My Jungle Carpet Python Thread

Well, as everyone on Chaz and my Facebook knows, I'm getting my first snake soon and have chosen to go with a jungle carpet python. I'm officially picking him up next Saturday (Jan. 18th) and I'm estimating that he'll be around 6 months old but all I know for sure is that he's a 2013 baby. I'm very happy with the breeder I went with and he's been incredibly helpful throughout the last few months.

I unashamedly chose him/the clutch he came from for the clean colors and bright yellows and I'm really hoping he turns out like his parents. Jungle carpet pythons go through some of the craziest ontogenic color changes of any snake, so I'm looking forward to seeing how he turns out.

I currently am choosing between 2 - 3 names and am almost sure on which one I prefer, but my sister likes one of the other options more so we'll see. His nickname is unofficially "Flickr" because of that tongue, and obviously, photography. Really can't wait for next Saturday, and just in time because it's Year of the Snake until January 30th!

Here are a few pictures for now! I only have two of him but I managed to dig up a few of his mother and one of his father. ALL photos are courtesy of Nick M., the breeder. The baby I'll be picking up -

Pictured in around October, I think?


Pictured in December. You can see some subtle changes already.


Here's the family tree. The mother's section is empty but already listed on the paternal grandmother side.


The father, a 2011 zebra.


And the mother, a 2008 normal.

With Flash


Without






My thermostat, decorative plant, and soldering iron (for making holes in the tub) are coming in from Amazon on Monday. I have the little tub ready along with a hide and a water bowl. The heat tape and temperature gun is being sent to me by Reptile Basics on Monday and should hopefully get here Thursday. I'm getting really excited!!

Cute!!
I think you should name him Grumpy Cat... because he's got a little frowny face on his head.

He's CUTE. You're going to have to photo spam us once you get him.

What made you choose a JCP?

I love him! So beautiful! And he does have a little face on his head, lol.

It looks like a little kid wearing a baseball cap and a t-shirt on his head. So you should name him Dennis or something.

Thanks guys! For names I'm either going with Impulse or Slater. Impulse is my preference but Slater is my sister's, and also my favorite male name. We're still trying to decide but I know I'll probably end up using one as a secondary/middle name or something LOL I hate making decisions.

Thanks! I can't see the frowny face because I suck at stuff like that, but when I picked him out I did notice that he has a cat face! So he actually looks like he has a teddy bear or a cat with really round ears, because of the :3 emoticon on his head.

He is! And they seem to grow at a fairly slow rate so for the first year or two he'll stay pretty small. He'll probably max out at anywhere between 5' - 7' so I'll enjoy his itty bitty-ness while he's still a baby. Not to mention, try to tame him down if needed LOL I'd rather not try to wrestle him when he's full grown. And don't worry, I'll definitely be taking a lot of pictures! I was thinking of getting a dedicated macro lens, but after seeing MandyPug's amazing photos of her corn snake with the 50mm lens, I'm going to give that a shot first.

I was actually very set on getting a ball python originally - they were what made me want to get a pet snake, and everything about them matched up to what I was looking for. Except then I posted to a different forum asking about pet snakes and someone brought up jungle carpet pythons, describing theirs to be puppy dog tame and just a giant worm of a snake. I did some more asking around and found that not all JCPs were that docile, but by then I was already hooked. The look and pattern of a JCP is just stunning, and I couldn't turn away from that. I'm a huge fan of the sleek black/yellow look and if you get the right lines, you can have a vibrantly colored snake that's well into adulthood (many snakes will usually fade in color as they age).

Plus, they're great eaters (probably too intense of a feeding response, actually), and generally very hardy. They're good for a beginner like me in that sense, even if they can be a little snappy as babies. They also don't require as giant of an enclosure as something like a RTB would and can happily live in a 4' x 2' x 2' enclosure. With age they typically mellow out so hopefully will be easier to handle, and the breeder's told me that his adults are all fairly easy going.

I love him already, too! Plus I figure that if this is him in his ugly stage, he'll definitely grow up pretty <3 And that little :3 face is indeed adorable.

I tried really hard to see this one and I think I do! LOL well now that I can't unsee it, we probably will have to go with Dennis or Tommy or Ash Ketchum.

Popping in to vote for Ash Ketchum. Because pokemon nerd.

YAY! I'm so excited for you!!!!! I LOVE JCPs... they are really really neat snakes.

I think Ketchum is the best name ever for that snake.

Also, he's awesome.

Omg panda bear head!

Your new boy's head is like a Rorschach test lol.