Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Please excuse my ignorance, but can you hold your Amazon Tree Boas or are they display snakes? Which tolerates handling better Amazon Tree Boas or Green Tree Pythons?
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback (Hondo)
0.1 Spouse (WC)
0.0.8 hatchling ball pythons

I have no experience with ATBs but I have many GTPs that are not bothered by handling at all. It's not too hard to find a young adult or sub adult at reasonable price that is nice to handle.

There are some beautiful ATB's at reasonable prices available too, I could be happy with a nice display only type

You can hold them..they WILL bite you. I have also been told that the spine on them is fairly fragile and can be damaged easily. I dont know if thats true or not but i would definetly believe it for the babies..
Maybe somone with more knowledge in that area will respond.

I got bit by my Emerald this weekend. It was the first time I have ever been bitten by any snake. Let me tell you, he struck at me twice with in a second and a half. It felt exactly like getting pricked by a needle in four different places at once. It didn't really hurt, just a slight pinch. I looked at my hand and it was gushing blood. I wasn't mad I was just amazed! I kinda feel like I wanted to get bit just to see the kinda damage it can do to human flesh. Kind of a good learning experience. They're fangs puncture, so no matter how tiny the bit is, you will bleed. But I will still continue to handle her without fear. Joy

GTPS definatly are a more "handleable" snake than an emerald. as far as the fragility of them go do not attempt to touch their tails or you could break them very easy.as far as temperment goes the pythons are handleable as long as you are gentle about it. i would suggest against handling an emerald unless you like to get bit. getting bit by an emerald is an experience youll not soon forget. if you want to handle an emerald be attentive yet gentle because they dont care to be handled.
hope it helps

Never owned either species, but my friend had one that bit me on my forearm, it hurt but getting bit, by a large blackthroat, water or croc monitor easily takes the cake in regards to biting, the dont tag then release like the boa that tagged me, the hold for quite a few moments,
thanks
tony butler

GTPs are more tolerance in my opinion

I agree with you on that. I just got bit again by my ETB 2 hours ago. She was fine when I was holding her. After I put her back on her branch and started fixing her enclosure she went into a striking pose. Then bam! she got my finger lol. She's only a baby, it was cute in a way. But no matter how much she bites I'm gonna have to keep handling her and hopfully break her out of that habit.

amazon tree boas are nasty mean little snakes.
i love mine and handle it often and it tries to get me often.
tree boas are also very aggresive and have large canine teeth that they use to catch birds.when tree boas get you it can leave you a bad cut that can have teeth left in your hand or arm.

They both can be mean but they both can be tame it depends on the snake. I'm not sure if your meaning Northern Emeralds, Amazons or Amazon Basins Emeralds. If you go with any captive born from trustworthy breeders are the way to go. You get what you pay for so that $200 WC animal could cost you $2000 in vet bills and still could die the next day. I know some people have been lucky with them but I am a lucky person and most wild caughts I have tried to keep have died a very expensive death.

Here are some of my old animals.

Tame captive born Northern Emerald....

One of my Emeralds tooth....

Tame Captive Born Green Tree Python....

Tim Rash

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Tim Rash
www.nocturnal-creations.com

Thanks for the honesty of your answers. I was kinda of expecting people to be more biased towards their particular choice of snake and less honest. I asked the same question in the GTP forum and both responses were very interesting.
Thanks,
Kirk
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1.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.1 Ball Python
1.1 Corn Snake
0.1 Gray band Kingsnake
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
0.1 Pueblan Milksnake
1.0 Bullsnake
1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback (Hondo)
0.1 Spouse (WC)
0.0.8 hatchling ball pythons