There was an interesting theory years ago regarding the exposure to chemicals such as mite killers which would make a healthy Jag start
going seriously neuro even though the chemicals were used properly.

Jag are co-dominant / incomplete dominant not recessive, And like with Spider the Super form a white snake is a lethal combo.

Like spiders there are the people that think they should not be bred or kept ultimately YOU are the one that needs to make an inform decision.

[MD_Pythons]

Doesn't seem as bad as I've heard, thanks for the info dudes!

[artgecko]

Yeah, my IJ tends to be pretty fast and flighty when I handle her. Who produced him?

Emerald Coast Exotics. I purchased from someone that was selling at the ATL Repticon and was selling a few of their animals for them at the show. I didn't get to talk to the breeder personally, but later contacted him and he supplied me with the hatch date and exact lineage percentages. There were some screaming zebra jungle jags there from the same litter...I wish that I had been able to afford one at the time. I am not sure if Emerald Coast is producing more carpets now, they seem to work with different species.

[artgecko]

It is comparable to Spider wobble but I would say even less noticeable, most are healthy and hardy, I have owned and produced IJ jags and they were healthy (just like spider if it is a Jag combo the neuro issue is there)

There was an interesting theory years ago regarding the exposure to chemicals such as mite killers which would make a healthy Jag start
going seriously neuro even though the chemicals were used properly.

Jag are co-dominant / incomplete dominant not recessive, And like with Spider the Super form a white snake is a lethal combo.

Like spiders there are the people that think they should not be bred or kept ultimately YOU are the one that needs to make an inform decision.

This is very interesting, as I did have to use PAM after he was purchased...He didn't come with mites, but I had an ongoing random mite issue. I noticed his symptoms being worse after that, but it could just be due to age, but this is a very interesting theory.

I eventually got rid of the mites by using predatory mites to basically eat them... Seemed to work better than the PAM and reptile spray combo (and I used PAM for months as prescribed and still had issues).