Questions about caging a jungle / jag carpet

[artgecko]

Hello all!
I'm still working on getting caging for all of my collection and it is my male jungle / jag's turn. Right now, he is stuck in a cb70 rack and I've been wanting to upgrade him.

I want to order AP caging for him and am trying to decide between three models...
T5 (36"L x 24"D x12 24"H), T10 (48"L x 24"D x 18"H) and the T13 (48 x 30 x 18) Oddly enough, the T10 would be the most expensive of the lot since the T13 is on sale... The downside being that all my other AP cages are 2'D, so it would make arranging the snake room a little odd.

I already want to go with the sliding locking glass doors and have heard that AP will do recessed LED light strips (which isn't on their site). The only other options I'm torn on are heating and climbing areas...

For heating, all of my other AP cages have flexwatt and I've been very happy with the results. I know that carpets like to climb though, so am considering an RHP. My main concern is whether the RHP would be able to heat the hide below it as well as the air under it (and what strength I'd need for the depths of the cages listed).

My other undecided point is climbing space. All of my boa's cages have the built in shelf and the boas use this feature a lot. I do not know if AP has a pvc perch option that they can do, but would that work better for a carpet than a shelf or do you think the shelf would provide enough climbing room? I'm also considering doing both a shelf and removable pvc perch if they offer that option (shelf in the back, perch closer to he door and up higher, etc.).

If you have any thoughts on my three quandaries... which cage, which heat, and to perch or shelf, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I will include a pic of the little guy in question below. He is coloring up quite nicely but is still jumpy / runny as heck when I try to handle him, so please excuse the bin pic.

[Reinz]

You will get much more enjoyment out of your Carpet if you go with the tallest cage possible. They love climbing and perching. Given that, the T-5 would be the best of what you listed.

I have an A-25 on order for my Jungle. It's a 4x4. No perches were offered by AP, so I got 2 shelves and I will rig up some perches as well.

I ordered both UTH and RHP though I don't expect the UTH to get much use. But for just a few bucks I figured that I would provide the option.

I had them groove the cage for LED lighting since I will have to mount my own being that I want multiple color lighting options rather than pick just one of three colors that AP offers.

I'm glad to hear that you are moving your snake to a more arboreal one with much more freedom of movement opportunity.



Esmarelda, Jungle Carpet

[Gio]

Art,

Great questions.

I'll start off with the "There are many ways to do it" line.

AP, Pro-Line, Boaphile, whatever, you can install perches, shelves, backgrounds as you'd like.

The self assemble cages allow some extra freedom because you can pop things in without the roof which makes it easier before putting it all together.

Carpets, all of them are highly arboreal. The fun of keeping them IMO if the fact that they are active on most days. You will usually catch them doing something interesting if you set them up with options.

I've posted cage photos here often and you may have seen this, but here is my 7 foot, coastal's cage.



I have 2 closet dowel perches in there and 2 real branches. one of the real branched is quite thick and I used large, V shaped, deep closet rod holders for that perch. I used the same in the boa cage. You can buy items that will hold any style of perch at the hardware store, or request AP to make some. I'k sure they do or can.

Nick Mutton (Carpet Guru) is a friend of Ed Lilley. Ed makes the Pro-Line cages. They both recommended the use of RHP's for a carpet setup. It is the only heat source I use in my cages. You can heat the whole cage with one, establish different climate zones both vertically and horizontally and not have to worry. You could also use heat tape in combo if you felt it was needed.


This cage also has a background with ledges. It was expensive but I was shooting for looks.

Jewel spends a lot of time using the perches, and I have no doubt your jungle would do the same. The big branch isn't visible in this shot but its in there. You can see the panel above. Her hide is in the left corner below the panel and she spends more time on it, than in it. I suspect the top of the hide is nice and warm, and when she is on it, the heat radiates down on her back and she gets warm from the belly and back.







