How to Care for Carpet Pythons

The carpet python is native to Australia and New Guinea. In the wild the dark patterns on its body help the python to blend in with fallen leaves in its surroundings. The snake moves well over ground as well as in trees or water. Usually most active at night, carpet pythons spend daylight hours resting in trees and occasionally basking in the sun. Anyone looking to purchase a carpet python should take into consideration that the snake will grow to around 3.4 meters in length and can live up to 25 years in captivity.

Things You'll Need

  • Large enclosure
  • Newspaper
  • Large water dish
  • Hide box
  • Branches
  • Heater
  • Cleaning disinfectant
  • Frozen rodents
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Instructions

    • 1

      Purchase a large enclosure suitable for the carpet python. A number of different types of cages work well, such as plastic sweater boxes, freedom breeder cages and plastic reptile cages available in pet stores. A glass tank is another option, although the screen top can make for difficulties in maintaining temperature.

    • 2

      Line the bottom of the enclosure with newspaper, and place a large water dish in the cage for the python to drink and sit in. Also place a few branches in the cage for climbing and a hider box, which can be either a clay flower pot, a plastic flowerpot tray, or a specialized hide box for snakes. These are available to buy online and in pet stores.

    • 3

      Heat the cage, ensuring that the python has a basking spot of between 86 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit. The overall cage temperature should never fall below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Suitable heaters for a python enclosure include under-cage heating pads and heat emitters with bulbs. The latter works better with screen top cages.

    • 4

      Feed the carpet python one defrosted rodent every seven to 10 days. Choose rodents of the correct size, meaning that they should be no wider than the snake at its largest point.

    • 5

      Clean the enclosure when necessary, removing any feces, urine and uneaten prey as soon as possible. Disinfect the water bowl once a week, and use a 5% bleach disinfectant to clean the cage once every 30 days.