This is a specific care sheet for Carpet Pythons (Morelia spilota), for more in this genus see Category:Morelia.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Choosing your snake 3 Habitat 3.1 Enclosure 3.2 Substrate 3.3 Temperature 3.4 Humidity 3.5 Lighting 4 Water 5 Behaviour 6 Breeding 6.1 Pregnancy conditions 6.2 Clutch size 7 Veterinary Care

Introduction

The Carpet Python Morelia spilota is a species of snake in the subfamily of Pythoninae and the genera Morelia to which 6 subspecies are defined, including the nominate Morelia spilota spilota. All Carpet pythons are semi-arboreal snakes and are found throughout the woodlands, rainforests and floodplains of Australia and New Guinea. They prefer to spend the majority of their time inside old burrows, caves and hollow logs, anywhere they can be secure and comfortable.

The popularity of Carpet pythons has increased dramatically over the last few years. In previous years, it was difficult getting hold of a good quality specimen, and even then they came at considerable expense. Because demand far exceeded supply, enthusiastic breeders made a concerted effort to bring more good quality specimens onto the market. Now that these animals have become more common, prices have been reduced, however, mass bredding efforts have had the effect of producing numerous morphs and colour patterns. Some of these morphs and variations attract a lot of attention from serious hobbyists and equally serious amounts of money.

Carpet pythons typically live to be between 20 and 30 years old in captivity, and can grow to lengths of about ten feet depending on which sub-species.

Choosing your snake

Health checks for any snake:

• Firm rounded body.
• Clear eyes (may be a little cloudy if about to shed). There should be no sign of discharge.
• No evidence of mites – check especially around the head and eyes, check for faint specks on body and check your hands after handling the snake
• The snake should not have to open its mouth to breathe and should not appear as if it is gasping for breath.
• The inside of the mouth should be a uniform pink – reddened areas or cheesy looking matter may indicate mouth rot.
• Shiny smooth skin with no scabs or sores.
• Clean vent with no swelling in area
• Should move smoothly with no tremors

If you are unsure about the health of a snake, you can ask the vendor for a demonstration feeding, usually on pre-killed mice. If your new snake appears distressed or overly active, be patient but not ignorant, snakes will be agitated until they settle in to their new environments but if the problem persists it may be necessary to seek veterinary advice.

Habitat

Enclosure

Carpet pythons require a lot of space and plenty of freedom to move around the enclosure. The minimum size for an enclosure for a large adult should have a length of 200 cm, a width of 150 cm and a height of atleast 80 cm.

As previously mentioned Carpet pythons love their hiding places, so it is important that atleast one of these be provided. Any household item can be modified for this purpose and if possible there should be a selection within any enclosure for your snake to choose from. The entrance should be large enough to allow your pet to enter after a meal. If you can offer more than one hiding place, they should be placed in different locations around the enclosure. So, instead of having two places at substrate level, maybe place a shelter on a raised platform with access via a branch, to offer a variety of temperature conditions.

Carpet pythons are semi-arboreal meaning they spend a lot of time exploring and climbing the branches of trees and this environment should be recreated as best as possible within the enclosure. Obstacles don’t necessarily have to be tree branches, any features that will enable your python to climb and explore will make a huge difference – and the more the better.

Carpet pythons are incredibly strong and therefore their enclosure will have to be solidly built from sturdy, durable materials. Whether the access is through the front or through the roof, this panel needs to be extremely secure and resilient to the considerable pressure that a python is more than capable of exerting onto a given area.

Substrate

A popular choice amongst experienced keepers is to have the main platform for your snakes enclosure comprised of decking material and slightly raised a few inches above the true floor that would be covered in a durable and waterproof material such as linoleum. The reason for this is that any urinecan run through the gaps in the decking and onto the waterproof linoleum beneath. This makes for an easier maintenance routine as the linoleum can be removed and cleaned relatively easily, and your beautiful snake is kept as far away as possible from its own excretions for obvious health reasons.

A layer of substrate should be added on top of the decking to provide a comfortable home for your Carpet python. Firstly, Cedar is not an option. Cedar is toxic to these animals and should be avoided at all costs. Similarily, wood chips although safe enough, if used then the animal should be fed on a different surface to prevent them from swallowing shavings which can lead to dangerous intestinal blockages. Further to this, wood chips can hold mites, which can be potentialy fatal for a Burmese Python.

