Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ive posted this on the GTP Forum and apparently the people arent as nice.....

ssssooooo........

Does anyone have any experience caring for a GTP from a baby to adulthood?

I do not know the specifics to keeping them but I do know that loads of people have raised them from babies to adults. Have you looked at the websites of the people who breed them? I think most people keep them in planted cages with perches. All I have seen in cages were coiled around the perches.
Jeff

>>ive posted this on the GTP Forum and apparently the people arent as nice.....
>>
>>ssssooooo........
>>
>>Does anyone have any experience caring for a GTP from a baby to adulthood?

Mike Lockwood (the Too Scalely Reptiles link on this forum page) should be able to help as he has a pair - and I wish he would be having babies this year. My wife wants a green tree snake and when I ask Boa or Python she replies a green tree snake.
-----
Mike

2.4 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

This is the link to Greg maxwell's GTP caresheet. I know there are others out there.
www.finegtps.com/Care_sheets.html

>>ive posted this on the GTP Forum and apparently the people arent as nice.....
>>
>>ssssooooo........
>>
>>Does anyone have any experience caring for a GTP from a baby to adulthood?

I have seen Eugene and Cindy Bissette at reptile shows with great GTPs for years. Have a look at the literature listed on their website
www.ophioservices.com/articles.htm

>>This is the link to Greg maxwell's GTP caresheet. I know there are others out there.
>>www.finegtps.com/Care_sheets.html
>>
>>>>ive posted this on the GTP Forum and apparently the people arent as nice.....
>>>>
>>>>ssssooooo........
>>>>
>>>>Does anyone have any experience caring for a GTP from a baby to adulthood?
>>
>>

Ok I am by far a pro nor has he/she reached adulthood yet BUT i have had him/her since two weeks out of the egg and now 2 years later still doin great. Over the years they have become easier to take care of since there are more captive bred ones no more evil vet visits and treat all thos icky parasites lol. Anywho they dont need a huge cage more so tall than long like any snake to get to big of a cage for a baby or young juvie it realy stresses them out and when feeding dont feed to much alot of ppl will tell you wait till they pass there last meal(due to possible impaction reasons but i feed 2 or 3 times before that. cage deff needs a perch PVC works great GTP do need a good amount of humidity ill just leave it at this lol there is alot of good care sheets out there i think signal herp has a realy good one. oh and if you didnt get a responce on the GTP forum has been been super slow and only very few good ppl on there oh and to add im sure you know but most GTP are evil lol more and more are tamer now days cause of captive breeding but they are not known to be the ball python of the tree lol
i got lucky and mine is a lil gold fish

baby

a lil older

BAM green lol

wow guys thanks!!! i got more responses in 30 minutes than i got in 30 days from the GTP Forum.

Im totally aware of the temperment of these fiesty lil guys and have no problem gettin bit (dunno abt an adult tho). I dunno if you handle yours very much but would handling the snake a good amount of times a week or so apply to the GTP as it applies with most snakes?

The temperment varies w/ locales (and now that alot of them are mutts, even within the clutch). Animals w/ biak blood in them tend to be a bit moody - but all of them can handled with a bit of work.

The hard parts about GTP's is that they require very specific care and aren't real tolerant of mistakes. They are not hard to get to breed and lay eggs.. but hatching the eggs is another story.

The other problem that is present in the GTP market today, alot of the animals are captive hatched or farm bred.. stay far away from these guys. Make sure if you get a chondro that is from parents that are in the US and established. Alot of the farmed animals come in with health issues and other obsticles. You will save some money on them up front, but more then likely spend what you saved (5 times over) at the vet you will have an difficult snake that has health concerns as well. Spend the extra $$ and get one from a reputable breeder - it will make your first experience much much more enjoyable.

>>wow guys thanks!!! i got more responses in 30 minutes than i got in 30 days from the GTP Forum.
>>
>>Im totally aware of the temperment of these fiesty lil guys and have no problem gettin bit (dunno abt an adult tho). I dunno if you handle yours very much but would handling the snake a good amount of times a week or so apply to the GTP as it applies with most snakes?
-----
photos.xtremecombatsports.com

aggression in reptiles & amphibians for a long time. ( snakes / lizards mostly )

I have noticed some interesting behavior.

