Vote for BP.Net for the 2013 Forum of the Year! Click here for more info.

» Site Navigation

» Home
 > FAQ

» Online Users: 3,079

2 members and 3,077 guests
Most users ever online was 6,337, 01-24-2020 at 04:30 AM.

» Today's Birthdays

None

» Stats

Members: 75,031
Threads: 248,489
Posts: 2,568,442
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
Welcome to our newest member, isismomma
Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran WrongPython's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-08-2019
    Posts
    545
    Thanks
    1,559
    Thanked 1,813 Times in 492 Posts

    Talkin' baby carpet pythons

    As a couple of you probably saw on another thread, I've dusted off my plans for bringing home a carpet python and have been feeling out what it would take to set one up properly. I feel like I'm spinning my wheels when it comes to housing, however, and would appreciate feedback from the experienced Morelia keepers here who have actually raised a few babies.

    For background: my original plan is/was to house said baby carpet in a mid-sized (3-4') PVC enclosure. In theory, I would be able to keep them in half of the divided enclosure as a hatching/juvenile, the full enclosure as an adolescent/young adult, and then move them on to a decked-out permanent display enclosure (think 4'x2'x4' to 6'x2'x4') when they're old enough. Both of my other snakes have responded very well to top-down heating and lighting (either a RHP+T5 UV or Deep Heat Projector+T5 UV combo), so I'd like to give the carpet the same. Height for climbing is also a must.

    I've since run a budget for kitting such an enclosure out, and all I can say is !

    So, before I throw down my money, I figure I'd check in with the experienced keepers here and see how y'all actually housed and raised your babies. Did you use racks? Some sort of stand-alone cage? Were there things you did that you would no longer advise? I'd like to do my best for whatever carpet I bring home, but I'm wary of trying too hardas well.
    0.1 Sonoran Boa sigma​: "Adelita" ('19 Hypo het. leopard)
    1.0 Boa imperator longicauda: "Kuzco" ('19 het. anery)
    0.1 West Papuan Morelia spilota​: "Pandora" ('20)

  2. The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to WrongPython For This Useful Post:

    Craiga 01453 (01-20-2021),Hugsplox (01-19-2021),jmcrook (01-18-2021)

  3. #2
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
    Join Date
    04-05-2016
    Location
    Mississippi
    Posts
    3,640
    Thanks
    7,844
    Thanked 7,195 Times in 2,638 Posts
    Images: 13

    Re: Talkin' baby carpet pythons

    I'll weigh in! Disclaimer, my oldest Morelia are only now 1.5 and 2.5yrs old, ~3-3.5' and taking weaned rats. Still lots of growing to do but here's been my approach so far and where it's headed.

    I have a quarantine tub I set up in my bedroom first depending on the size of the incoming Carpet. 15qt sterilite tub with distantly suspended CHE and heat tape. Two mini-small hides, water bowl, coat hanger perches, maybe a paper towel tube for fun. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Quarantine-Tub

    After graduating quarantine, Morelia at my house then move into an RBI VE-2 rack, either the 11qt or 23qt tub that fits the shelves. Basically if they fit in an RBI mini hide I put them in the 11qt, a small hide then they get the 23qt. I have Specialty Enclosure Designs 3-D printed perches for both size tubs as well. Not much height at all (4.25") but they appear to feel very secure and confident and are generally stationed on their perch staring at the front of the tub when I open it.

    When I feel the larger tub is getting small they move into a divided Animal Plastics T-8. Same perching from the 23qt tub but I put taller legs on it. Both of my female coastal carpets are on theirs frequently.

    From there their next size up will be either a divided AP T-25 (3x30x18" both sides) or a 4x30x18-24". I've got three of the 18" tall on order and already have two 4x30x24" set up, but uninhabited at the moment. The 2' height is definitely tricker for dialing in temp gradients from what I've found so far and that influenced my decision with the 18" tall cages. Additionally, I don't want any cage floor above chest height in my room and having a 2' tall as the lowest and middle cages would put the floor of a third cage at a little shy of throat level for me. Not where I want agile, semi arboreal predators to be relative to me. I can always do a deep clean and swap snakes in and out of the various heights depending on who ends up making better use of their afforded vertical space. All of the above sizes will at minimum have a shelf and horizontal perch(es). Also sky hides in all on the ceilings and under the warm side shelves in the 24" tall cages.

    At that point, which is probably in the next year or two, I plan to stick with the 4x30x18-24" cages until they seem too big for them. I'm not pushing them for huge growth but will certainly not starve them to keep them small. If they genuinely look like they need 6' enclosures to be comfortable, I'll do it. I expect 7-8' for the Brisbane female 6-7' or so for the male, 6' for my Rockhampton female, and maybe 6' range for my eventual Jungle female. After having a 10' and 28lb retic an 8' lean carpet python ~should be quite manageable.