Newspaper cuttings are an option, however, as many proud owners of albino specimens will tell you, the ink will quickly transfer on to your python. Leaving a less than desired affect.

Astroturf is an excellent option that can be cleaned and disinfected easily enough and also proves to be amongst the most attractive options. Rubber mats are by far the most practical solution, being durable, relatively cheap and waterproof, and they can be used year after year with no degradation in quality.

Temperature

It is generally recommended that Carpet python enclosures be kept at an ambient daytime temperature of 25-30°C (75-85°F) and a basking area set up on a branch or raised platform with a temperature of around 31-37°C (88-100°F). A basking area is usually established using a heat lamp directed at the intended area. Make sure to effectively shield the heat source from your python, as snakes are particularly susceptible to burn injuries.

Night time temperatures for Carpet pythons is a subject of great debate amongst enthusiasts and breeders. Some individuals state a drop in temperature is totally unnecessary, when others claim that at night they turn off the heat completely allowing levels to fall to around 18.5°C (65°F). If you are already an experienced snake hobbyist you probably have an idea of how you will proceed. If, however, this is your first snake and you are at the very beginning of the learning curve then a decrease in night time temperatures to around 22°C (71.6°F) can’t do any harm.

Snakes as in the case of most animals should have the seasonal changes recreated as best as possible. This can be achieved by making gradual, subtle changes to the temperature and lighting conditions as the months progress. Summer time conditions should be as above, with winter temperatures reduced gradually to approximately 22-25°C (71.6-75°F). For changing lighting conditions please refer to the Lighting conditions sub-section further down this article.

To achieve these demanding conditions, a range of appliances are available. Specially designed heating pads for this purpose are available on the market and help to maintain consistent ambient air temperatures within the enclosure. Traditional incandescant light bulbs can be used in co-operation with these pads to provide your python with a suitable basking spot.

Humidity

To successfully maintain the desired humidity conditions for your Carpet python you are going to need a hygrometer. A hygrometer is a device used to measure relative humidity within the enclosure.

Again, another highly debated topic are what the humidity requirements are for a Carpet python. Traditionally it was recommended that the enclosure be maintained at around 70-80%, however, input from many experienced keepers suggests that this species does not require much if any attempts to maintain a high humidity. Most hobbyists do actively humidify the enclosure during the shedding process, but even then it is claimed that internal hydration is the most important contributor to a successful shed not the environmental humidity. A safe humidity range for this species is between 50-80%.

If you do live in a particularly dry place, and misting is necessary then be sure to allow the enclosure to completely dry before repeating the misting process again. An ideal situation is to provide a cycle not a constant humidity. Misting can best be achieved through the use of an automatic vaporiser, which will spray a fine vapour of water into the enclosure to reach the required standard.

Be warned, if you do decide to maintain a high humidity environment, you will be providing optimum conditions for molds and bacteria to strive. Therefore daily cleaning becomes an absolute necessity!

Lighting

A basking light should be directed towards a large rock or at a suitable distance from a branch to provide a basking spot as explained above. As with temperature conditions lighting should also be adjusted to recreate the seasonal changes the snake would encounter in its natural habitat. An automatic timer is the most practical and easiest option to allow for night time cooling and the timer adjusted seasonally. Pythons should be provided with a 12 hour day / night cycle for Summer and reduced to an 8 hour daytime cycle for Spring and Autumn with 5 hours a day basking time during the Winter months.

Unlike many other reptiles, pythons have never been proven to have any particular need for UV light, and any provided through normal means via a window etc will be more than sufficient to keep your Carpet python healthy.

==Feeding==

It is highly recommended that you feed your snake pre-killed food to reduce the risk of exposing your python to live prey in a relatively small environment.

Carpet pythons in captivity will happily feed on mice, rats, rabbits and whole chickens depending on the size of your pet. Feeding is recommended at fortnightly intervals for adults. Juveniles can be fed on a diet of mice every week.

