Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just ordered my first green tree python today from LLL reptile today i have read up on the husbandry but just wanted a few tips the local is jayapura if that helps I have kept retics burms and bloods successfully for several years and decided i may as well go green they have allways been a favorite. The animal is a 20 incher and the basic questions are as follows.

Growth rate and color change- how fast do they grow and when do they begin to turn green

Humididty- i've heard everything from 75% to 90% was just wondering what the general concensus was and if daily spraying is mandatory.

Rate of feeding- Twice a week or once a week and is it better to feed these snakes two small meals or one large meal?

Just ordered my first green tree python today from LLL reptile today i have read up on the husbandry but just wanted a few tips the local is jayapura if that helps I have kept retics burms and bloods successfully for several years and decided i may as well go green they have allways been a favorite. The animal is a 20 incher and the basic questions are as follows.

Locale means squat. There are certain traits that can be identified as certain locales, but it's not a guarantee. I've seen many Biaks sold as Jayas.

Growth rate and color change- how fast do they grow and when do they begin to turn green

Growth depends on a lot of factors. Age of the animal.....how well it has been kept up to now.......genetics........feeding schedule and meal size. There is absolutely no way to tell exactly how old any animal is by size, or how much or how fast an animal is going to grow.

As for color.....I've had them start changing at 3 months and some that waited until 18 months. The rate at which the color is achieved is also independant. Some take years and some can literally change overnight. I have a male that went from yellow with a brown stripe, to green with a nice blue stripe in 4 days.

Humididty- i've heard everything from 75% to 90% was just wondering what the general concensus was and if daily spraying is mandatory.

I try to hit the 60-80% range usually, but most hygrometers aren't accurate to begin with. Just go by feel and how well the animal is doing. Being able to read their behavior will tell you a lot.

Rate of feeding- Twice a week or once a week and is it better to feed these snakes two small meals or one large meal?

Feeding hatchlings small meals every 5-7 days is ok up to about 8-12 months. Once they begin feeding on hoppers and small mice, I feed one APPROPRIATELY sized meal per week.....not small, but not huge either. As long as it makes a nice bulge, but doesn't look uncomfortable. Just go with one medium size meal and you'll be ok.

I'm sure others will have different opinions, but this has been working here for several years.

Good luck.
Brandon Osborne

the reason I bought the Jaya[ura local was basically for the characteristic blue all of them i have seen seem to have. I have a good rapport with the guy i bought it from, i trust him, but that doesnt mean someone sold a biak to him as a Jayapura, the animal is 20 inches long feeding on large fuzzies if this could give any indication of age let me know he's had it since it was born and its been kept in optimal conditions i have no idea how big these guy can grow in a year can you give me a rough estimate.

It's all a guess. Without knowing exactly how old the snake is, what it's genetics are, ect., it's not easy to say. I've had chondros from the same clutch grow at EXTREMELY different rates. Some have grown to 120 grams in less than a year, while others may still be in the 30-40 gram range. It depends on too many things. I have a 5 year old male that only weighs around 400 grams. He's a tiny 40" or so compaired to some of my other males, but he's a great breeder.....and he's a sarong type. My male Biak is 5 years old and is probably close to 1500 grams. If it's 18-24", I would say it's probably around a year old. It could be older, depending on how it was fed. Post a picture if possible. I'd love to see it. Good luck with it.

Brandon Osborne

I'm waiting for Julian to chime in on the locality issue here. lol. I'm sure he'll give you his $0.02 on the question.

Brandon

I have noticed locality seems to be a somewhat vogue topic with gtp's and i dont even have one yet! The snake will be here wednesday i'll get you a pic of it when i unpack it.

Check these out and you may see why locality really means squat from most people. Some I agree on......some I don't.

Enjoy.

Brandon Osborne
http://www.finegtps.com/Editorials.html#TheLocalityDebate

http://www.finegtps.com/Editorials.html#The Value of Locality Specimens

HAHA Brandon, you know me too well.

Locality shmocality, im unsure why it matters. Most of these "names" are just ports. Not where the animal came from.

Even then it's just a guess Because an animal green with a blue stripe dosent meen its a "Jaya" or a "Sorong" it's simply a chondro with a blue stripe.

I'm guessing the reason most of these shops tell you its a "blank" locality is to give you an idea what they think the animal might turn out like... Why? Because they didn't produce it and cant show you photos of the parents.

I should start selling chondros as Seattle Locality... people would drool.. Be the first one on your block to get this rare locality!

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