Reptile Information

Housing: This snake is an escape artist. Young snakes should be kept in smaller enclosures, and neonates should not be kept in anything larger than a 10 gallon tank with a tight screen. My snake has always been in a 40 breeder, ever since she was 25" [she's around 34" now]. The cover is very tight, and locked down. I have observed her when he was in the tank for the first several hours, and I watched her attempt to escape. She couldn't even move the screen. A general rule of thumb for housing a snake is that the length of the enclosure should be 2/3 the length of the snake. A decent enclosure for an adult mid-sized Jungle would be 4'L x 2'H x 2'W. If space and money allows, bigger is better, so I would recommend 5'-6'L x 3'H x 2.5'-3'W. Glass aquariums are good for starting out, but as an adult, I recommend plastic cages like those made by Neodesha, or enclosures made of melamine and glass, or Critter Cages, which NEVER should be recycled into tropical aquariums!! Screen tops should be plastic-wrapped around the lighting/heating apparati, leaving small spaces open for ventilation. This is to ensure the enclosure does not dry out.

This care guide courtesy of Dragon Guard

Substrate: Aspen shavings and Carefresh are good, as is newspaper. Both are easily cleaned and replaced, and newspaper is the cheapest [butcher paper or newsprint paper is a good alternative as well]. None of the above are aesthetically pleasing, however. I use soil, and so far, so good. It's a planted vivarium, so wastes get used as fertilizer, and it's relatively odorless if you ignore the smell of wet plants, soil, and moss. Sterile soil [Scott's is good] in my opinion is the best, as it looks good, keeps the humidity high, can get wet with no problem, and allows plants to grow. Do not use: sand, pine shavings, cedar shavings, as they can cause impaction or respiratory problems due to the phenols in pine and cedar. I have also heard that Repti-Bark is good, orchid bark (my soil is topped with it). These are easy to clean (scoopable), retain humidity well, and look very nice. For maintenance purposes, these are recommended.

Heating: Basking light temperature should be 88-90 degrees, daytime ambient should not drop below 80. Nighttime ambient should not drop below 72 degrees. As the jungle carpet python is semi-arboreal, heat coming from the bottom of the tank may do little more than act as an aide for other heating units. Overhead heating accomplished through incandescent bulbs or ceramic heat emitters are the best choice. Have at least three thermometers so the temperature gradient in the tank can be easily figured out. One should be under the basking light, another in the cool end, and one in the highest point of the tank where the snake may occupy.

Soaking: If the enclosure is kept humid, soaking may not be necessary, however a soaking before shedding time is always beneficial and will lead to an easy, full shed. Soak in tepid water for 10-15 minutes.

Humidity: Not so much a problem as in Brazilian rainbow boas, but they do require humid environments. Providing a large water dish under a heat lamp will be good. Mist the tank twice a day [or more], keep a potted or planted plant or two, or have a fogger. Any combo of the above is great. Don't let the humidity drop belox 60% for long periods of time. I do let the humidity drop low for a period of a few days just to vary the environment, but more times than not the enclosure is humid. I also have a pad of moss over the area where my JCP hangs out the most, and this is watered daily and kept under saran wrap to produce a very humid spot in a drier enclosure. Works well. Having plants in the enclosure do wonders for humidity--each time you water the plants to keep them from dying you help raise the humidity!

Lighting: Lighting can be the light from the heating supplies [if applicable] or the room light if kept constant. A recommended unit is a UVB fluorescent bulb with a fixture. It is necessary for most herps for vitamin D to aid in utilizing calcium; without it, the animals will get Metabolic Bone Disorder. This hasn't been shown as necessary to snakes and nocturnal herps, but it certainly doesn't hurt [always better safe than sorry] until science proves it completely unnecessary. If there are plants in the enclosure, the UVB light will help them grow, as they are usually full-spectrum bulbs. The fixture does not need to fit the size of the tank; a small fixture over the basking area is all that is needed for snakes. 12 hours on, 12 hours off is the recommended day/night schedule. If breeding is planned, the photoperiod should be dropped from 12:12 (day:night) to 10:14. Temperature should be dropped a few degrees during the day as well. Furniture: Sterile enclosures [American setups] generally makes cleaning a great deal easier, and if convenience is a key factor, the best setup is a newspaper-lined tank with a water dish, small hide, and some means of climbing [a thick branch mounted on heavy granite, etc.]. European setups are usually vivariums that copy the snake's natural biotope as best as possible. This type of setup is more time-consuming, but it does look beautiful. People who use these types of setups have been able to successfully breed those animals that would not breed given a sterile environment. A good setup would include several logs and hides throughout the temperature gradient, several climbing options, a large water dish [large enough for soaking and for increasing humidity, and rough rocks or large corkbark pieces for shedding.