Jungle carpet python

The jungle carpet python subspecies are native to a small region of the northwestern Australian rain forests. They are a slender, mostly arboreal python, and adults generally grow to a length of 5 to 7 feet. In the wild, they rarely have the striking black-and-yellow appearance seen in the trophy specimens found in captive collections. A habitat the size of a 5- to 10-gallon aquarium will adequately house most jungles between several months to one year old. Jungle carpet pythons are nocturnal and have no special lighting requirements. A temperature gradient of 85 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit in the warm end of the enclosure and 68 to 75 degrees in the cool end is ideal. Jungle carpet pythons tolerate a wide humidity range, between 40 and 60 percent, and generally do not require misting the cage with water, although it helps to do this when they are in a shed cycle. Frozen-thawed rats, mice, chicks and quail are appropriate food for jungle carpet pythons. Many jungle carpets have a strong preference for mice over rats. Young jungle carpets are often “nippy,” which is appropriate behavior for a small prey animal. When removing them from the enclosure, don’t reach over them like a large predator might. Instead, lift them gently from underneath after they have a firm hold on your hand or a stick. Usually, they settle down and show less defensive biting behavior once they are used to handling. Jungle carpet pythons have a prehemptile tail which mean they can hang all their body weight by the tip of their tail and no other snake can do that if they tried they would fall imedietly.