Carpet Python

Overview

Carpet pythons are Australia's most familiar python. There are 6 to 8 subspecies, and the coastal carpet python is probably the most commonly kept in Australia ¹. Most adults are 1 to 2 meters long, about 3 to 6.5 feet. Coastal carpets are the largest and can reach 2.7 to 3 meters, roughly 9 to 10 feet ¹. They can live 20 to 30 years in captivity ¹. Pattern and color vary a lot, usually olive-brown to tan with paler blotches and stripes ¹.

Natural history

Carpet pythons live in New Guinea and across much of Australia, but not the arid center ². They turn up in rainforest, eucalypt forest, heathland, farmland and even suburban roofs. They prefer to live in trees ¹. They are ambush predators of mammals and birds. They are mainly nocturnal but sometimes active by day ¹.

Enclosure

• Big and tall. An adult 1 to 2 meters long could have an enclosure about 2 m long, 1 m wide and 2 m high, roughly 6.5 × 3.3 × 6.5 ft. The bigger the snake, the bigger the enclosure ¹.
• Climbing. Offer branches and platforms at several heights ¹.
• Hide. Provide one the snake can fit inside completely when coiled ¹.
• One per enclosure. Carpets aren't social, and housing them together causes stress and competition ¹.

Temperature & lighting

The gradient should run both side to side and top to bottom ¹. RSPCA Australia recommends a brightly lit enclosure by day plus access to UVB, because carpets are sometimes active in daylight ¹.

Humidity

Keep humidity at 40 to 60%, measured with a digital probe hygrometer in the middle of the enclosure. Always offer a hide lined with damp sphagnum moss ¹.

Substrate

Newspaper or paper towel is easy and hygienic ¹.

Diet & supplementation

• Prey. Thawed frozen mammals such as rats, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits, and birds such as chicks, chickens and ducks. Variety is good ¹.
• Amount. About 10% of the snake's body weight per feed, with no item more than 1.5 times the snake's widest point ¹.
• How often. Young carpets every 1 to 2 weeks. Adults every 2 to 4 weeks, depending on body condition ¹.
• Never feed live prey ¹.

Handling & temperament

Hatchlings can be nippy, but most carpets grow into docile adults ¹. They have a strong feeding response, a lightning strike and wrap that can be mistaken for aggression or aimed at a hand that smells of food ¹. Use tongs, and keep a big carpet's feeding and handling calm and deliberate. Wash your hands afterwards: reptiles and feeder rodents can carry Salmonella ⁵.

Health

Common issues

• Retained shed. Carpets should shed in one piece. Watch the eyes and tail tip for stuck skin ¹.
• Respiratory infections, mouth rot and parasites ⁴.
• Inclusion body disease, a serious viral disease of boas and pythons ⁴.

When to see a vet

Call your vet for stuck shed or eye caps, noisy breathing, weight loss, lumps or a long fast. Open-mouth breathing or an unresponsive snake is an emergency ⁶.

Breeding overview

Carpet pythons lay eggs ². They sometimes gather in spring to breed ¹.

Legal & ethics

Morelia spilota is listed on CITES Appendix II ³. In Australia, keeping native reptiles needs a licence, and you must never take one from the wild ¹.

Sources

1. How should I care for my carpet python? · RSPCA Australia
2. Morelia spilota · The Reptile Database
3. CITES listing: Morelia spilota · Species+ (UNEP-WCMC and CITES Secretariat)
4. Common Diseases of Pet Snakes · VCA Animal Hospitals
5. Salmonella, Feeder Rodents, and Pet Reptiles and Amphibians · U.S. Food and Drug Administration
6. When Should My Reptile See a Veterinarian? · Tree of Life Exotic Pet Medical Center

Last reviewed 2026-10-24 by Novel Fauna. This guide is general husbandry information, not veterinary advice. When an animal is sick, see a veterinarian experienced with exotic animals.

Revision history

1. 2026-10-24 Library: 50 cited care guides, /library/[slug] route, coming-soon cards, SLUGS.txt synced to species.guide_slug 228ce54

Evidence grades: Novel Fauna editorial: source classification, not yet expert-reviewed, 2026-10-25. What the grades mean.

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