Jungle Carpet pythons are a smaller, more brighter coloured variety of the Carpet python that occurs through many regions in Australia, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. Jungle Carpet pythons are found in the rainforest areas of Queensland in North Eastern Australia. Although a relatively easy species to maintain in captivity, they are best kept by those with some experience of keeping snakes. They are a medium sized snake (six to seven feet long) that is often a little bad tempered and many bite frequently in defence. However, for those that have the ability and tolerance they are a truly beautiful snake.

Keep this species in tall vivaria as they are an arboreal species – they like to climb on branches and vines. We would suggest a minimum of three feet tall, preferably taller for an adult snake. As the keeper will need to replicate the high levels of humidity required by spraying the habitat inside the vivarium we recommend a glass (or similar) vivarium. A melamine vivarium will not last longer than a year or two under these conditions. As well as branches provide a hide, although it may not be used, sometimes a vertical method of hiding may be used – perhaps a large piece of cork bark. This species will sometimes soak in its water, so provide a large enough water bowl should yours do this. Maintain a level of humidity over 90{cb5d0a8cf0c44aef2db327d9ab0dba08dd09aed1126b509e5fa01d3aaa87fe47} by daily spraying, but do allow periods to dry out a little.

As always, heating and lighting can be a personal matter, for each of the many methods seem to work for different keepers. Heat (and light if supplied) must be fitted to the top of the vivarium, do not use underfloor heating for sub-adult and adult Jungle Carpet pythons. My personal choice would be the use of a ceramic heater, other keepers may use incandescent bulbs, or sometimes halogens. Provide a warm end, controlled temperature of around 32C, dropping by around 6-8C in the cool end (and also at night for the ambient temperature). Lighting is sometimes not provided by keepers at all, and their snakes seem to do fantastically well without it. Other keepers swear by the absolute necessity of lighting, if this is the case I would suggest a T5 designed for shade loving animals, the Arcadia Shadedweller T5 light tube springs to mind.

Jungle Carpet pythons are generally greedy feeders feeding on appropriately sized rodents throughout their lives. Virtually all will recognise defrosted frozen rodents, starting on mice pinkies, working their way through all the sizes until they are on quite large prey items – maybe as large as a medium sized rat. Most keepers do no provide supplementation for snakes, but there is a growing fanbase of keepers believing it is necessary – there are several options commercially available.

Currently for sale (26/05/20); Jungle Carpet Pythons for sale

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