RTB or Coastal Carpet

herpchick · 05-01-12, 06:30 PM

Ok so i work at a petstore and i had brought home a BRB over the weekend as my new snake but had to take it back due to severe problems keeping humidity up enough for the little guy. :-(

So now i am looking at either a RTB or Coastal Carpet but wanted some input on what you all recommend ive always liked RTBs but wasnt ready for one at first so i got a ball. But now i am ready to take on a new snake i wanted a male im either as they get big but not nearly as large as some females. Can you also tell me how large some of your RTBs and Coastals are as adults? The distributor said rtb males tend to stay around the 6-7 foot mark and i read its about the same for male coastals as well. I know the RTBs are easier on my pocket though.

KORBIN5895 · 05-01-12, 06:59 PM

Boas all the way! My three year old bci is about 5.5 feet long.

red ink · 05-01-12, 07:07 PM

What do you want from your new snake?

I have no experience in Boas... do they behave differently to carpets?

herpchick · 05-01-12, 07:10 PM

I want something that will be super tame that i can drag out to petstores and work or just sit with me and watch tv or play video games. But i also want it to be a midsized snake kinda like my bp was.

shaunyboy · 05-02-12, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herpchick

I want something that will be super tame that i can drag out to petstores and work or just sit with me and watch tv or play video games. But i also want it to be a midsized snake kinda like my bp was.

imo carpet pythons are a very hardy species and will be able to take what you have planned for your snake

also if your having humidity issues,carpets have no specific humidity requirements

all mine do just fine at uk room humidity 30% to 65%

coastal can get up to an average length of 2.5 metres,however larger specimens have been recorded up to 4 metres

carpet pythons are easy to keep and very forgiving if mistakes are made,all in all a very hardy species,they also come in lots of different colours and patterns

cheers shaun

red ink · 05-02-12, 04:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

imo carpet pythons are a very hardy species and will be able to take what you have planned for your snake

also if your having humidity issues,carpets have no specific humidity requirements

all mine do just fine at uk room humidity 30% to 65%

coastal can get up to an average length of 2.5 metres,however larger specimens have been recorded up to 4 metres

carpet pythons are easy to keep and very forgiving if mistakes are made,all in all a very hardy species,they also come in lots of different colours and patterns

cheers shaun

^^^^

Completely agree... with one provision though of any carpet species minus the JAG gene for those conditions of exposure and interaction.

shaunyboy · 05-02-12, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red ink

^^^^

Completely agree... with one provision though of any carpet species minus the JAG gene for those conditions of exposure and interaction.

^^^^^
thats a great point mate

one i will include the next time i suggest a carpet as a first snake

cheers shaun

red ink · 05-02-12, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaunyboy

^^^^^
thats a great point mate

one i will include the next time i suggest a carpet as a first snake

cheers shaun

Yeah I myself forget that too when recommending carpets... I believe they are a great snake species for interaction due to their nature and innate curiosity. Unfortunately with the proliferation of JAGs people forget that the gene can come with some inherent "problems" (a small portion) if they are "played" with a lot. It may cause the issue to arise and become more prevalent with over stimulation/interaction.

alessia55 · 05-01-12, 07:15 PM

RTBs and Carpets will get bigger than a ball python. Carpets are much more active, and you probably won't get to just lounge around with a carpet. Some RTBs are more calm and you can do that with them- but they are much larger than a ball python... both as far as length and girth.

Since you mentioned you used to have a ball python... why not get another? What happened to your first one?

Also, both RTBs and Carpets will need larger enclosures than what you would get for a BRB or a BP. So you'll have to take that into consideration. Also, RTBs and Carpets also need higher-than-room-humidity levels (meaning, you'll have to deal with raising the humidity in their enclosures). You mentioned having trouble doing this with your BRB. What was the issue? What kind of enclosure did you have? What techniques did you try? What was the highest you could get the humidity to go?

herpchick · 05-01-12, 07:36 PM

I know both species will be larger than my bp was.

