Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have no idea why or how, but my green tree python just died. i really dont know what to write. i just dont know what happened. it went from being fine, to squirming violently around for a few minutes until it just stopped. it was terrible to watch that happen to something you've raised since it was as big as a bic pen. im not sure why im posting this, i guess just hoping someone has some insight on what might have happened.

Where was it purchased from? How old?....ect. There could be a number of causes, but there is probably one answer.

Brandon Osborne

it was probably about a year old, i have had it for 7 months. the only thing i can think of has something to do with stress. i live and work in florida but i went home to michigan over the holidays for 2 weeks. i didnt feel safe leaving it so i took it with me. 22 hour drive there, 2 weeks in a foreign place and 22 hour drive back. everything seemed ok though. it ate the day after i got back with no trouble but died 3 days later. looking back, maybe i should have left it here with my other snakes but i felt it better to take the chondro with me to regulate humidity and temp. i really loved this snake and would like to get another one once i know what went wrong so i can keep it from happening again.

First off, sorry to hear about your loss. And second I believe so others can get a better idea of what happened you should give us a little bit better background on husbandry. Temps. you kept him at and humidity, tub or other enclosure and if you had noticed any signs besides what you have already described. Also, was the chondro wild caught, or captive born. I have heard of many wild caught gtp's dying suddenly after a year or so. You should also think about taking the gtp to a vet so they can help you figure out cause of death so you can get a better idea of what went wrong, so this unfortunate accident is not repeated.

Based on what you have said so far here is what I think...

First: Taking your Chondro on an unnecessary road trip was not wise, but I doubt it caused the death of your Chondro. I say this for 2 reasons... You said and ate when you got home, and if it was stressed it would not have ate.. Second, people bring Chondro's half way across the US on a regular basis for shows and if it was going to kill them they wouldn’t do it...
So lets eliminate that option...

Second: I am going to guess that you did not get your snake from an actual breeder. You probably got it off of Kingsnake and it was probably from a broker... Meaning it was a wild caught or farm bred animal. It is common for an import of any kind to pick up parasites, either from the initial location or in route or even from the broker. For this reason most breeders or experienced Chondro keepers only buy from other breeders.
The one thing you have to bear in mind is that Chondro's are not your average snake that is sold all over the net... The majority of other pythons and boas are captive bred where as the vast majority of Chondro's are imported from a farm in Indonesia... So what I am trying to get at is your Chondro probably died from parasites... Most parasites can be treated, if you know what you are doing, but I would highly recommend keeping it simple and buying a CB next time around...

You mentioned that you want another... I would strongly suggest you contact a breeder, like Rico Walder and talk to him about buying a nice CB baby or just go to his website and browse for yourself, you can google him...

I am sorry about your loss… I hope to see you on here in the future showing off your new purchase…

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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

the place i bought it from is a pretty big name place that i think is well respected. i went to the shop itself and handpicked the snake. it was very healthy for the entire time i had as far as i know up until the day it died.

i was told the snake was captive bred but may have been lied to, i dont know. i kept him in a 24 tall by 24 wide by 12 deep glass enclosure. the average temp was in the lower 80's id say and it was kept fairly damp. i dont want to give the name of the place but i did purchase it from a shop near me that advertizes on kingsnake.

Next time,try bumping your temp up to about 87 or so,especially for a young chondro.Also,how damp did you keep it?Sometimes too much moisture will lead to a RI.Maybe try keeping your new chondro in a rubbermaid tub,it will hold heat and humidity way better than a glass enclosure.If you do this,you won't have to keep your enclosure very damp.
HTH,
Mike

First, I am sorry to hear of your loss and I realize there are no words to beguile your grief, as I know it is difficult to lose an animal you have had for sometime and grown attached to.
You indicated you took the GTP on a two week trip, I have to wonder how well hydrated the animal was when you returned, as GTP’s are hydrophilic and require good hydration to remain healthy and such is especially imperative for good renal function. Many young GTP’s expire for no apparent reason and such can often be attributed to chronic renal failure, as animals will feed and act completely normal up until the last few hours before they expire. Unfortunately, most keepers are more interested in seeing their animals feed, rather then drink and dehydrated specimens already suffering from debilitated renal function will feed with gusto, but feeding such a specimen only hastens the effects of renal failure and most die a short time after consuming a meal.
Should you still have the GTP, I would suggest having a necropsy performed, as this will be the only way to determine for certain what exactly caused the demise of your snake...

Again, I am sorry to hear of your loss,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947