The Carpet Python is a large slender snake native to Australia, New Guinea, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands. Its scientific name is Morelia Spilota and a number of recognized sub-species exist.
These snakes belong to the Morelia Genus of the Python family. This means that they are closely related to other Morelia Pythons such as the Amethystine Python, Bredl’s Python and the Green Tree Python.
Carpet Python Description
The Carpet Python is a medium sized slender snake. They usually have grey or black blotches, stripes or bands on a lighter coloured background.
The base colour as well as the pattern colour of a Carpet Python can vary greatly. There are a number of different locales which have very distinct appearances.
They have a row of pits along their lower jaw and many small scales on the top of their head.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Carpet Python can be found throughout much of coastal Australia. While their range extends inland, they generally aren’t found throughout much of Central Australia.
The Irian Jaya Carpet Python is the only sub-species that is found outside of Australia. They can be found on the island of New Guinea, north of Australia. Other species found on this island include the Bismarck Ringed Python and the Boelen’s Python.
The Coastal Carpet Python can be found from the Cape York Peninsula in Northern Queensland right down to the North-Eastern corner of New South Wales.
The Darwin Carpet Python can be found in the Northern coast of Australia between the Kimberley in the west and the Cape York peninsula in the east.
The Diamond Python can be found in the North-Eastern corner of Victoria while the Jungle Carpet Python can be found in the Rainforests of North-Eastern Queensland.
They can be found in a wide range of habitats including rainforest, woodlands, coastlines and farmland. They can even be found in peoples gardens.
Carpet Python Behavior
The Carpet Python is a nocturnal species, meaning the are most active at night. They could be considered semi-arboreal as they are very good climbers and will spend a good bit of time off the ground climbing on low lying branches and shrubs.
These snakes can make great pets and with regular handling can become quite docile. However, juveniles can be very nippy especially when you try to take them out of their enclosure.
This defensive behaviour will usually fade as the snake grows providing you are handling them regularly. Some Carpet Pythons will remain defensive for their entire lives. If this is the case, it is best to remove them from their enclosure with a hook. Once out, they usually calm down fairly quickly.
Carpet Pythons as Pets
Carpet Pythons make great pets as they are a very intuitive and enjoyable species. They come in a number of different pattern morphs and can be relatively straight forward to look after.
As mentioned above, they can be quite defensive as juveniles and will often try to bite when you are taking them out of their enclosure. This usually fades with regular handling and most Carpet Pythons become very docile.
Feeding a Carpet Python
It is recommended to start feeding hatchling Carpet Pythons on rat pinkies. You can choose to feed them mice, but it can be difficult to switch them over later.
These snakes are ferocious feeders and will usually readily accept a meal. You should feed them prey that is roughly the diameter of the snake at its largest point.
A feeding schedule of one appropriately sized meal every 5-7 days is good for juveniles. As the Carpet Python reaches adult size you can start feeding them weekly.
Carpet Python Housing
These snakes do well in a 3x2x2 or a 4x2x2 enclosure depending on the size of the snake. While they are semi-arboreal, they don’t need an excessive amount of height.
A few climbing branches will be enough to allow the snake the opportunity to climb. You should also provide a large water dish that will have to be changed regularly.
A Carpet Python will do well in a wide range of enclosure types providing their basic requirements are met. Wood, Glass and Plastic enclosures are commonly used to house these snakes.
A plastic container or racking system is not suitable for a Carpet Python. These snakes like to have space to roam around. Most tubs also lack the sufficient height to allow these snakes to climb.
Light and Heat
A Carpet Python likes a hot basking spot of around 92F. The ambient temperature in the enclosure can be around 80F. These temperatures don’t have to be exact and can be adjusted by a couple of degrees.
You can provide your Carpet Python with heat using a number of different methods. A heat mat can be used to provide belly heat while a spot or ceramic bulb can provide overhead heat.
Whatever heat source you choose, make sure it is connected to a high-quality thermostat. This will make sure the temperature remains constant in the enclosure.
A Carpet Python doesn’t require any special lighting such as UVA/UVB. If you do choose to include lighting in your enclosure, make sure you turn them off at night. This is to provide your snake with a proper day/night cycle.
Substrate
A Carpet Python will do well on a wide variety of substrates, so it is really just down to what you prefer. Aspen and Cypress Mulch are commonly used substrates that work well. Other popular choices include Reptibark and Coco Fibre. All these substrates look great in naturalistic setups.
If you are looking for a basic substrate that is easy to clean and maintain, you can always use newspaper or paper towel. You simply just have to replace the paper when it is soiled.
Breeding Carpet Pythons
In the wild, different locales of Carpet Python breed at different times of the year. For example, the Coastal, Jungle and Darwin Carpet Python tend to breed in the winter while the Diamond Carpet Python tends to breed in the spring.
Females should be at least 3 years old before attempting to breed them while males should be at least 18 months old. This is just a guideline, the main factor to consider is the overall health of the snake before putting them through the breeding process.
When breeding Carpet Pythons, most people seem to have better success when the snakes are put through a cooling period. You can either reduce the hot spot at night so that the temperate falls to around 70F. This should them be restored to normal basking temperatures at night.
Other breeders have great success without reducing temperatures at night. They keep the basking spot year-round and rely on the natural drop in ambient temperature to tell their snakes that breeding season is approaching. There is no exact method to follow here and different breeders have success using different methods.
The next step is to introduce the male into the female’s enclosure. This can be done as soon as the temperatures start to drop. A male can be cycled through multiple females or kept with the same female. Either way, you should give him 2-3 days off each week.
Once the female has ovulated, you can stop introducing the male. While ovulating, the female will have a noticeable bulge around halfway down her body. This will only last for about 24 hours.
Around 3 or 4 weeks after ovulation, the female will go through a post ovulation shed. This is your best indication of when to expect eggs as the female will lay her clutch after another 3 to 4 weeks.
Once the clutch is laid, they should be removed and incubated. Carpet Python eggs do well when incubated at around 85F. At these temperatures the eggs will hatch after around 60 days.