| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 10:23:30
OK so the new hoggy for hubby *may* instead be a new carpet - which I am sure Chris will approve of lol!
I'm somewhat confused by them though so would appreciate some basic info or just correction if I have made any mistakes below please!
As I understand it IJ's are the smallest up to 6ft, and coastals the biggest up to 11? Jags are a morph of coastal, is that right? So anything with 'jag' in it will be bigger. So if somone has an IJ Jag, how big would you expect it to get?
Also a jungle would be about 5-7ft (that sounds a good size to me rofl)
I know carpets have a bit of a rep as being nippy - but is that just when young? Do they grow out of it with handling? We have young kids so a bitey adult is not something we want  Obviously we have all seen Auld's gruesome pics - but is that just because Vambo is a rescued adult, or is it typical? Also do different subspecies have different bitey characteristics?
Mats are OK as youngsters but adults need ceramic I believe - or is it better just to have ceramics straight off?
Any help would be great, thanks  |
| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Donnie |
Posted - 30/04/2013 : 23:05:27
I understand that type of relationship very well  |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 30/04/2013 : 22:48:43
We are a perfect match - what I likes he likes... and what he likes... has to fall in with what I like :P
I only said I because it comes more naturally than posting 'we' or 'he' all the time lol :P |
| Donnie |
Posted - 30/04/2013 : 19:44:50
quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny
Thanks all (sorry, not been on much last few days). I do rather like the look of the jungles I have to say - going to go in tomorrow to see what they got in (I doubt we'll get one though, they'd have to be pretty special to cause an impulse buy from hubby lol!). Wouldn't be at all surprised if we ended up with a carpet at some point in the not too distant future though... most likely AS WELL AS a femal hognose :P
East Anglia Donnie :)
You like jungles but what does your husband like, is it not going to be his snake  You can't go wrong with a good German line high yellow jungle or a zebra if you want to splash out a little more but I expect the prices of these to be considerably less this year |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 30/04/2013 : 19:30:31
Thanks all (sorry, not been on much last few days). I do rather like the look of the jungles I have to say - going to go in tomorrow to see what they got in (I doubt we'll get one though, they'd have to be pretty special to cause an impulse buy from hubby lol!). Wouldn't be at all surprised if we ended up with a carpet at some point in the not too distant future though... most likely AS WELL AS a femal hognose :P
East Anglia Donnie :) |
| Laws |
Posted - 26/04/2013 : 22:23:03
Your prettly much spot on with all u said , jags will be abit bigger as they are coastal crosses but look stunning , they do have a few issues a lot like the spider royal with wobbles and cork screwing that can come one at any point , and of varying degrees .
If you didn't want to go for the smallest nor the biggest the jungle carpet is middle of the pack and stays slender .
I think with regards to nippyness , it varies from baby to baby . Our IJ is really laid back if not slightly head shy and recoils like a shot gun !
they can be picky with food , I made the mistake when my guy went off rats for no apparent reason , I gave him a mouse and now I can't get him back over , I will win , but he isn't having any of it at the min .
Have a look at the high yellow jungles ! amazing ! |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 26/04/2013 : 16:58:11
For the time being Vambo is in a hand knitted 3' x 18" x 2'(H). At 6' he still has enough room to clamber up and around on the logs or just drape like a tree boa. Most of the time he's curled up in a cat litter tray, well half of it anyway. He also spends a lot of time in 18" of (appropriately) carpet tube. When coming up to shedding time, he'll sit soaking for a full week or more in a large Pyrex dish.
Anytime he wants a full stretch, he simply nudges at the glass and crawls out for a wee wander when I open the door. He decides if he's coming out. Sometimes he'll just anchor that tail around the logs and there is no budging him.
A 4x2x3 with plenty of crossed over logs will do you for a long, long time. |
| Donnie |
Posted - 26/04/2013 : 14:05:01
Where abouts in th UK are you SB? |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 26/04/2013 : 09:31:36
Yes, sorry, my humblest apologies to Vambo, obviously just a couple of your threads were enough to be memorable!!
Donnie, it's the final viv size really, I mean a 4x2ft viv is OK, and the 3ft height is OK (I've been having a nose on the dark side and seen a few people suggest those specs), but we don't really want to go longer than 4ft. Corno is in a 4ft at the mo so we could stack the two.
Also it's not a case of not needing to go to a pet shop - we happen to know our local is getting a couple of carpet hatchies in, and I have a feeling once we see them in the flesh hubby is going to be sorely tempted no matter what the morph/subspecies etc rofl!!
|
| Donnie |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 22:33:39
quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny
Thanks Donnie - so as I thought it's a bit of a minefield as to what size snake you will end up with if for example it's just a hatchie from a petshop rather than from a breeder who's been recommended lol! 
