1. Myths about Carpet Pythons
The internet is great. We have the chance to get all the informations we are looking for. Sadly, most of these informations are written by people who don´t know anything. I don´t want to sound disrespectful at all, most of these people giving you tips or advices really want to help you or warn other people of potential danger. But thats simply impossible as long as you are not an expert in a specific field. Have you ever used Google to check the symptoms of a disease?
Well, you probably found enough results stating that your harmless cough might be a serious sign of cancer, right? I´m not a scientist as other highly respected experts in this hobby/community, but having one of the largest collections of Carpet Pythons worldwide might have helped to get a good overview about some myths regarding Carpet Pythons. We don´t have one Jungle, we have about 30 Jungles. Looking at bigger numbers of somethings helps a lot. So what do we hear about Carpet Pythons?
1.1 Myth No.1: All Carpet Pythons are aggressive!
No, they are not! First of all, let´s distinguish baby Carpet Pythons and adults. Yes, about 33% of our hatchlings will try to bite you. But is that a surprise at all? What would you do if a huge monster tries to grab you? They really want to defend themself. Other than Ball Pythons that coil up and probably say something like "Feel free to eat me", a Carpet Python baby wants to fight you! So there is no difference compared to most other snakes at all. It´s up to you which kind of character you prefer, but lets come to the good news: Most of these Carpet Pythons will calm down as soon as they a) get bigger and self-confidend b) get used to you and the daily routines. We don´t "train" our Carpet Pythons or handle them daily, but it can help to interact with them, so they will lose their defensive reaction. Between you and me, even if a baby Carpet Python bites you, it will probably make you laugh. They are too small to injure you, it doesn´t really hurt. Nearly all adult Carpet Pythons can be handled without any problems! Most of the time they´ll try to get away and flee. Don´t squeeze them, just hold them in your hands as loose as possible. Whenever they try to crawl away, simply let them slide trough your hands. I always use a hook to touch them first, like "Hey buddy, it´s me, not food". Why? Simply because 99,9999% of all bites are caused by feeding errors. The Carpet Python will try to get its prey as quick as possible, so they won´t wait to analyze your heat pattern and to ask themself if it´s you or a rat coming in. Keep that in mind! On the other hand you´ll love this feeding response very soon, it´s super easy to feed a Carpet Python. But let´s talk about that later. If you are still concerned about getting bitten by your Carpet Python, simply use gloves and use a hook as long as they are feisty! You don´t need to be a hero and you don´t need to become the next Steve Irwin. But for sure you don´t want to miss the unique character of a Carpet Python just because "you have heard that....". In doubt ask us about the temperament of a Carpet Python you want to buy, we will help you!
1.2 Myth No.2: Carpet Pythons will get very large
No, they won´t! We keep about 200 adult Carpet Pythons here at StarPythons, and the average length is probably about 2 meters. Google says thats about 6.56167979 feet. Is that too large? I´m sure it´s not. Especially since they are slighter than other Pythons, it´s just the perfect size in my opinion. Not too big, but you still have a solid snake!
1.3 Myth No.3: Carpet Pythons need a high humidity
No, they don´t! Although we use humidifiers here at StarPythons, our rooms will vary in their capability to hold this humidity. We can´t see any difference in the shedding process or physical health. There is no difference in the quantity of respiratory infections. One of our rooms with 24 adult Carpet Pythons has a humidity of about 35%. All Carpet Pythons are fine in there!