Carpet Python — care sheet

Beginner–Intermediate. A hardy, forgiving first "big snake" — but emphasis on big. Care is simple once the enclosure is right; the real leap from a ball python is size, strength, and the alert, food-motivated attitude of a young carpet. Handleable and rewarding, just not a starter snake for someone wanting something small.

Obligate carnivore fed whole frozen-thawed rodents sized to the snake's girth (mice up graduating to appropriately sized rats). Hatchlings/juveniles every 7–10 days; adults every 10–14 days, tapering to every 2–4 weeks for large adults. Feed roughly 10% of body weight per meal — carpets stay lean and active, and overfeeding is a real welfare risk.

Adult minimum roughly 6.5 ft L x 3 ft W x 3 ft H (2 x 0.9 x 0.9 m); bigger and taller is always better. These are semi-arboreal — height for sturdy climbing branches matters as much as floor space. Smaller subspecies (Darwin) do fine in a 4 x 2 x 2 ft footprint as adults.

Warm hotspot 88–95°F (31–35°C). ReptiFiles targets a warmer basking surface of 95–100°F (35–38°C) under a halogen; PetMD's vet sheet gives a warm end of 85–90°F. Aim for a genuine surface hotspot in the low-to-mid 90s and let the snake choose.

75–80°F (24–26°C) at the cool end — a true thermal gradient across the enclosure is the goal, not one uniform temperature.

72–78°F (22–25°C); a natural night drop is fine and healthy. Don't let it fall below 70°F (21°C). A small seasonal winter dip of 5–10°F is normal and can help mature adults.

Low-need but beneficial, not strictly essential. A T5 HO 5–6% bulb (Zoo Med Reptisun 5.0 / Arcadia Forest 6%) giving a basking-zone UVI of ~2.0–3.0 (Ferguson Zone 1–2) supports natural behavior and D3 synthesis. Provide UVB gradient shade. If you skip UVB, dust prey with D3 more consistently — modern best practice leans toward offering it.

40–60% ambient is the everyday target, with a humid hide (moist sphagnum moss) always available. Let it rise toward 60–70% during a shed. Chronically wet, stagnant air causes respiratory infection and scale rot — ventilate.

2–4 in of a moisture-holding, absorbent substrate: cypress mulch, coconut fiber, ReptiSoil/topsoil blends, or aspen for drier setups. Newspaper/paper towel works for quarantine or hatchlings. Avoid anything dusty or aromatic (cedar/pine).

If not offering UVB, lightly dust prey with a calcium + D3 supplement occasionally, plus an occasional multivitamin. With good UVB and whole-prey feeding, supplementation needs are minimal.

Typically 5–8 ft (1.5–2.5 m). Coastal (M. s. mcdowelli) is the largest, regularly reaching 9 ft (2.7–3 m); Darwin (M. s. variegata) is the smallest at ~4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m). Jungle and Irian Jaya sit around 5–7 ft.

20–30+ years in captivity with correct husbandry — plan for a two-decade-plus commitment.

See a reptile or exotics vet if you notice: Open-mouth breathing, wheezing, mucus/bubbles around the nose or mouth, or gaping — possible respiratory infection; see an exotics vet promptly.; Repeated regurgitation of meals — stop feeding and get veterinary advice (often a temperature or handling issue, sometimes parasites/infection).; Cheesy or yellow material, redness, or swelling in the mouth — possible mouth rot (infectious stomatitis).; Prolonged loss of appetite paired with weight loss or lethargy (a healthy carpet may fast seasonally, but decline + weight loss is a red flag).; Retained shed, especially eye caps, or tiny moving dots (mites) — address husbandry and see a vet if it persists.; Any wound, burn, unusual lump, or persistent behavior change..