Yep, but plenty of respectable breeders on the dark side (and also lots that don't frequent on there) that will have lots of hatchies soon so no need to go to a pet shop
Is it the size of the snake that may be the issue or the size of the enclosure? |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 22:31:56
First nip from Vambo was when I stepped in to stop him taking a bite of his side when he got frustrated trying to take a black headed rat by the shoulders. He couldn't figure it out and threw a bit of at tantrum. I jumped in as referee and ended up with both wrists in a fankle and him locked on to a knuckle.
The second was taking out an ignored XL mouse and he just reacted with a normal feed response strike and nailed me good style. That was his first feed since before christmas so it wasn't a lost cause altogether. He's had another 3 XL mice since and I'm hoping to get him back onto rats in the next couple of weeks.
All in all, not a bad record for the past full year. 
Graeme knows a local weegie Carpet breeder. Maybe he can get more info for you. |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 22:05:30
Thanks Donnie - so as I thought it's a bit of a minefield as to what size snake you will end up with if for example it's just a hatchie from a petshop rather than from a breeder who's been recommended lol! |
| Donnie |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 20:33:16
quote:
Originally posted by smart bunny
OK so the new hoggy for hubby *may* instead be a new carpet - which I am sure Chris will approve of lol!
much better choice
I'm somewhat confused by them though so would appreciate some basic info or just correction if I have made any mistakes below please!
As I understand it IJ's are the smallest up to 6ft, and coastals the biggest up to 11? yes Jags are a morph of coastal, is that right? possibly, possibly not. More details below So anything with 'jag' in it will be bigger. So if someone has an IJ Jag, how big would you expect it to get?
there is a lot of discussion around what the 1st jag was from. It is commonly known to be a coastal morph but there is a very good chance that it was from a coastal x IJ pairing that produced it. The guy who first produced these only had a licence to keep coastal's and not IJ's so it is believed that he said it was coastal x coastal to avoid getting into trouble. The adult size of an IJJ will depend a lot on the parents sizes and if this is a concern then it would be advisable to see parents before purchasing. My caramel's (coastal morph) mother is around the 6.5 - 7' length (not seen but a well respected breeder of carpets so I have no reason to doubt) so some coastal's can stay on the smaller side
Also a jungle would be about 5-7ft (that sounds a good size to me rofl)yes, if you say around 7' you won't be far off (I do know a guy with one that is pushing 9')
I know carpets have a bit of a rep as being nippy - but is that just when young? Do they grow out of it with handling? We have young kids so a bitey adult is not something we want Obviously we have all seen Auld's gruesome pics - but is that just because Vambo is a rescued adult, or is it typical? Also do different subspecies have different bitey characteristics?
As Auld said they will typically calm down when they get a bit of size to them but as with any species of snake some of them will never calm down (don't let this put you off though as they are great display snakes and are always out roaming around). My 1st one is a bit bitey but I have not handled her a lot as I am trying to get her regularly feeding on rats and I do not want to stress her out by un-necessarily handling her (she had a rat this weekend, first time she fed since the 16th January). My caramel is also a bit bitey but I think this may be down to her being in her quarantine RUB and me always coming in from above but I did have her out at the weekend and she didn't strike out once (progress woo hoo ) My other two are fine to handle (one is a 2011 and getting some size to him now and one is a 2012 and still quite small). Somebody else I know rescued an adult jungle female who was kept in awful conditions and never handled and she was like a chainsaw whenever she was taken out but now she is absolutely fine being handled and is puppy dog tame
Mats are OK as youngsters but adults need ceramic I believe - or is it better just to have ceramics straight off?
for me it is mats in RUBs whilst in quarantine (no room for quarantine viv so always in RUBs) and then onto ceramics when in vivs. Most carpets will do well in a full size viv from a young age so if you wanted to do this then it will be fine
Any help would be great, thanks
anything else just ask |
| smart bunny |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 13:24:19
Thanks Auld, so at least it looks like I'm not too far out with what I thought then lol. I must have been getting Vambo confused with Fester, I didn't realise he'd only got you twice! I have read their feeding response is rather strong
Is Vambo eating properly again for you now after his little break? |
| Auld Baldy |
Posted - 25/04/2013 : 13:08:50
Carpets are typically nippy as youngsters, much like Kings, but soon grow out of it with handling. It's only around feeding time that they deserve a bit of healthy respect. The (only two) nips I've had with Vambo were just minor dinner time accidents and mainly my own careless fault. The bites from Fester were actually a lot worse. Apart from that, Coastals are regarded as the most good natured amongst the Carpets.
Females tend to grow bigger but I reckon 7 feet is a reasonable average. Overfeed and they can "pile" it on. One over-stuffed female on Python FB was 9 feet and 13kg of mean snake!!! I know of another 8 foot meanie but generally it will depend on the owner's interaction on how it behaves. Ignore it and it will revert to a wild state and an adult will be very difficult to calm down again.
Irian Jayas are smaller but there are some beautiful types available. I think they max out at 5-6 feet.
Chris and Donnie can add their experience for the Jungles and Jags.
Heat mats are fine for starting off youngsters in a smaller viv but they will eventually need an overhead ceramic. |
