Noob JCP questions ;)

[neurotic88]

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to this forum, and I have some questions about owning a JCP.

I have a corn and a western hoggie currently, though if I add a JCP I might scale it down to just keeping the 1 JCP.

I have a few questions about them, hoping you guys can help me with.

1:what is the largest feeder that an adult JCP will require?, does it move past the rodent class?

2:I was warned to start small with my corns tank, and then upgrade as they are scared of open spaces, is this also true with JCP, or can I start out in a 60 gallon etc?

3: I know JCP are constrictors but do they have fangs, any venom at all?

I think i find myself just a touch intimidated by this snake, they are so beautiful but also a bit scary looking,and their size makes it a bit worse lol.

That being said, would an adult bite send someone to the hospital? what can one expect?

I've been bitten by my corn and hoggie before, it's no problem, but they are half the size of a JCP or smaller.


Any information is greatly appreciated!

Thank you all


~Tim

[infernalis]

[serpentshideawa]

Hello and welcome to the forum i can answer one question for the rest will be answered shortly im sure as there are multiple experienced jcp owners here question number three no they are consrictors and dont have fangs nor venom good luck and hope you enjoy the forum

[Will0W783]

hello and welcome!

Jungle carpet pythons (JCPs) are really great snakes...there are a lot of us carpet python addicts on here.

I definitely find that you need to give a JCP a small, secure cage when they are young. When they are mature they appreciate extra space, but oftentimes a baby JCP will not eat if it's in a cage that is too large. Case in point: about 4 months ago now I bought a 75% diamond x 25% JCP. The snake was 5 months old when I got him home. I put him in a 10-gallon tank and he refused to eat. He hid under the paper towel bedding constantly and hissed very loudly every time I checked on him. After a month of him not eating, and careful discussion with the breeder about the dimensions of his hatchling rack tubs, I bought a small Critter Keeper plastic cage (about 10"x 6" floor size) and he eats like a champ every time. He spends most of his time in his hide box, but he is a problem-free snake now. I will move him to a large Critter Keeper, and then into full-size caging as he grows.

My adult carpets are in 5 foot x 2 foot melamine cages. As for the maximum feeder animal size, it really depends on a number of things: locale of carpet and gender, and age. JCPs are generally in the 5-6 foot range, but females have been known to reach 8 feet long. An 8 foot long carpet will need large to jumbo rats or small rabbits for prey. You want to aim so that a single food item is an appropriate meal (leaves a sizable, but not extreme, bulge in the snake). Carpets can take down an incredibly large meal, but they are prone to obesity and health problems if overfed. My 6-foot male carpet intergrade (mutt of several locales) eats 1 extra large rat every other week. My 4-foot 2 year olds are on medium rats. I am looking into adopting a proven breeder pure coastal female that is 9 feet long (she will need a diet similar to my Burm- jumbo rats).

Another thing to consider: baby carpet pythons, especially JCPs, are known for having a 'bite first ask questions later" attitude. They are extremely defensive and will tear you up. Most carpets outgrow this attitude within their first year- usually when they hit 3-4 feet long. A carpet python bite will be unlike a corn or hognose bite. A corn snake has teeth, but they are so tiny that they barely break your skin. A hognose is a rear-fanged snake and the bulk of the painful bite would come from its rear venom fangs, that it has to hold onto you and chew into you. Furthermore, a hognose is tiny and will never grow large enough to give you a very large bite. Carpet pythons have around 100-150 very sharp teeth, arranged in 2 rows on top and 1 on the bottom. They can cause you to bleed quite a lot and look like a pincushion. I dont' consider them to be very painful bites, but I've taken over 20 bites from pythons and boas of varying sizes over the years. If you are nervous about being bitten, I recommend that you buy a yearling or adult JCP, one that has been handled enough to no longer have the instant bite reflex.

[neurotic88]

Hey Kimberly


Thank you very much for the great reply!

I was considering replacing my 2 snakes with 1 JCP or maybe even a irian jayas.

Another major MAJOR concern of mine is my 2 cats, my hoggie and corn will never get big enough to harm them
even if they ever escaped, I just can't risk any harm to my other pets, do you consider a male irian jayas a threat to med sized cats?

If so, then I guess I will be sticking with the 2 I currently have :P

[Lankyrob]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news but an adult corn could take a cat on and kill it fairly easily, not sure about the hoggie as never owned one but the corn could. The answer is to ensure secure caging.

[marvelfreak]

I have a eight foot female JCP that could easily kill my cat, but would never be able to eat it. Plus in the same right the cat could easily kill the snake. She eats larger rats, sometimes jumbo but they seem to almost be to much.

[DeesBalls]

Locks will fix your concerns... i do NOT own a JCP but i do know locks makes the differance. when i used my aquaiums, i locked all tanks, even my lil sand boa.

pet stores will sell them couple bucks for 2 locks. i used 4 locks on my BP, 2 locks on everything else, just make sure secure caging and you will be okay.

[percey39]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Kim has covered most of it, but i had different experiences when i kept jungles. I used to give hatchies a cage 3'x1'x1' and when they were 6-8months old they would go into their adult sized enclosures which were 4'x2'x3'
and they absolutely love the extra room and better gradients. We all have different experiences and all with different snakes so no one size fits all rule. It all comes down to the individual snake.