The size here is 48" x 24" x 24". Even with another foot or more in growth, this snake will be fine in this sized cage. It might be worth asking Ali what the size I have would cost if you think you need a 48" wide init. Find out the sizes of the parents of your snake. Personally, I think 24" tall is perfect. I'd go to 30 if I could, but 24 gives you room to work with and doesn't require a huge heat panel. A shorter cage means your perches will be closer to the floor and then you have to deal with getting things in and out from under the perches.

Again, there are many options and ideas. I want to set you up with something you'll enjoy. Your snake won't really care, but it will climb if given the chance.

[artgecko]

Thanks guys!

I've been wanting to upgrade Harry for quite some time, but had to upgrade my two larger boas first. I will look into the 4x2x2 option and see how much that would be... If I do go with a heat panel, that will greatly add to the cost, which may mean going with a smaller cage footprint.

I really like the idea of doing perches... If AP has the option, I may see if they can do 2 for me. At the same time, I think the carpet would use a shelf too, so it is tempting to go with both a perch and shelf if possible.

I have not asked the breeder for size of the adults, but his lineage is mother 75% IJ jag and his father is a 25% diamond zebra... I'm thinking that puts him at your average adult size for a jungle (diamond being larger and the IJ being smaller). I'm thinking he will max out at 6-7'.

[Reinz]

My Carpets use their shelves a lot. While none of my four will use hides per se, they will use their SkyHides.



Mack, Coastal Carpet




Lizzy loves her SkyHide

[EL-Ziggy]

That's a very nice jungle jag AG. I agree with the others. I'd go with a 3x2x2 or 4x2x2 for most carpets. I may go a little larger for my coastal and Bredli. I'd also agree with the RHP/UTH combo. You'd probably be fine with just the RHP but I really like the supplemental UTH during the colder months. My jungles don't use their shelves very much but they do use their branches/perches. Unfortunately AP doesn't offer perches.

[artgecko]

Reinz- How did you mount those hides and can they easily be removed for cleaning? i saw somethng like that in the complete carpet python book (I think) but don't think they explained how to secure them. I love that idea though... I could see him using that.

El-Ziggy- Thanks! I have been very happy with how he has turned out.. I just wish I could've afforded to get one of his siblings (jungle zebras and zebra jags) those were stunning. I got him at a show from someone that was selling for his friend, the breeder. The breeder's business is called "emerald coast exotics". Although I didn't buy straight from him, he was very quick to answer my questions on hatch date and lineage on FB. I would say that I'd buy from him again.

If AP won't do perches...which doesn't make sense given that they sell arboreal cages too lol, then maybe I can figure out how to install them myself...I'm not handy, at all, but I'm sure I can figure it out.

[Reinz]

Reinz- How did you mount those hides and can they easily be removed for cleaning? i saw somethng like that in the complete carpet python book (I think) but don't think they explained how to secure them. I love that idea though... I could see him using that. ..................
......

.

The hides are the Retile Basics. All sizes have that lip going all he way around. When mounted with those plastic mirror mounts used for mounting sheet mirrors (flat mirrors without a frame), you slide the hide in and out. I went overboard and used 13 mounts for large and XL hides, including three in the front which need to be completely removed for hide removal for cleaning.

The reason i went overboard is because my snakes are large and heavy. My first skyhide only had 4 of the large mounts (3/4 in wide). After a few days I heard a loud crash in the snake room. Lizzy, my 13 pound Coastal fell 2 feet along with the hide. The other problem is that all of my hides are slightly warped and don't sit flat. Thus, there is a built in preload for misalignment. My understanding is that all of the current production of those hides are warped.

After I have to remove the skyhides for their first cleaning I will see if I can get away without the mounts in the front. That will still give me 10 mounts, 4 in the back and 3 on each side. And then they can easily slide in and out.





As you can see there are no front mounts on Butch's skyhide. So far, so good!



The mounts on the left are too small for the large hides, but the 3/4 inch on the right work well.