carpet vs balls

[ang3l3s]

Which do u like better and why???
temperament
husbandry
breeding
aesthetics
saturation
just some sub topics for you to choose from.

[zackw419]

Which do u like better and why???
temperament
husbandry
breeding
aesthetics
saturation
just some sub topics for you to choose from.

I like Carpets MUCH better.

They can be nippy, mainly as yearlings, but they are very outgoing which is what I love about them. I think their colors are prettier. Coastals and Jungles get bigger than ball pythons, which I like. Their husbandry is pretty simple. They are kept a tiny bit cooler.

The main husbandry differences I've noticed with carpets is they like to climb alot more than balls so its good to use an enclosure with more height. Then you can put sticks and perches in there. Since they move around alot more I believe they do better with some space to roam. Ball pythons don't really need much space to roam around because they stay in hiding alot and prefer privacy.

As far as breeding goes I don't know much.

[ang3l3s]

thnx :gj, anyone else who owns both and has a n opinion???

[Mettle]

It's a hard comparison as both snakes offer totally different things to their owners. Hopefully by answering some of your questions here you'll see what I mean and it will help you with a decision.

temperament

In general - and this is by no means a rule - ball pythons will be far more mellow than carpet pythons. Carpets are a more slender, semi-arboreal species that tends to be "on the move" more than a ball python will be. While you can take out a ball python and not have it go anywhere, good luck achieving that with a carpet python.

As stated already, carpets have a tendency to be nippier when young. However, there are different types out there and of them I've heard that the irian jaya carpet python is the mellowest. This is complete hearsay though.

husbandry

I think carpet pythons will be far easier and more forgiving of mistakes husbandry-wise. I find that they tend to be a bit hardier and more tollerant of a being a few degrees off in temps, a bit off in humidity, etc. Contrary to popular belief carpet pythons do not need the obscenely high humidity that some report they do. I mist my female irian jaya carpet python - who is in a screen top aquarium - maybe once or twice a week. In the three years I've had her I have NEVER had a SINGLE shed issue and she has never been found soaking in her water dish (which is large enough for her to soak in).

Enclosure-wise the carpet python will definitely be more demanding. While a ball python can easily be kept in a smaller, tub enclosure most carpet pythons will benefit from height. As well, carpet pythons generally get bigger (longer) than ball pythons - with the exception of some ijs) and thus will need bigger enclosures anyway. You don't want to stuff a 10 foot coastal carpet python into a 36x18xwhatever tub.

breeding

I've never had the opportunity to breed either species but hope to in the future. From everything I've heard the carpet python can be a bit trickier if only for their tendency to produce large clutches and for this to be quite rough on first time females. A good rule of thumb I have heard when it comes to carpet pythons is that if you think she's ready this year, wait til next year and have a healthy female to breed with. As mentioned, clutches can be much larger with carpet pythons and babies will be far nippier than any ball python babies. Something to keep in mind when breeding.

aesthetics

This is so subjective...

There is definitely more morph selection with ball pythons. You can get practically any type of colour combo you want when it comes to ball pythons if you have the money for it. There are bound to be some that appeal to you.

Carpet pythons are just starting to see a rise in morphs. One of the most popular is the jaguar mutation introduced through the coastal carpets that leads to extremely yellow snakes... Many of the carpet python species are being inter-bred as well to develop different patterning. Much of it though remains yellow. So if you're not a fan, stay away. There are some however working on lines that have such extremely faded yellow they look white, etc. A lot of this is new though. The fun part with carpets is that fewer people are doing them than ball pythons but they are definitely gaining in popularity and quick... Questions of breeding ethics come into play though when crossing the different types of carpets and similarly related species (like bredlis) and this is something anyone getting into carpets needs to deal with on a personal level.

saturation

I don't know what this means at all.

[ang3l3s]

saturation :as in everyone is into balls and not so many into carpets yet they yield so many babies from breeding as opposed to balls thus maybe saturating the market thus bringing price down and too much supply.
thanks for all your input on the other sub topics.

[Mettle]

Well, I guess I kind of touched on that in the other areas of what I mentioned. Carpets can produce 20 or 30 eggs a clutch so definitely a lot more. Compared to the number of people working with them - on a serious level - compared to ball pythons however I don't think we'll be seeing them for $30 at shows any time in the near future. Especially since the morphs, sub-species crosses, etc. are all just starting to take off with these.

[ang3l3s]

is it bad to mix the species, i have seen so many haters of this yet i love the diamond and irian crosses, i mean they still eat, have 0 health issues and can produce right???

[Clear]

Carpets all the way, only reason I have BP's are for the wife. BP's do come in more variety right now but the carpets are still prettier IMO.

[zackw419]

is it bad to mix the species, i have seen so many haters of this yet i love the diamond and irian crosses, i mean they still eat, have 0 health issues and can produce right???

Right, most people don't like mixing species only because it can 'dirty' bloodlines. Like lets say someone breeds a coastalxjungle to a jungle and labels the offspring as jungles at a show. Someone could buy it and start to breed that thinking its pure jungle then other people buy that offspring and breed it, labeled as pure yada yada and it just keeps going.