Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am in a desperate search for a blunt-headed tree snake... can anyone give me any advice on where i could come across one, they are rarely available... thanks alot in advance

I have never seen one offered for sale, even by importers. When you couple that information with the fact that most of the species of Dispas, Imantodes, and Sibon are quite common throughout their range, you can infer one thing - they don't fare well in captivity so importers don't buy them.

I'm sure people have tried to keep them and it just hasn't worked out. I know that in certain areas, it would be easy to find a sufficient supply of slugs and snails, so they must not eat them willingly in captivity (?). Or they could be too fragile to ship? Possibly they dehydrate rapidly due to high surface area: volume ratios?

Here's a young Imantodes gemmistratus we found crossing the road in southern Veracruz, Mexico. Cute snake, but not one you will see in captivity.

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Chris Harrison