first, are they really as poor tempered as some of the sites I've seen? If you get one from a baby and get him well acclimated, do you have to expect to be bitten 50% of the time you open the tank?
All snakes are different and do have their own personalities. Your best bet would be to get an older animal that shows the tendencies of a calm personality. Most keepers don't start working with their animals until after a year anyway, so I would stay away from anything smaller than that if it's something you are wanting to regularly work with. Of 16 chondros in my collection, only 2 have aggressive personalities, and a lot of that has to do with the strong feeding response of a large female. The other is a Biak and is just plain evil.
I wouldn't want to handle it regularly, but 3 or 4 times a month would be nice, and I'd like to never get bitten! I'd also like to be confident that I can let friends / visitors hold him without fear of him chomping on one of them.
I don't mean this will be a community snake being passed from person to person, but there are those occassions where a couple of people are over and they want to hold him, y'know?
Again, it depends on the individual animal. I rarely handle any of my chondros, but they all still remain calm and gentle. I probably only handle them 3-4 times per year.......they are all still calm as kittens.
Also what about feeding, do they really eat once a week? not that that's a problem, just curious.
Hatchlings can be fed every 4-7 days depending on defecation cycles and metabolism. After a year or so, sometimes less, they should be fed about once a week. Adults can be fed every 7-10 days. Sometimes males will fast for several months.......and it will drive you crazy the first time.
Right now I have a 2 foot wide, 4 foot long, 2 foot high tank (occupied by my red tail). If I get rid of the red tail, will this tank be too large for the GTP? (I read somewhere that these snakes actually prefer smaller enclosures). Obviously no chance of him getting along well with my red tail right?
That would be a suitable cage for an adult chondro, but a baby would easily stress in a cage that large. Babies are best kept in rubbermade type tubs until they are 1-2 years old. Usually by this time they are 2-3' in length, and can be moved into a larger cage. I would assume that, even at this size, a cage that large would be too much for them. Lots of plants for hiding might not be so bad, but a slightly smaller enclosure would be better and easier to maintain.
Also, how much do they cost?
Here's a loaded question......sure to make a few people red. BUY CAPTIVE BRED FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER!!!!! You can find chondros in a wide range of pricing. On the low end of the scale, you'll find import babies in the range of $250-600 depending on the locality, which is another story, and who the dealer is. Some of these animals will do well for some, but the majority of imports can be a real headache. I would not recommend one of these to start with. If you are going to spend the money on a chondro, get a nice captive bred baby or yearling to start with.
Captive bred babies can range from $375 for the average, up to $5000 for designer bloodlines. You find animals in the $450-600 range on average and these are WELL worth the extra $200 or so. Most breeders will back up their animals and give any additional support you need. As with imports, some captive bred animals will have problems, but most breeders keep the babies for several months to make sure they are all doing well before heading out the door.
Last thing, what about making sure I get a pretty one? I guess it's impossible to tell what color they'll be when they reach adulthood, but at least picking out a nice baby would be good. But if I have to order one and just hope it's nice when it arrives, that'd suck...
It's almost impossible to tell what a chondro will look like from a hatchling stage. Some locale types will produce like babies, but some will produce a variety of possibilities......but have you ever seen a chondro you didn't like. I haven't. Look for babies from proven adults with the colors you are interested in. Ask for pictures of the adults. Sometimes this will give you an idea of what babies will turn into, but sometimes babies will look nothing like either parent....and that's what is fun about chondros. I do have one piece of advice for you........be prepared to get more. These snakes will become an addiction, and you will soon find yourself creating more space for them. Good luck and I hope you find the animal(s) your looking for. For more info on cages, feeding, and just about everything you need to know, check out Greg Maxwell's site....Fine GTPs.
Brandon Osborne
hopefully this summer I'll be able to get one. The tupperware container thing makes things easy, then I won't have to feel bad about getting rid of my red tail right away.