Most snakes that are aggressive can be "tamed" ( for lack of a better term ) without frequent handling. If one spends enough time in the snake's environment, ( not in the snakes enclosure itself ) the snake can observe your movements ( be sure not to be to close to the snakes enclosure, for this, could lead to the snake injuring itself by striking the glass ) and after a certain time, they will spontaneously stop being aggressive.

Here's why I think that may occur...:

Aggression in reptiles and amphibians is not the same when compared to humans. IMO The reason some snakes are aggressive is because "we" are considered to be a possible threat to their existence. ( by predation ) So, if you are in the snakes environment ( yourself being visible to the snake ) for long enough periods of time, the snake becomes used to your presence and no longer considers you a threat/predator, subsequently, it looses its aggression because it feels it no longer needs to defend itself.

A interesting example of the above with a twist:

From my experience's involving wild caught snakes. The snake got used to my presence and lost it's aggression. Now, it can be easily handled. Months go by and the snake remains placid. Takes the snake outside in natural sunlight and it goes ballistic and acts as if it's wild again. I have tested this with only one kind of snake, so the results, are inconclusive and lack scientific merit. I utilized an aggressive wild caught Black Racer for this purpose in 1998.

Most of my mainland reticulatus where aggressive upon acquisition. All of them have lost their fear of me and no longer strike when I move them for cage maintenance, hence they are no longer aggressive. Interestingly, I can bring them into direct sunlight and it doesn't effect their demeanor.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

First off that is one great looking snake.

I have just heard the GTP will bite more often than other species. This is not a huge issue, but the issue is their teeth get bigger than other snakes their same size. Thus, they can deliver a worse bite than a rainbow of the same size.

My wife wants a tree green tree snake, so if ou want to sell let me know cause it is a good looking snake.
-----
Mike

2.4 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

I love green tree pythons. ( never had one )

They are very intesting, especially their ontogenetic color change.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Frank,

I can totally understand your scientific study that you did with that wild caught snake. My "Miami Phase" Corn was caught by a friend of mine down in the Florida Keys.

He was diggin out a pool with a bobcat and took out a chunk of land and saw the snake in the bucket. Before the snake was dumped into the pile they were dumping stuff he stopped the bobcat and picked him up with a stick.

He immediately called me and said he found a snake and he had put him in a box and was going to hold it for me. I saw the snake and I handled him very gently and he was very fidgety and kinda violent, striking at anyone that walked by.

I went and bought the necessary stuff and set-up a 10 gallon enclosure for him (which he is still in). Ever since that day I would come around at night when I knew he would be out and I would watch him, I know he could see me and he would follow my hand movements. I handle him regularly and make sure he sees me at night when I go to make sure he and my sand boas are doing ok.

Ever since then I have gotten him to eat on a regular basis and he has shed 3 times with me already. He bit me one time, but that was my error I moved suddenly and grabbed him and it was just his reaction from being caught off guard. Other than that the snake is completely "tame", for lack of a better word, and has never bitten me again or anyone that has handled him.

So I can completely appreciate what you mean by "being in the snakes enviornment" and "letting him conclude that I am by no means a threat"

I try to do my own scientific studies and he was one of them. Since everyone told me he would pretty much die now that he was in captivity. But I proved them wrong...heheheh...satisfaction!

funny I think he has a better chance of living longer, well, as long as you take care of him, which it seems obvious that you will. No predators for the snake to worry about.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Well when I hot him he had some bumps and bruises on him like he had been attacked by something, a bird, possibly a cat? But Neosporin the rescue and a few sheds and hes as good as new...gotta love that about snakes man!

Absolutely, he will deffinely live longer now thats hes really being taken care of. I actually kinda changed up his enclosure today, added some nice piece of wood for him to climb on and through. In addition i used some of the peat moss I had left over and re-did his humid hide to the BRB's style!