Pythons
IRIAN JAYA CARPET PYTHONS (Morelia Spilota Variegata)
Location: West Papua, Irian Jaya mountain range
Size: 6'-7' as a full-grown adult, 12"-15" as a hatchling
Coloration: creamy-whites to yellow with chocolatey-brown markings and sometimes hues of olive green within the darker shades as an adult
Pattern: typically banded, occasionally have minor striping down the spine; sides of the body frequently resemble that of paper dolls holding hands
Background:
Irian Jaya Carpet Pythons are an arboreal species python which is
found in West Papua. They are a small carpet python with an
excellent temperament. Irians were first introduced to
collectors in the United States in 1994 and 1995. For the most
part, adult Irian Jayas and the hatchlings that were imported to the
U.S. could not adapt to captivity and consequently died.
However, a small number of yearlings adjusted and have been raised
to adulthood. After 1995, the exporting of animals from West
Papua became illegal and weren't shipped out of the country again
until 2005.
JUNGLE CARPET PYTHONS (Morelia Spilota Cheynei)
Location: North Eastern Australia
Size: 8'-9' as a full-grown adult, 12"-15" as a hatchling
Coloration:
bright buttery to lemon yellow and deep black; creamy whites in more
average looking specimens; frequently colors tip out black into
yellow and vice-versa save exceptional animals
Pattern:
typically banded, occasionally have minor striping down the spine;
sides of the body frequently resemble that of paper dolls holding
hands
Background:
Jungle Carpet Pythons are an arboreal species of python which is
found in North Eastern Australia. Currently, there is no legal
exportation of animals from the country but many animals have made
it into the United States over the last few decades. Their
bright coloration has made them extremely popular among collectors
and pet owners. Because of the length of time this subspecies
has been in captivity, there have been quite a number of color and
pattern morphs bred from them.
Location:
Eastern coastline of Australia
Size: 12'-14'
as a full-grown adult, 15"-18" as a hatchling
Coloration:
slate greys, olive greens and creamy whites
Pattern:
typically banded but may have a very aberrant pattern throughout
Background:
Coastal Carpet Pythons are an arboreal species of python which is
found along the Eastern coastline of Australia. As with
the Jungle Carpets, they cannot be legally exported from the country
at this time.
Carpet Python Care
Cages should include a sturdy branch to climb onto where the carpet
python can feel secure and move away from the heat source when
necessary to regulate their body temperature. They like an
ambient cage temp in the mid-70's and an unbelly hot spot of about
90F. We like to use flex-watt under the bottom of the cage for
the heat source. Using a basking light for heat is not ideal
as the snakes prefer not to feel so exposed and heat rocks are
dangerous since they can easily burn the animals. Misting of
the cage is good for them every few days to keep a moderate amount
of humidity and daily when they go into their shed cycle. Too
much humidity at too cool a temperature, though, can lead to a
respiratory infection. This is the leading cause of death to
pythons and boas in captivity so make sure to check your cage temps
regularly. Feeding time can be an enjoyable time for keepers,
but it must also be done in the safest, most humane way possible.
We feed our snakes once a week the width of their body, using
frozen-thawed prey items only. Feeding live prey can cause
injury to the snake by being bitten or scratched and may also stress
it out and consequently stop eating for a period of time.