All about caring for your Carpet Python! Jungles, Coastals, Irian Jayas, Centralians, and any hybrids of those listed included!
CAGING
Cage Options and Sizes:
Carpet Pythons can be housed in a variety of different cage types. Many people successfully house their carpets in glass aquariums. I recommend buying Critter Cages, sold at most pet stores, which are glass tanks with sliding, locking lids. Carpet pythons are masters at escaping poorly secured cages. If you buy an aquarium with a separate screen lid, make sure to buy plenty of lid clamps, and you may even want to further secure the lid with a very heavy object.
Carpets will also do well in custom snake cages, like:
* Animal Plastics Caging (ANIMALPLASTICS.COM)
* Boaphile Plastics (BOAPHILEPLASTICS.COM)
* Vision Cages (VISIONCAGES.COM)
These pythons are fast growers, so if you purchase a baby, you may want to start with a cage that is about twice as long as your snake. Keep in mind that these pythons are usually somewhat to highly arboreal (meaning they like to climb), and will love a branch or two provided in their cage for climbing and basking. A tall cage is almost always appreciated. The above retailers also offer arboreal cages, which look very nice and are great for climbers.
Adults have the ability to reach lengths of 6-9 feet (though females over 7 feet in length are not very common). Most small to average sized adults will do well in 40 gallon breeder aquariums (this size is also sold in the Critter Cages option), or cages equivalent to 36" x 18" or larger. However, these cages offer very little head room for arboreal adults, and many prefer to house their grown carpets in large, custom arboreal cages.
Temperatures and Heating:
Giving your carpet python a proper temperature gradient is very important. Keep your heat source(s) on one end of the set-up, allowing for temperature variants from side to side of the cage. Temperatures should be taken with a reliable thermometer (NOT the cheap stick-on ones sold at pet stores!), right above the substrate (floor of the cage). I recommend using the PE-1 Temp Gun from ProExotics.com. It's cheap ($25), reliable, and takes instant readings.
Most carpet pythons prefer cooler temperatures than other boids, and will normally keep their body temperatures in the low 80s.
Ideal temperatures on the hot side of the cage should range from 83 - 85°, with a "basking spot" of 87 - 90°, and never hotter than 92°. The basking spot is a small area on the hot end of the enclosure, used by carpets after meals to help with digestion, and to warm up when needed. The basking spot is generally right above or below the heat source. Temperatures above 90° are completely unnecessary, and temperatures of 95° and higher can be potentially harmful, if not fatal, to your python. The lowest temperatures on the cool side of the cage should be around 75-77°. Prolonged exposure to temperatures below 70° can cause respiratory infections and in-proper digestion. Thermostats and dimmers can be used to control the amount of power a heat source gives out, and can greatly help you with achieving proper temperatures.
Humidity:
Ideal humidity in your carpets cage should be between 45 - 50%. Carpets will not suffer from drops in humidity as much as they will from large spikes or increases. Always keep reliable humidity gauges (hygrometers) on each end of the python's enclosure, placed near the floor of the cage. Proper humidity can be maintained in various ways, including misting the enclosure with warm water, keeping damp sphagnum or reptile moss in the corners of the enclosure, placing the python's water dish near the heat sources, and/or keeping a humidifier in the same room as the python. A large water dish alone in an enclosed, custom style set-up may be enough to maintain proper humidity. Humidity should be raised to 70% when your python enters a shed cycle, to ensure a good clean shed. But keep in mind that extended exposure to extremely high humidity and very wet conditions can cause respiratory infections and scale rot. Do not over-mist, and always check your gauges. Drop the humidity back down to 45 - 50% once the python finishes shedding, and always give the python a completely dry spot or two somewhere within it's cage.
Bedding/Substrate:
I've found that a loose, reptile-safe bedding usually works best. I recommend aspen shavings. Aspen is easy to clean and holds moisture well. Coconut bark and Reptile bark are more attractive looking substrates, and they work well also. However they may bleed their color, staining water dishes and even your python. DO NOT use standard gravel, soil, sand, wood chips, sawdust, or cat litter for bedding.
Hiding Spots:
Some carpets use them, others don't. But they should always be given a place to hide in case they need to feel more secure in their surroundings, or a nice dark space to sleep during the day. Hide spots should be snug. Half-logs sold at pet stores look nice and work well, but you can make cheap hides out of cardboard boxes or upside down flower pots. When cutting an entry hole in a homemade hide, make sure that the edges are not sharp.
