Carpet Python Care Sheet
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Contents |
General
Latin Name:
Morelia cheynei
Size:
Also known as the Jungle carpet python these snakes can grow up to eight or nine foot in length most do not get over six foot as adults, the general size of adult cheynei is 5 foot in length . they are slender bodied snakes. there are however the odd example that will get quite long and chunky
Longevity:
Jungle carpets have been known to live well past thirty years in captivity
Active during:
These snakes are more active at night although they have been observed in my collection as active at all times .
Behaviour:
They can be a little bit snappy as hatchlings but in my experience this is more down to them being defensive of there surrounding territory . They will usually settle down once they have been picked up and realise you mean them no harm . Of the jungle that are in my collection non bite or offer to bite out of there enclosures . it is simply not true that they all bite and are aggressive, most snakes can and will bite when they feel threatened these are fantastic animals to keep and will sit out in the open on a nice log for you to enjoy ..
Temperament
As above
Ease of care
Most carpet pythons are very easy to care for. in fact in my opinion they are one of the easiest pythons to care for. they thrive in captivity and are excellent feeders
Housing
Vivarium:
It is best to keep hatchling and up to yearling carpet pythons in plastic tubs with enough room for them to have abranch to perch on and to be able to freely move around . once they get to a year old I personally use 2x2x2 enclosures, when they get to over three feet in size they are then housed in 3x18x18 englosures . as adults they are best housed in 4x2x2 vivariums if you have the room the higher the vivarium the better as they love to clime being aborreal snakes
Accessories:
I use hides in both ends of there enclosures and good sized thick branches for them to climb and perch on
Humidity
As a rule jungle carpet pythons tend to need some humidity this I provide with a very large water container placed near to the heat source. This is enough to achieve a good humid environment for the snake to thrive in
Heating
I personally use red sixty or one hundred watt bulbs with a heat matt on the rear wall to create a nice ambient temperature the wattage depends on the time of year no more than sixty watts is needed in the summer while one hundred watts will be good for the winter .Some people use ceramics i tend to think they get way to hot and dry the air out way more than spot bulbs tend to
Light
as above
Substrate
This is up to the individual but I tend to use newspaper in tubs and in the vivariums ,however I do use bark in show vivariums .if bark is used then I tend to base it with newspaper to make cleaning easy
Diet:
Food
It is recommended that you try to start hatchling carpet pythons off on baby rats as if they get a taste for mice or hampsters it is hard to change them over as they age and will cost you a lot more to feed an adult carpet with mice than it would to feed them on rats
Water
As with most snakes frequent water changes are imperative to the health of your snake .
Frequency
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Supplements
I never use any suppliment with any of my snakes especially my diamond pythons which are very valuable snakes and to be honest i would not recommend anything unless advised by a trained vet or a respected breeder. As already said in another part of this care sheet uv tubes may be used to suppliment vitimin D but im not convinced that it is needed. Its a personal thing that you may consider after reading other care sheets.
Breeding
Requirements
Female carpet pythons should be at least 1500 grams in weight and in good visible health before breeding .males can mate as soon as you notice sperm plugs in there shed skins or if there are no visible signs of plugs they can be tried if there weight is more than 1250 grams. it all depends if you think the snake is up to the job in hand ,try them together before cooling them to observe if there is any activity before you pair them together properly as the female may not like the male etc .I cool my carpet pythons from mid October gradually reducing the nighttime heat over three weeks . I do allow them heat during the day but I reduce there day light hours to simulate the seasons .Once they have been satisfactorily cooled I start to raise the temperatures in late December and start to introduce the male to the female . I leave the male in with the female for no more than three days the first time especially if mating occurrs as to give both snakes a break. if I have multiple female to breed the particular male to I will give him a day or to two rest but I will not feed any of my snakes during breeding trials as they can just stop breeding once fed. Once the female is ovulating I always make sure the male gets back in to make sure the job is done properly.
TO BE CONTINUED
Seasons
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Incubation
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Further information or considerations:
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