Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I have been keeping reptiles (particularly snakes) for quite a few years now. I have always purchased animals to enjoy as a pet, however I have recently decided to attempt to breed GTP's. I have never bred any animal before, so I am not sure exactly how to do this. My first question is, are Green Tree Pythons considered one of the more difficult snakes to breed? If so, what snake would be a better choice. I want to breed something that will be rewarding and worth while at the end. If anyone has any info they can give me on breeding GTP's, or any other snakes, that would be great. Also, it would be great if someone can point me in the direction of a breeding info sheet that might help me out.

Any responses will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I haven't ever bred anything either, but I have read up on breeding GTP's. Don't try it, especially as a first time breeder. If you do end up lucky enough to get your snakes to breed, getting the hatchlings to eat is another story. As neonates, they are extremly fragile, have a delicate spine - why you're not supposed to handle them before 1 year of age.

Another thing is a lot of people look at breeding chondros thinking, esp if you get a high white aru island strain, "oh boy im gonna make me a lot of money im gonna be rollin in the dough! 2 grand a snake heck yes!" This is a very bass ackwards train of thought. everyone that breeds them will tell you that its not a money maker. you are doing well if you break even. Because of the fact that chondros are such fussy eaters, you will be spending countless hours of work on them. Do you really have this time? Also, do you have the facilities to take care of all the babies that are produced, and the money required for unexpected vet visits and such?

With that being said, if you are intersted in breeding for the first time, I would suggest try corns. True, they're not going to be high priced snakes, but they are very easy to breed. They don't require brumation, just put 'em together in the spring and watch 'em go at it. I have a friend who bred corns one year.

Corns are very forgiving in husbandry errors, and as i said very easy to breed. very easy to take care of. you get a 20 gallon long tank or a 29 gallon tank, and they'l be satisfied in that for the rest of their lives.

You also probably are going to want to handle your hatchlings, and as i brought up before chondro babies are not to be handled if at all possible, before one year of age.

Unless you have the time, the dedication, but most importantly the EXPERIENCE, you may want to consider breeding chondros to the pros.
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)

First of all, most opinions regarding the keeping and breeding of Chondros come from people with minimal experience and who have little factual basis for their arguments. This is one reason for all of the undeserved myth and lore surrounding GTPs. If you want accurate answers for your questions, I would recommend asking Dave and Tracy Barker at VPI. They told me back when I was first getting into Chondros to treat them like any other python in the genus Morelia. That is, like a carpet python that prefers to sit on a branch. I took their advice and my GTPs are thriving. I couldn't ask for anything more. Good luck.