BPs are cool and all but honestly im just bored with them right now - constantly hiding, going off feed for months at a time... I mean he was an awesome snake but again i have ALWAYS wanted a RTB or larger snake but it wasnt an option when i first got my BP. I ended up rehoming him as i dont have space for another tank i would love to have 2 but my hubby said i can have 2 (and only 2) when we get a house

Yes I understand they will need a larger enclosure. I can manage higher than room temp humidity but everything i read for neonate BRB required 75+ humidity. I could only keep it at 50-60%. I tried covering the cage, moss, water, and im not home enough to mist ALL day. I have a glass aquarium with a screen top in a basement. But I also used to soak my BP an hour a day when he went into shed mode.

alessia55 · 05-01-12, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herpchick

Yes I understand they will need a larger enclosure. I can manage higher than room temp humidity but everything i read for neonate BRB required 75+ humidity. I could only keep it at 50-60%. I tried covering the cage, moss, water, and im not home enough to mist ALL day. I have a glass aquarium with a screen top in a basement. But I also used to soak my BP an hour a day when he went into shed mode.

Part of your problem is that glass enclosure with a screen top in the basement. You'll find that you'll have the same problem with an RTB or a carpet. I suggest you get an enclosure that will support humidity, such as the ones from Animal Plastics, Boaphile, etc. The glass ones (tanks, etc) are awful for keeping humidity. Plus an RTB or a carpet will benefit from a non-glass enclosure too. So that's something you might want to look into before you get your new snake

Putting the enclosure somewhere where there is better humidity, like a bedroom rather than the basement, will also help your cause.

Other than that, if you can get that larger enclosure that will hold humidity well, either snakes will be a good choice. A carpet will need a semi-aboreal enclosure (though other carpet experts on here will be able to tell you more about that). From what you mentioned, like I said before, an RTB is going to be more relaxed than a carpet python.

(Kind of irrelevant since you no longer have a BP, but soaking your BP for an hour a day while in shed is unnecessary and can even be damaging to the BP to be in water for that long. A snake will soak itself in its own water dish if it needs to, but those prolonged baths aren't good for them.)

KORBIN5895 · 05-02-12, 05:26 AM

This statement:

Quote:

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

I recant my suggestion and feel you should wait. If you got bored with your royal I guarantee you will get bored with just about any other boid. Maybe you should try a garter snake. That's my next species.

Was made in response to this sentence:

Quote:

Originally Posted by herpchick

BPs are cool and all but honestly im just bored with them right now

Yes I also realized I got rid of my rp because u didn't particularly like them and my wife was nervous around it. I love my boas now and have my Gabby which is definitely a lifer. So I just hope you can stick with the next one.

herpchick · 05-02-12, 07:27 AM

I guess the term "bored" was the wrong one to post about how i feel about ball pythons as I had noted I had wanted a RTB from the get go but we were living in a smaller apartment at the time and our ferrets had taken up ALOT of the space i would have had for a larger snake also the landlord was a little skiddish of snakes and said it could only be smaller species.

I did really like my ball python and i could take him everywhere but i finally have the oportunity to get a larger snake that i plan to keep its whole life. I know Im not the only one that started out small and worked up to a larger snake... But enough on that.

It turns out Im getting a Columbian RTB as the woman in my area that claimed to have coastals really has jungles >

But I am so stoked I am getting him on friday so i thank everyone for their help and telling me more from an owner level (i hate reading caresheets they all say the same) and thank everyone for their input

THANKS!

hellosugaree · 05-02-12, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by herpchick

It turns out Im getting a Columbian RTB as the woman in my area that claimed to have coastals really has jungles >

Jungles are awesome dude (or "mate" as some around here would say

). They definitely don't deserve an angry face! What is it about a coastal that makes you consider one but not a jungle. Or put another way, why not a jungle?

moshirimon · 05-01-12, 07:52 PM

Personally I prefer boas over pythons. Alot more muscle tone, I like their "loaf of bread" shaped bodies, and i like the way they "cling" onto you with extreme power. not saying the pythons dont have this power but they seem to be more chilling, or hanging when you handle them. A 6-7 foot RTB will eat larger prey than a 6-7 foot carpet so altough RTBS may be easier on your pocket to buy the actual animal, they cost more to feed. Carpets are a bit too slender for my liking but still a really cool animal and i'd say if size is an issue go with a carpet. plus I hear they grow reallly slow.

Also there are boas that stay smaller, check out Hogg Islands, Nicaraguans, and i'm sure theres more