Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a baby Biak x Sorong GTP at this year's Daytona Expo at the end of August. I am not new to snakes, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't new to Arboreal Snakes (my first was an Northern ETB from earlier this year, and she is thriving). My little python was an awesome, charismatic little guy, and I almost cried when we opened his bin on Sunday night to find him dead (October 5th).

The gentleman who sold him to me said he was established, and had eaten a few times, but not many. He was beautiful, mentally bright, and active. We brought him home from Daytona, and later in the week with a lot of convincing he ate a live pinky mouse, the 29th of August.

Since than he never ate. I have a zillion tricks up my sleeve of getting newborns to eat -- I've gotten countless newborn ball pythons to eat and my ETB was the hardest of all, but no dice with this little guy.

I feel awful because yes I was concerned, but I didn't realize it was life or death. He seemed fine the night before (since we were regularly checking on him); he was not acting lethargic or weak, and had not lost any gram weight. Now I feel like I should have done more, tracked down impossible-to-find ASF pinkies, something, anything.

I don't blame the breeder on this, but I do feel fooled because maybe I should have known better that he wasn't an established animal -- I wouldn't have known what to look for, my experience is in thicker-bodied Boids... Or maybe he WAS an established animal, and the 5 weeks were just to long for him to go without food?

I'm sorry.. I'm just so upset because I have never lost an animal to starvation before, and its been a hard week because a couple days before that I found out one of my Burms has a heart disease and is basically destined to die. Completely off-topic, I know, sorry.

Experienced Chondro Keepers out there, what would you recommend to a new GTP keeper on how to convince a hatchling to eat? Or should he have not died so quickly without a meal and could there have been something underlying? (I feel like he died exceptionally quick, but than again I am biased/partial to the situation, and feel like I was smacked in the face with it all).

Any imput on anything would be appreciated
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

He was living in here...

Humidity always up at the higher end of the spectrum, usually around 80%. Back heat with a temp gradient of about 79 degrees to 92 degrees.

This is him a few days before he died >>>

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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

It happens. You'll never know why, but some you can keep in mud, feed three times a year, and thrive. Others just fall off relatively quick. I will say dehydration can kill delicate hatchling GTP's incredibly quick. They are thin skinned compared to alot of Pythons, and just becuase you have the humidity right doesn't mean the animal is properly hydrated.
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South Central Herpetological

usually does the trick .. or any bird feathers will usually trigger a feeding response from chondros.

Hey thanks! I'll keep that in mind.
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

Im not experienced with chondros, but my friend had a Gtp for about a year that just died randomly like two weeks ago. If u already have an emerald, id say get another emerald, since u seem to be having no problems with it. I have a Male Northern emerald ive had him for almost 4 months and he seems pretty bullet-proof. ive seen many people have better luck feeding emeralds than green-trees.