Water Dish:
A heavy dish large enough for your python to soak in will work great. Pythons may choose to soak when they want to cool down, before they shed, or when they just feel like taking a swim. If your python soaks excessively when not in shed, check the temperatures and humidity, and check for mites or any other health problems. Clean the water dish once a week, or whenever it starts to get dirty, with soap and hot water.
Cleaning:
Clean up after your python, and completely change the substrate once a month. Change it sooner if you notice any mold. Be sure to check underneath the top layer of substrate for mold or any discoloration, especially around the water dish. Use soap and water to clean your boa's enclosure, and DO NOT use any harsh chemicals or sprays.
FEEDING
Prey Items:
Never feed your python a live rodent. Live prey can inflict serious injuries or even kill a snake. Only feed pre-killed or frozen then thawed rodents to your pet.
Carpets are famous for eating mice, and mice only. You should always try to switch to rats, as it's a real pain to feed a large adult carpet 8-10 mice per sitting. But sometimes it has to be done. Should your carpet only eat mice, you want to feed one at a time, wait 3-5 minutes after the python has completely swallowed the mouse, and then feed him the next one. Wait another 3-5 minutes, and so on..
Babies and juveniles should be fed rats or mice that are
slightly larger (width-wise) than the girth of the snake. These snakes have strong stomachs, but should not be fed huge meals that leave giant lumps in their belly. A meal that is way to large can cause extreme discomfort and possibly regurgitation.
If your larger carpet is a multiple mouse eater, watch as you feed him mice one by one, and when you see a visible lump in his stomach, stop feeding.
Feeding Frequency:
I feed my baby and juvenile carpets weekly. Once they reach about 4' in length, I've found they do well on an every 10-14 day schedule.
Pay attention to when your python poops! It should defecate regularly between meals, or at least after every other meal. If it's taking multiple meals without defecating, I've learned it's best to increase the amount of time between meals, giving your python's bowels a break!
Water:
You must provide your python with fresh, clean water at all times.
HANDLING
Newborn carpets can be VERY nippy, but most calm down completely with frequent, gentle handling. Avoid handling your python for 2-3 days after a meal, to avoid improper digestion and regurgitation.
I use snake hooks to remove my pythons from their cages. This prevents a bite due to their very strong feeding response (pythons that are fed in their cages often expect food whenever the cage is opened, and could mistake a fast moving human hand for a meal. Many choose to feed their carpets in separate containers or cardboard boxes to help eliminate in-cage feeding responses.) These are also handy tools when "taming" an aggressive snake, as hooks don't flinch or pull away when struck at!
Babies can be handled a few days a week, 30-45 minutes at a time.
As your pet grows and becomes more comfortable with being handled and with it's surroundings, you can have it out for longer periods of time. Never leave a python unattended, in a car, or outside. Never expose them to cold temperatures below 70°, and never take a python out in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.
SHEDDING
As your python grows, it will shed it's skin. The first signs of a shed-cycle are usually darkening of color, and "cloudy" bluish eyes. Your carpet's eyes will remain cloudy for 3 - 10 days, give or take. The eyes will then clear, and your pet will shed within another 1 - 7 days, again.. give or take a day or two. Humidity is essential to proper shedding, and should be raised to 70 - 80% as soon as the snake's eyes begin to cloud. There should be a "rough" object (it's hide, a fake plant, or rock) in your carpet's cage to help it break the skin and begin the shedding process. Babies and juveniles will shed every 3-8 weeks on average, and sub-adults and adults will shed less frequently.
HEALTH ISSUES
Take your python to a vet with reptile experience (check out Herp Vet Connection for vet listings in your area) if you notice any of the following symptoms:
Respiratory Infection: (if noticed, increase cage temperatures by 3 - 5° and lower the humidity)
* Mucus or bubbles in the nose or mouth.
* Popping and wheezing noises when the python breathes.
* Open-mouth gaping/breathing.
Mouth Rot:
* Open mouth breathing.
* A white or yellowish "cheese" like substance in the mouth.
* Sores in and around the mouth.
Internal Parasites / Digestive System Problems:
* Runny or discolored stools (white "poop" is actually a urate, which is solid urine and completely normal).
* Complete loss of appetite for more than 4 - 6 weeks.
* Chronic regurgiation.
Neurological Diseases / Poisoning: (if noticed, get your python to a vet immediately)
* Twitching and convulsing.
* Loss of body control, laying on it's back or side.
* Apparent "confusion".
* Inability to coil around or strike accurately at prey.
* Inability to right it's body if placed on it's back.
