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CarpetPython313

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Hi,

I'm really new on this forum and this is my first post.


I am new with reptiles so what do you suggest for a beginner Carpet Python


Thank You
Matt
 
Any of the Carpets make good pets. They are very hardy, their needs are easy to meet, and they generally accept handling pretty well - there are individual exceptions, and perhaps Jungles are one subspecies with a reputation for snappiness. Some subspecies can get pretty large over time, but if you're 12 now, by the time they get to 2.5m you'll be well able to handle it yourself. The bigger they are, usually the more docile they are actually - they are not as vulnerable and don't feel the need to warn everything else off...

Carpets are a good choice for beginners. Good luck :)!

Jamie
 
My nephew was 14 when he got his coastal and she has been great.
Never bitten. Very docile. Plus she is a stunning animal.
 
Can't really go wrong with a baby coastal for your first snake. Cheap hardy and placid when they get bigger.
 
One that you like the look of. Every snake is individual and can be flighty, bitey or docile.
 
I started with carpets.
Get a hatchling and your handling experience with grow as the snake grows.

Also don't be like the idiot grandmother on the news who didn't know how to handle a snake and did stupid things like hang it around her neck when she was alone...
 
I have a bit of a soft spot for Murray Darlings as a good beginners snake.....They are robust, are normally very good in the temperament department and are easy to keep. I am yet to find a bad natured MD (I am sure they do exist). Even those who have encountered them in the wild comment that they are quite laid back by comparison to other species. They grow to a nice size without being exceptionally large.

As stated above though, most of the Carpet complex can be good snakes to start out with
 
I have a bit of a soft spot for Murray Darlings as a good beginners snake.....They are robust, are normally very good in the temperament department and are easy to keep. I am yet to find a bad natured MD (I am sure they do exist). Even those who have encountered them in the wild comment that they are quite laid back by comparison to other species. They grow to a nice size without being exceptionally large.

As stated above though, most of the Carpet complex can be good snakes to start out with


Hi Bart70,

Do you keep Murray Darlings and if so can you please tell me the care for them.

Thank You
Matt
 
Hi Bart70,

Do you keep Murray Darlings and if so can you please tell me the care for them.

Thank You
Matt

Yes...I have a pair of MD's and they are probably my most bulletproof snakes. They have a very calm and soft nature - quite different to most of my other Carpets with probably the exception of my Albino Darwin who is also extremely soft in her nature. Not that my other Carpets are monsters....the persona of my MD's seems to be more laid back and less than my other snakes.

MD's really don't require anything much different to other carpets. They are an inland species and as such are capable of withstanding extremes of heat and cold which, which along with their calm nature makes them quite robust for first time keepers.

I don't do anything specifically different for my MD's except that I don't give them as much heat as the Carpets native to the more temperate or tropical areas of Australia. I have found that my MD's tend to prefer a cooler environment - anything warmer results in much quicker basking times and longer spells at the cool end of the enclosure. I aim for an ambient warm end of around 28 degrees and a 'warm spot' of around 31-32 degrees. I do not provide night time heat as I prefer them to 'feel' the diurnal range as well as seasonal variation.

For some reason I feel a bit of a connection with these guys....They are the Carpet species that covers the largest geographical area of all the Carpet complex, yet their population density is extremely sparse. Land clearing and farming practices across the murray-darling basin have had a significant impact on these guys survival, removing the vegetative corridors between the rocky outcrops and lower forested areas that they traverse seasonally. I have work colleagues with family residing in north western NSW and have a couple that reside in their horse feed shed....I always enjoy the photos they send through when they manage to spot them on occasions. I am yet to find one in the wild...but hope to be able to one day in the not too distant future.

If you are looking for a bit of good reading on MD's - There is a good article about by Doc Rock on the Southern Cross Reptiles website. PM me if I can assist further.
 
MD's will require a similar size enclosure to most of the other Carpets, although many MD's do not grow to the lengths of some of the larger ones (like Coastals for example).

Aim for a floor (or preferably rear wall area being a semi arboreal species) of .625 square metres and no floor dimension less than 20% of the length of the snake (if you aim for 550 or 600mm you will be safe) and you will be in the ballpark for an acceptable enclosure size. These are the minimums for a MD under the NSW CoPs which you don't need to comply with but will give you a good idea.

For examples that comply:

Vertically Oriented: 625W x 1000H x 550D or bigger.
Horizontally Oriented: 1000W x 625H x 550D or bigger.

Effectively any combination of width and height that meets or exceeds 0.625 metre squared with a depth of 550 or 600mm will suffice. These are based on the NSW CoPs and what is advocated by NPWS in NSW - Others may have a different view on what is 'acceptable' but I personally wouldn't like to keep one as an adult in anything much smaller (and that goes for all Carpets).
 
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