SpeciesCarpet python
Carpet python
Morelia spilota
Semi-arboreal, nocturnal and very variable in size depending on the subspecies. Climbing height and sturdy branches are not decoration here but basic equipment.
- Group
- Snake
- Level
- Intermediate
- Origin
- Australia and New Guinea
Where the species comes from
- World region
- Australia and New Guinea
- Countries
- Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia
- Habitat
- Rainforest, open woodland, rocky landscapes and savannah
The natural habitat is the yardstick for how you furnish an enclosure. Knowing where an animal comes from is knowing why it needs heat zones, hides and a particular humidity.
Husbandry at a glance
The same details appear in the animal’s profile inside the app.
- Enclosure
- For adults the Animal Welfare Ordinance requires at least 1 × 0.5 body lengths of floor area and 0.75 body lengths of height. Depending on the subspecies that is 180 × 90 × 135 cm for a total length of 1.8 m, 200 × 100 × 150 cm for 2 m and 250 × 125 × 188 cm for 2.5 m; more for larger animals. Good climbing height with sturdy branches, robust locking.
- Temperature
- Basking spot 31–33 °C, cool zone 23–26 °C.
- Humidity
- Around 50–70 %, with good air movement.
- Lighting
- Bright daylight and suitable UVB.
- Substrate
- A soil and bark mix, never permanently wet.
- Furnishings
- Very sturdy horizontal branches, platforms and hides.
- Water
- A large, stable water bowl.
- Feeding
- Thawed rodents or birds at suitable intervals.
- Behaviour
- Semi-arboreal, active at night, with a potentially strong feeding response.
- Handling
- Hook and target training is worthwhile with large animals.
- Cohabitation
- Keep singly.
- Health
- Airways, mouth, spine and weight.
- Seasonal cycle
- Six to ten weeks of a cooler phase at 15–20 °C at night, depending on the subspecies. The carpet python ranges from the tropics of northern Australia to the cool south — in southern forms the drop is pronounced, in northern ones barely present. Clarify subspecies and origin before cooling down.
- Safety
- A powerful bite; secure the doors.
Legal position in Switzerland
No permit foreseen
No permit required. The Ordinance lists the carpet python in Annex 2, Table 5, item 43a without a permit note. Art. 89 let. f of the Ordinance covers giant snakes whose species exceeds 3 m as adults; carpet pythons usually stay at 2 to 2.5 m. For very large animals, ask the cantonal veterinary office when in doubt
No certificate of competence foreseen
No proof of competence required. It is only demanded for the animals named in Art. 89 of the Ordinance
Species protection applies
CITES Appendix II: Import and transfer only with papers. When buying, ask for proof of origin and captive breeding
Minimum enclosure dimensions
Annex 2, table 5 of the Animal Welfare Ordinance does not prescribe centimetres but multiples of body length. For this species, item 43a (Small and medium pythons and boas): floor area 1 × 0.5 body lengths, height 0.75 body lengths. The floor area applies to at most two animals; each further animal requires an additional 0.5 × 0.2 body lengths.
For this group, body length means the total length, from snout to tail tip. The largest animal in the enclosure is what counts. The enclosure may not be smaller even if fewer animals live in it than the table names.
| Total length | At least |
|---|---|
| 150 cm | 150 × 75 × 113 cm |
| 180 cm | 180 × 90 × 135 cm |
| 210 cm | 210 × 105 × 158 cm |
| 250 cm | 250 × 125 × 188 cm |
| 300 cm | 304 × 152 × 220 cm |
For the larger animals the calculation would give a height above 2.2 m. The ordinance allows stopping at 2.2 m but requires a proportionally larger floor area in return, so that the volume is met. The table above already accounts for this.
Animals may temporarily be kept in smaller enclosures: for quarantine, for the treatment of illness and injury, for acclimatisation, for breeding and rearing, and for winter or cold dormancy or aestivation (preliminary remark D on reptiles).
This is the legal lower limit, not a recommendation. An enclosure that meets exactly these dimensions is permitted, but not good for that reason. The details under “Husbandry at a glance” work out this minimum for adult animals; they give the minimum, not the ideal.
What the enclosure must provide
Provide species-appropriate heat and light zones, UV-B where needed, suitable substrate, retreats, climbing or digging options, water and natural rest periods.
Paperwork
Keep the purchase contract and proof of origin. Use the scientific name to check CITES and import status reliably.
These details are a guide, not legal advice. Binding information comes from the cantonal veterinary office; the text of the ordinance is what counts. More on the legal position
