Reptile & Amphibian Forums

first let me apologize if this was covered already.i searched the old posts and i couldnt find anything.anyway,i have a 16 month old manakawari chondro and i was curious about a few things.first of all,he is now a little over 16 months old,has eaten and grown like a pig ever since i obtained him at 2 weeks old.my first question is about his color change.everywhere i read i see that he is supposed to change color at around 8-12 months.he was a yellow hatchling with a black stripe down his back and looked like any other gtp hatchling,now at 15 months,he has only lost the black markings,he is basically all yellow with a whitish gray stripe down his back.he looks exactly like photos of canary green trees that i see.whats the deal with the canarys.are they designers like high yellow?and if so,why are they not just called high yellow?my second question,if my 15 month old snake is only getting more yellow as he ages,is it likly that he will stay yellow?or do some animals not change untill they are this old?does anyone reading this own a manakawari that hs gone through his color change?what age did it happen at?my second question is about full spec lighting.some care sheets say it is a must,while others say it is optional.id like some feedback on this.if i opt for the full spec lighting,can it penitrate glass?having an exposed bulb in my snakes enclosure is not an option.

chondros are like a good christmas gift... they always suprise you... some change almost overnight and other can take their entire life... its impossable to tell what they will look like or when they will change...
if you read brandons post above he explains the "canary" GTP's like a true poet...
as far as the lighting goes... its my understanding that GTP's dont require any special lighting... the temp and humidity are the more important things...

good luck...

shiloh
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Shiloh Hawkesworth
kansas
(Midwest Serpents)

hey thanks for responding.i kinda figured that since they were a noctornal species,they didnt need full spectrum lighting.i was just wondering why most care sheets on the net say that its an important requirement.also what about vitamin d3?dont most reptiles get that from uv light?and its needed to absorb calcium?to tell you guys the truth,my snake has been eating and growing like crazy but i never dusted his prey.hey actually i think i read somewhere that the moon actually gives off uv also but to a less extent,is this where noctornal animals get there d3?do you think that this has kept him from changing color?actually,after i left that post last night,i noticed one scale on his back had turned bright green.is this how it happens?one scale at a time,or do all the scales slowly start turning green?.id also like someone to tell me if uv light can penitrate glass.likei said,i cant have an exposed bulb in his tank and id need to have it shine through glass.i was thinking about buying one of those noctornal uv lights by zoomed.thanks again for the info

Don't bother dusting your prey, all the calcium they need to sustain a healthy life is acquired through the bones of the prey the snakes digest. This is one reason why I switch to rats ASAP... much more bone mass.

UV can not penetrate typical glass. In fact, almost all glass is going to block UV light. Snakes don't require a UV bulb, the only advantage is that it will give a more vibrant coloration. As you said, Chondros are nocturnal. Therefore, the UV during the day is never absorbed by them - they ususally stay hidden during the day.

Anyway, no don't waste your money or time on getting an expensive UV light. I have a full spectrum light in all my cages (Plant and Aquarium strip lights actually) and these do a great job.
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-Chris

0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat
1.0 Black Rat
0.1 Vietnamese Blue Beauty
1.0 Green Tree Python
0.1 Texas Bairds Rat

The educated are the few. The uneducated are the masses.

North American Rat / Corn Snake Care Sheet