Cuddles the carpet python.

Somehow throughout all my posts I have never done one of Cuddles!

Cuddles is a carpet python, what type i'm unsure. Cuddles has lived with us for well over 10 years now and is nearing old age at somewhere over 20. It can be hard to determine a reptiles past if previous owners didn't keep records so some of our animals ages are complete estimates.

As far as snakes go Cuddles is pretty big, the second biggest snake we have aside from Black Betty. He has the largest and (I think) most intimidating looking head/face. He got the name Cuddles because he holds on tight when you handle him. Sometimes it feels quite nice, other times it can be a little nerve-wracking if he's curled around your neck or head.

Cuddles in his cute little beanie

All larger snakes are strong but the arboreal snakes (those who climb and enjoy spending time in trees) often will hold onto you much tighter than ground dwelling snakes. Black Betty is larger than Cuddles but because she isn't much of a climber she "hangs off" you more than she does hold on and climb.

Cuddles is also one of the only animals that survived the fire at the rescue 2 years ago. Along with Black Betty, the crocodile and the frog. Cuddles was the only snake at the time who was in an outside enclosure because his was especially built to with more insulation for the cooler months.

Cuddles has a strong feeding response which some people would mistake as aggression. When we feed him we will often just toss the rat into the enclosure with him as opposed to dangling it around for him. The way he attacks his food is erratic and he will strike multiple times until he has the prey in his grasp.
A lot of snake handlers like to feed their animals in different enclosures to where they are kept to help prevent them striking at your hand when you remove them from the cage, mistaking you for prey.

In all his time cuddles has only bitten people twice, once when he was being carried and they had a frozen rat in the other hand and once when he was shedding. He can be intimidating especially when you go to take him out of his enclosure to put in the day enclosure and he starts to move his head around and curl up. If I think he may want to bite I use a snake hook to get him out, once he realises i'm not food he is fine to grab with bare hands.

This is Cuddles, mid shed.

Every few days cuddles gets out of his regular enclosure and into one of the day tents. This helps to keep them entertained and stop them getting bored in their homes, as well as helping them get UV light. It is still debated by a lot of people whether you need UV for snakes in the same way you need it for other reptiles like turtles. In my opinion it isn't going to be bad for them either way and they would get sunlight in their natural habitat so it makes sense they would need it in some way as well.

Cuddles is getting old now and probably doesn't have a lot of time left. Their lifespan depends greatly on how well they're cared for and many snakes in captivity would be considered obese or overweight. People tend to overfeed rather than underfeed and reptiles are very good at conserving energy. One large rat will be enough for Cuddles for 3 weeks. He has gone as long as a year without eating before (we still don't know why he just refused food for a very long time).

I hope we still have another good 5-10 years with you Cuddles and I always enjoy seeing you hanging out in your tent getting some sun.