jungle carpet python

I have a baby jungle carpet and was wondering if his eyes will stay silver or change as an adult? also from what ive read it says keep them at 40-60% humidity. i have a 75 watt bulb in heat lamp on top (cage is tall) and keep a small bag of spagness(spelling?) moss at the bottom and spray it twice or more a day to keep it wet.

is this setup good or any suggestions on change? also i read for light 12 hours on 12 off. so at night should i turn off the red heat bulb completely or just dim it almost half way down so if im correct that would give a 5-10 degree drop and darkness for night?



also if anyone has ever personally had a baby jungle...he is supposedly 4 or 5 months old. hes quite slender but pretty long. he easily handles small and good sized hoppers. but yet a day after he looks like he hasnt ate at all. is this snake just very fast metabolized or was under fed so its all being quickly absorbed?

when i feed the ball python weekly he stays pretty chubbed up lookin. other than the ball ive only had a adult pygmy and now an adult rat snake for a month or 2. so i dont have any experience with arboreals.

thanks for your time and suggestions ~Meredith

If you've got a good thermometer/hygrometer I would simply watch those.

My JCPs have an ambient of 76 always that climbs in the day from a basking lamp that is on 12 and off 12.

They like 60-65% humidity and are pretty hardy (so far). I don't know about the sphagnum (sp!) moss, as long as it keeps the area humid, that's fine, but watch for mold. Turn it periodically so that the stuff on the bottom isn't always wet and the stuff on top is dry. Mine use bath towels as substrate. They're reusable and hold moisture well (just remember to use hypo allergenic detergents and light bleach with cleaning).

I keep my JCP's as with most other species I have at moderate humidity from approx. 35-50%. While this may sound low, I feel that internal hydration is as important as external. Shed problems are extremely rare in my collection, and nearly unheard of with my jungles.

Because of the size of my collection, I use newspaper as substrate, and would advise against using sphagnum moss as a constantly moist substrate. Even when using sphagnum in the hides for my Timors, it remains only slightly damp to elevate the humidity insinde the hides. A constantly moist substrate will lead to mold, bacteria, odor, and will cause more problems than it is worth. If you feel the humidity is insufficient, misting once a day is fine as long as the enclosure can dry over the course of the day. A perpetually wet or moist enclosure should be avoided (check out some Chondro care sheets for more on that).

Another thing you may suggest is an enclosure that's not too tall. A more horizontally oriented enclosure works well for me. Babies are kept in a shoebox rack with a perch and temperature gradient. While you aren't going to go out and buy a whole rack, there are some smaller enclosures that you can find which will allow a better temperature gradient and more stable humidity. Make sure your jungle never has to choose between an optimal perch, optimal temps, and an optimal hide...try to offer all 3.

As for food, they do have a faster metabolism than some other python species I keep, but they can also accept larger prey items than it appears. From what you describe, prey items may be too small, or overall temps may be too high. I keep mine at a temp gradient of mid 70's on the cool side, and 87/88F directly on the perch under the heat panel. Pick youself up an infrared thermometer (auto parts store), or you can pick up a cheap cooking thermometer with a probe that can be placed directly under the heat source. If you're using a glass enclosure with a thermometer on one of the walls, it's guaranteed to read cold because of the poor insulation qualities of the glass.

I give my snakes a 12hr photoperiod for most of the year, with a slight drop in overnight temps (about 5 degrees). Right now, however, we're getting into the short days and long, cold nights! Time to go see who's locked up tonight!

Good luck! Hope this was informative and not too long.