Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the ideal habitat for an ATB? And is it possible to have an automated set-up for these snakes? Any links or pics of set-ups would be helpful. I want to make the routine maintence as minimal as possible. My wife is willing to feed the snakes but won't go any further then that.

Currently travel frequently and would not have the time to spend every day with the ATB. I maintain seveal species of desert reptiles with no problem because they require less routine maintence.

Thanks in advance for the help I what to ensure that I do not get in over my head and can provide the best possible care for any pet I have.

i dont know you so i cant say whether an ATB is right for you, but consider this. the cage you get should be high with lots of branches to climb on (simple). im sure your wife ont mind misting the cage every day or so to keep the humidity at a good level. it is pretty good with atbs as far as heat because you can get by with probably an undertank heater since unlike etb's, amazon tree boas will go to the ground on occasion and if it needs to warm up..this is one of those occasions. (please people do not respond to this post by saying that it depends on cage size and if he can keep a good temperature with only a ground heat source...thats obvious that if it is 60 degrees in there then you need anaother heat source)..if this is the case then try not to go with a ceramic heater because they tend to dry out the air. most atb's in captivity will also drink from water dishes that need to be cleaned and changed regularly every day or so. now as far as feeding..some can be tricky..but before i get into that i will mention that they have a higher metabolism so you would be feeding it more than your big constrictors. i know my ATB will not take food i just put in the tank..i need to dangle it above his head and let him strike a few times and let go after he coils. if you are not carefull this snake will bite that nice warm hand. is your wife going to be willing to do this? Amazon tree boas are awesome display snakes and can be easy...but i would not buy any animal that i myself could not take care of. a high metabolism would also mean more cleaning now i hope you are home enough to clean out the cage at least weakly. not to stereotype amazon tree boa or women but these snakes have a very aggressive temper and will bite anything with heat. mine is a young cb and will turn around and bite the pulse on my wrist while he is being held...all atbs i have looked at whehter wild caught or captive breed have done this. but most women will not like this. i know a girl that has no problem with any snakes or their big teeth and has more guts handling dangerous snakes than i do. i hope i wrote enough to give you some ideas and make a decision..if not..please feel free to ask any more questions i didnt answer (i dont want to get into temps and humidity and all that because any website like NERD provides all that stuff)

Ok. If I am not able to monitor the ATB in some cases weekly then it would not be right for me? My thoughts was that there would be a humidity system that I could use to regulate the cage in the event that I would not be able to.

Thanks for the advice. I think I need to stick to the more low maintence specices.

there are humidity systems you can do that with but they are not cheap. cleaning is deffinitely recomended at least every other week is guess. i think the feeding could be more of an issue than anything else...is your wife willing to hold the mouse and wait for it to strike a few times until it takes it? even snake people go on vacations and do things for over a week sometimes...it is not going to be a deadly situation if you have timers for lights heat and humidity for a week at a time...you can do it..its just a bit expensive.

Don't believe the hype. Amazons are a piece of cake to keep healthy in captivity. I personally consider them to be among the hardiest of all snakes in this regard. As with many things in life, lemons do exist. But in my experience most amazons need to be run over by a truck to do them harm.

What is your overall setup like? And where can I purchase the necessary items to ensure that the humidity levels remain acceptable so I do not have to worry about misting the ATB on a daily basis?

In short if any knows of an all in one set up and where to purchase it I would be interested.

buy a fogger for loke 40$ at petco or petsmart or something..you can also get devices when they can be on a timer...i didnt even think of that before..that would be cheap and easy...now just make sure you get and easy feeder. some only take birds or lizards for a while...most take fuzzies but some are a pain to get to strike and take them. i didnt mean to make hype..i was just being honest about any difficulties you could encounter...i was also quick to try to get you not to give up after you responded to my first post...they are a great animal and can be easy. just be aware of the things i told you..i wasnt lying about any of it. check list...tall tank, some cheap things to climb on, water bowl, fogger and some kind of timing device, cypress mulch or astroturf(whatever you like better for cleaning..both are cheap but cypress will keep better humidity...i like turf since it is cheaper than a new newspaper for replacing 19c a sq ft)

I keep my adults in simple 96q sterilite containers with paper towel substrate, plastic hide boxes, plastic water bowls and pvc perches. The containers are on shelves w/11" heat tape running under one side on a dimmer. Depending on where the water bowl is placed these setups maintain humidity levels from 80-100% without spraying. Cleaning consists of simply removing the animal and cage accessories to a new container with new substrate. Soiled cages and accessories can then be cleaned/disinfected at my convenience. You can be as complex or as simple as you like with an amazon's cage, but I like to keep things simple because simple things don't get neglected.

>>What is your overall setup like? And where can I purchase the necessary items to ensure that the humidity levels remain acceptable so I do not have to worry about misting the ATB on a daily basis?
>>
>>In short if any knows of an all in one set up and where to purchase it I would be interested.