Taming help...

[SpartaDog]

So before going to Hamburg last weekend, I read up on carpet pythons, knowing very well their reputations as aggressive snakes. But I also found several breeders that said this reputation was completely un-deserved and that the majority of carpets were very pleasant to keep and handle as adults.

Apparently I trusted them a little too much because I ended up with one seriously pissy 4-ft snake.

I bought the sub-adult as opposed to the hatchlings because, as the internet told me, most adults were calm. I handled her, and she was a bit energetic but not at all aggressive. The much smaller one I was looking at made to strike at me several times while I was looking at them. I don't want to be one of those people that gets rid of an animal because it bites, but at the same time, I just don't enjoy keeping animals I can't interact with. I'd hate to have to trade her down the line just because she's a little nippy.

I know the only trick to "taming" a snake is regular handling, but I'd like to do that with as little bodily harm as possible. I plan on getting her a PVC cage with the front door rather than the standard 40 gal aquarium she's in now, as well as a snake hook, but she still makes me rather nervous.

This is my first Morelia, in fact my first python that's not a ball, so I feel a little in over my head. Does any body have any tips on how to handle her so she can be a nice, docile snake I can really fall in love with?

[1nstinct]

My girlfriend calls my JCP "sneaky" because as i open the cage her head comes out of the hide and right up to you hand,first time seeing it you think she wants to bite, but she's just nosey. Regular handling will deff calm her down, you don't handle carpets they handle you they are all over and love to see whats going on. you also have to realize the 40 gallon tank opens from the top just like predator would be coming down to them. get a snake hook and get her out of the cage and start handling her a little at a time 5-10 mins a few times a week then increase it as she becomes more calm.
hope it helps
tom

[Void]

My oldest and biggest carpet, Hazard, was a demon when I got her(baby). She came out of the sack striking at any and everything, even herself. I would hold her til she calmed down and if I got bit then I just got bit. I don't do the short handling cause to me if the snake take 20min to calm down and I only hold it for 10min then nothing was accomplished. I took her out everyday without a hook and held her til she would stop striking at everything.

Now she's just about 6ft and I can pick her up and ever put her around my neck with no worries. I also had another baby that I got a few months back that was the same way. Did the same thing with her and within a 2-3 weeks she stop striking. Hazard on the other hand, took close to 6 months. Out of my 12 carpets, only 2 has ever struck at me.

[SpartaDog]

My girlfriend calls my JCP "sneaky" because as i open the cage her head comes out of the hide and right up to you hand,first time seeing it you think she wants to bite, but she's just nosey. Regular handling will deff calm her down, you don't handle carpets they handle you they are all over and love to see whats going on. you also have to realize the 40 gallon tank opens from the top just like predator would be coming down to them. get a snake hook and get her out of the cage and start handling her a little at a time 5-10 mins a few times a week then increase it as she becomes more calm.
hope it helps
tom

Yeah no, she definitely wants to bite XD She hisses and gets in the s-position and everything. I did realize the thing about coming in from the top as soon as I started doing it. I plan on getting her a PVC cage that opens from the front, as well as a hook.

My oldest and biggest carpet, Hazard, was a demon when I got her(baby). She came out of the sack striking at any and everything, even herself. I would hold her til she calmed down and if I got bit then I just got bit. I don't do the short handling cause to me if the snake take 20min to calm down and I only hold it for 10min then nothing was accomplished. I took her out everyday without a hook and held her til she would stop striking at everything.

Now she's just about 6ft and I can pick her up and ever put her around my neck with no worries. I also had another baby that I got a few months back that was the same way. Did the same thing with her and within a 2-3 weeks she stop striking. Hazard on the other hand, took close to 6 months. Out of my 12 carpets, only 2 has ever struck at me.

Unfortunately this gal is not a baby by any means XD She's a year and a half old and about four and a half feet long. Not that I can't take a bite or two, but it's definitely not the same as taking one from a hatchling XD

Thanks for the advice, though, guys! I'm about to go order my hook and get on that.

[The Serpent Merchant]

They aren't ball pythons so don't expect them to act like one.

My carpet will try to take my head off when I try to get him out of his cage... But once he is out he is conpletely fine. I just had to figure a way to get him out of his cage without getting bit.

[Void]

Unfortunately this gal is not a baby by any means XD She's a year and a half old and about four and a half feet long. Not that I can't take a bite or two, but it's definitely not the same as taking one from a hatchling XD

Thanks for the advice, though, guys! I'm about to go order my hook and get on that.

A bite from a 4½ft carpet isn't bad lol. If I had an adult snake that was feisty I would still do the same as I would a baby. Taming her down might just take longer cause of her age. Once she's in your hands just move slow and keep your hands under her and out of her eyesight.

[Big Dave]

When I first got my JCP the thought went through my mind "what have I got myself into?" My male would try to strike at me from across the room. My wife and daughters would not go near him, haha. It took 6-8 months of handling to calm him down. When I took him out I would immediately start walking aroung the house. He is very inquisitive and walking around gave him other things to think about rather than focusing on me. If I stood still for too long and he figured out it was me he was perching on he would try and strike. That said, he NEVER bit, just lunged to scare the s%&* out of you. It was all a bluff. Now, 1 year later he is my favorite snake All his aggression has faded away. I hope yours will mellow out because they are really fun to handle compared to a Ball or Boa.

[SpartaDog]

Welp, she got me XD




My snake hook hasn't come in yet so I had to use a kitchen grabber thing. It probably saved me two or three more bites, at the least.

[reptileexperts]

The worst is over to say the least . . . the fear of getting bit is the major thing to get over, once you actually get bit it takes a good chunk of that fear away. ALWAYS hand with confidence, a snake knows this. When I first got my female JCP they would strike any time you opened their cage (10 gallon quarantine tanks) but as soon as I moved them into their real PVC homes, and just reached in and took them out confidently, they stopped striking within a week, and none of them actually ever landed a bite.

My male, Simba, is a terror and shows no signs of calming down. I have ample snake hooks and now I use one to get him out every time. Once he's out of the cage he is calm as long as his head is facing away from you. As soon as he turns around and sees your not his perch, he freaks out and strikes like crazy. He's bit quite a few times, but I still love him and work with him. Confidently and regularly.

Remember, the worst thing you can do is rip your hand back when a snake like this goes to strike. This shows fear, and gives the snake more power. Stay in there and just pick the darn thing up anyway! It will pay off in the end.

[vangarret2000]

Is dont know if this works for most snakes but like spmeome else mentioned before I too have a pissy snake and when I walk around holding him and moving him a lot he doesn't get as bitey as when I just stand still holding him.

Also when handling just try to keep the head away from you as best as possible. The best tip is to get used to being bit. Then it won't be as big a deal when it happens while you tame him. I know that might sound crazy but even a carpet that size bits aren't too big a deal unless you get it in the eye or something. It could take months and months for him to tame down depending in how bad he is right now. If you hold him for say 20-30 minutes how many times does he bite you?

Also you have to make sure that you don't put him back in the cage until he is calm. If he is biting you and you aren't waiting long enough and then put him back that will just teach him that if I bite enough they will put me down.