    Maybe I'm moving too fast with the number I've acquired over the last 18 months, but they're incredible, gorgeous, easy to care for provided you know what you're doing, and are fairly active and visible at night and a ton of fun to observe. I've said it a number of times in other threads, I wish I hadn't waited as long as I did to get into carpet pythons. But now that I have some I can't say enough good things about them. Even getting bit like 75 times by my Rockhampton Coastal when she was smaller was downright adorable with her head the size of my thumbnail and she never even drew blood.
    Last edited by jmcrook; 01-18-2021 at 11:29 PM.

  4. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to jmcrook For This Useful Post:

    Bogertophis (01-18-2021),Craiga 01453 (01-20-2021),EL-Ziggy (01-21-2021),Gio (01-19-2021),Hugsplox (01-19-2021),WrongPython (01-18-2021)

  5. #3
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
    Join Date
    11-05-2014
    Location
    GA
    Posts
    4,190
    Thanks
    5,014
    Thanked 5,484 Times in 2,683 Posts

    Re: Talkin' baby carpet pythons

    I started my first two carpets in a couple of T8s that I had after rehoming my kingsnakes to get into carpets. The others I started in 60qt tubs or 40g tanks. Now that I have 5 of them I'd suggest starting them in their adult sized enclosures rather than upgrading enclosures as they grow. I have quite a few critters so I have to manage my space well. My carpets are mostly in T10s (48x24x15) and that's the smallest cage I'd recommend for an adult. I may upgrade a couple of them to 6x2x2s later. I think a 4x2x2 is the perfect sized cage for most carpets but there's nothing wrong with going bigger. I don't have much vertical space available so 2' is as high as I can go. IMO they really don't take up much space. My coastal is my only carpet that I'd consider an active snake. The rest are usually perched on a branch or shelf and waiting for food, or in a hide. My two largest carpets are about 7'.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

  6. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to EL-Ziggy For This Useful Post:

    Craiga 01453 (01-20-2021),Gio (01-19-2021),jmcrook (01-19-2021),WrongPython (01-19-2021)

  7. #4
    Registered User Deanna's Avatar
    Join Date
    07-24-2020
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    17
    Thanks
    8
    Thanked 38 Times in 10 Posts

    Re: Talkin' baby carpet pythons

    Following this thread for new information.

    I got my Jungle Jaguar Carpet as a yearling about 6 months ago. She was in a vertical 10 gallon ish front opening exo-terra type enclosure, and I just upgraded her to a PVC 2x2 cube from Reptile Basics.

    She has a little ladder and some plants in there in addition to her hides and she climbs all the time. I’m thinking depending on how big she gets, she might one day have a big tricked out 4X2X4 tall enclosure.
    Last edited by Deanna; 01-20-2021 at 12:13 PM.
    Maxine & Luther - dogs
    Carlisle-male normal ball python (12ish years old)
    Travis-male normal blood python (1.5 years old)
    Alexis-female citrus bearded dragon
    Heather- adult zebra stripe knee tarantula (a. seemanni)
    Three-juvenile Mexican red leg T (b. boehmei)
    Steve Carell-adult curly hair T (b. albopilosum)

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Deanna For This Useful Post:

    jmcrook (01-20-2021),WrongPython (01-20-2021)

  9. #5
    BPnet Veteran WrongPython's Avatar
    Join Date
    06-08-2019
    Posts
    545
    Thanks
    1,559
    Thanked 1,813 Times in 492 Posts

    Re: Talkin' baby carpet pythons

    Thanks for the responses so far y'all!

    It's nice to know that my original plan wasn't too far off the mark. I think I'll stick to that plan when it's time for baby to come out of quarantine. For quarantine itself, I'll probably be keeping them in a spare ten gallon glass tank with some humid hides, perches, and top-down heat and light. That way, I can take a little extra time to figure out which PVC option I'd like to go with and spread out the cost of the snake, their immediate supplies, and the new enclosure a bit. Dealing with another glass tank will be a tad annoying, but thanks to my experience with the boas and an incoming shipment of sphagnum moss, I can make it work.

    For other new carpet owners out there: episode #7 of Carpet Cliff Notes (one of the Morelia Python Radio spin-offs) is dedicated to setting up baby carpet pythons! It's definitely worth a listen. I know I personally feel a bit more at ease with my plans, now.
    0.1 Sonoran Boa sigma​: "Adelita" ('19 Hypo het. leopard)
    1.0 Boa imperator longicauda: "Kuzco" ('19 het. anery)
    0.1 West Papuan Morelia spilota​: "Pandora" ('20)

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to WrongPython For This Useful Post:

    jmcrook (01-20-2021)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.1