Many experienced keepers use a seperate enclosure at feeding time to segregate the emotions associated with food and to reduce the risk of being bitten when approaching the snake within its usual environment. This method also has its health benefits as left over food is not being left within the primary enclosure.

For more information on feeding newly-born hatchlings see the breeding section further down the article.

If you have any problems feeding your snake please refer to our snake feeding problem page for further information.

Water

Most pythons enjoy soaking and bathing in a large water bowl, and Carpet pythons are no different. A drinking bowl large enough to hold your python can duplicate as its bathing area. The python should be able to soak its whole body within the bowl but the water level does not have too be any deeper than a few inches. Any water in the enclosure should be changed daily.

Behaviour

Historically, the Carptet python had a fairly negative reputation, and keepers often claimed it to be a particularly aggressive species. However, these snakes are now understood as a friendly and tolerant species and often described as being as mellow as the renowned ball python. These early discriminations were probably the fault of inexperienced and ignorant keepers who did not know the first thing about handling an animal like this.

If threatened the Carpet python will typically attempt to flee and will only make an attempt to bite on rare occassions. As is usually the case, constant interaction is the key to establishing a trust between you and your python, and simple things like daily maintenance will gradually increase the confidence that your snake has in you.

It is always recommended with these animals that they be left alone for atleast a couple of days after eating, a snake feels particularly vulnerable during these times and is more likely to attack you than at any other time.

Beware! No matter how comfortable you may become with your pet python, these are still incredibly dangerous animals and should be treated with the most sincere respect. If you are ever handling a specimen over ten feet in length, you should always have atleast two people in the room for safety.

Breeding

Carpet pythons usually reach sexual maturity at 2.5 to 3 years of age, depending on the individual and how it has been fed. Mating occurs when environmental temperatures begin to fall with the oncome of winter. Males and females should only be housed together during the breeding season which takes place at the end of winter.

Some breeders have found that using multiple males within the enclosure and initiating combat between the two is the most effective method to stimulate the female into copulation. If you are to use multiple males, they should be observed at all times, usually the competition involves only wrestling, however, the event can escalate into biting which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal injuries.

Singular males can be used, and in most opinions are just as likely to successfully copulate with the female if the timings and conditions are appropriate.

If the female has mated successfully, she will bask with a portion of her underside exposed to the light, and she may also refuse food. If you see your mating female basking belly-up under a heat light, you can be slmost sure that she is gravid (pregnant). Females usually go through a change in colouration when they are gravid.

Pregnancy conditions

Gravid females should be able to bask in temperatures of around 33°C to 40°C (91.4-104°F). Ovulation is when the eggs move down the body creating a visible lump for up to 24 hours. About three weeks after ovulation the female will shed her skin. About 25 days after she has shed her skin, she will lay her eggs. Between 2 to 40 eggs can be layed in each clutch, depending on the sub-species.

The average incubation time is 45-55 days. The female will coil herself around the eggs, protecting them from potential predators and also to maintain the proper temperature and humidity that the eggs require. If the temperature becomes too cold the female python will ‘shiver’ to produce additional heat. Alternatively, if the eggs become too warm, the female may move the eggs to a cooler position or raise them off the ground. If the eggs are removed from the female, they need to be placed in a container with a layer of damp vermiculite, and then placed in an incubator at a constant temperature of between 30°C – 32°C (86°F – 91°F).

Female pythons will commonly lose up to half their body weight during pregnancy and incubation. Females normally will usually not eat while they are pregnant or while they are incubating their eggs.

Clutch size

Below are the average clutch sizes for the varying sub-species:

Morelia spilotes variegata 10-40 eggs

Morelia spilotes imbricata 6-14 eggs

Morelia spilotes cheynei 4-12 eggs

Morelia spilotes metcalfie 2-3 eggs

Morelia spilotes mcdowelli 4-10 eggs

Veterinary Care

Regular visits to a veterinarian reptile specialist is essential especially for new-born and juvenile specimens. A sample of faeces should be taken and sealed in an appropriate container, noted with details such as the time and date. The vet will then screen the matter for parasites and signs of infestations and infecions that can prove fatal to your pet. This practice is not only for the sake of your snake, most parasites that can infest snakes and reptiles are easily transmitted to humans and can prove equally if not more devastating.