Carpet Python vs Boa

[Caitlin]

The Morelia are wonderful snakes and I'd recommend them to any keeper who enjoys snakes in general. jmcrook provided a great summary which I won't repeat. I'll just say that in my personal experience I find my Jungle Carpet Python to be more active and definitely more arboreal than my Boas. He's also more interactive and responsive to target training and behavioral enrichment. I swear I can almost see this snake thinking - it's hard to find the right words to describe them, but I find them a little 'intense'. Not in an 'omg this snake is bitey' way but they just notice everything, respond to everything, are curious about everything.

As babies/hatchlings they hate everything and choose violence, lol. But they respond really well to gentle, consistent training and handling. Once they hit maybe a year old and develop a little more confidence, it's like a switch flips in their brain and they stop being so defensive. Husbandry-wise, they are tanks - easy to keep, great appetites. Temperament-wise, I love these snakes. If you ever have another chance to keep one, you won't regret it.

A 4x2x2 would be great for a Jungle Carpet or an Irian Jaya/Papuan (which tends to be even smaller than the Jungle). The snake in my thumbnail is my Jungle Carpet Ziggy - he's almost always out and about or visibly basking.