Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I plan on buying a young green tree python. I think I'm going to buying this one http://www.boaphileplastics.com/243a.html, but will it be okay for a baby? I want a cage that will last their whole life time.
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1.0 Columbian (BCI)
0.1 Suriname (BCC)
0.1 Longicauda (BCL)
0.1 Bolivian (BCA)

That cage is 24" wide x 18" deep x 17.5 " tall (so others don't have to cut/paste link) and imho that would be barely adequate for a small to average size adult male at best. Would be very nice for yearling to sub-adult size. Adult females would be rather cramped in those quarters.

I believe that gtp's generally do best if they have the proper size enclosure, and unfortunately it's not a one size fits all situation. A shoebox size plastic rubbermaid style box works great from neonate to approximately one year of age, at that time I like to step them up to approximately 18" cube size (could be longer for more lateral movement) then when approximatly 350-400 gm range I move mine up into full size adult enclosures. I use Vision 222's as my most common adult size enclosure which is 28x24x24 I believe.

Spend money now on quality thermostat, and house in small inexpensive tubs now and wait for your adult display cage until your baby is ready. Spending funds on your "extras" that you will be able to use for long time for your baby would be pretty smart way to go.

Would that vision be ok for a baby? I don't really want to keep having to change cages.
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1.0 Columbian (BCI)
0.1 Suriname (BCC)
0.1 Longicauda (BCL)
0.1 Bolivian (BCA)

I think the question was already answered. It's better to have them in appropriate sized enclosures to help reduce stress from being in too large an area when they are so small. Just get a cheap rubbermaid 3 gl. tub and keep it in there for the first year or so. I switched my yearling into a Vision 222 and she's done fine. She's very laid back though, so it might be too large a space for another chondro. It is large for her. She is eating well and is quite active so I know she's doing fine with it. The vision would be far too large for a small neonate like my other baby.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1.1~Green tree python~Tempest, Whisper
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
0.1~Old black Lab~ Callie
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

I'll try and buy a yearling then.
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1.0 Columbian (BCI)
0.1 Suriname (BCC)
0.1 Longicauda (BCL)
0.1 Bolivian (BCA)

These animals are from the jungle which is immense. As long as there are enough hides and foilage, I see no reason to keep them in a small rubbermaid.
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1.0 Columbian (BCI)
0.1 Suriname (BCC)
0.1 Longicauda (BCL)
0.1 Bolivian (BCA)

Since you already knew your answer and didn't want to listen to advice, why did you even ask?

Over the last many years, ALL experienced gtp keepers I know, Trooper Walsh, Greg Maxwell, Tim Morris, Damon Salceies, Greg Schroeder, Julian Garcia, Brandon Osborne, Eugene Bessette, Marcial Mendez.... to name a few.... use small rubbermaid tubs to house their babies.

I don't suppose you'd listen to their advice either. Do what you want with your snake and good luck.

To put things in to prespective. There is alot of things we have leared over the years to give our chondros the best care possible.

Sure the rainforest of PNG is vast. However the population of morelia viridis is not. They are exposed to a lot of enviromental factors that can be fatal. We have the option (key word is option) to reduce these hazards mother nature has inforced upon them.

The reason you would want to keep a neonate in a smaller enclosure is along the same lines of why you would not want to give you chondro wild bird, or why you would not want to leave it out in an out side enclosure. Sure a small enclosure might sound miniscule in the grand scheme of things. But it's just another comfort feature we have discovered and of course we want our beloved pythons to be as comfortable as possible.

There are other reasons besides this. Chondro neonates are very fragile, Anyone who has the pleasure of rearing multiple animals over the years can reassure you with the above satement.

We are not all perfect, we do make mistakes. You really have to come in to chondro keeping with an open mind. Take the locality and designer debate with a grain of salt. However, people who have experience with these animals, you should not.

As Cathy said, you can and will do what you want with your animals. We just want to have to the best possible experience with these guys, we are not elitest in the least. Rather, passionate keepers who want to share our hobby with as many as possible.

As i said we are not all perfect, after i posted this photo below i swiftly got a few calls and emails about my water bowls. A few of the breeders Cathy mentioned suggest i not fill my water bowls so high as they have lost animals due to drowing in their bowls. Right after the first call i dummped 75% of the water out!I could have said "well, theres large pools of water in the rainforest, they will be fine" and learned this lesson (or not) the hard way. Again, i don't question a comfort we can provide these animals.

I hope this message does not offend you in any way.

Regards,
Julian G

Just to back up the good advice you received here with a little experience:

I bought a yearling that had been raised in a Rubbermaid (small) container. I thought "Hey, the snake is big enough for a 24" cage now!", so I put her in a brand new 24" Chondro cage. That was in May. She repeatedly refused to eat no matter what trick I tried. I covered the front, shoved more greenery in...no go...come September she still hadn't eaten.

It wasn't until I put her back into a smaller Rubbermaid container that I got that snake to eat. Once I got her back into that smaller environment it was like day and night! She felt more secure, and I got 4 meals down her in a row.

These snakes are like no others. They are very sensitive. Take that to the bank...cha-ching.
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1.0.0 BP
1.1.0 Chondro

you can try and say that in nature they have very large roaming areas and it would be impossible to create a cage that is too large in captivity,but you must remember that they are not in the wild and if you are successfull and do actually create an evironment that duplicates their native indonesia,then you also must live with the fact that you have also duplicated their extremely high mortality rate.i think its safe to assume that in the wild,over 75 percent of neonates do not see their first year and if this was true in captivity,there would be a lot of unhappy chondro keepers.the small cages,if nothing else,allows you to monitor your small,fragile snake with much more ease and problems are easier to spot and correct.smaller cages also help with stress by allowing the neonate to feel secure,safe and closed in.you could also provide this in a large cage with tons of hides,foliage,and other places to allow your snake to remain unseen but then we are back to not being able to keep an eye on your snake and checking daily for problems.listen to all the advise that was given to you.it was all good and your snake will thank you.

Is there any place that shows how to set up the rubbermaid. Like how do I put in the perch, and what about heat?
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1.0 Columbian (BCI)
0.1 Suriname (BCC)
0.1 Longicauda (BCL)
0.1 Bolivian (BCA)

Buy "The Complete Chondro" by Greg Maxwell. Everything you need to know is in there. I am not using a Rubbermaid for mine, but I have it in a small glass enclosure anyway.
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0.0.1 Jayapura GTP
1.1 Pastel 50% het Ghost BPs
1.0 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Dumerils Boa
0.0.1 Cali King
0.1 Apricot Pueblan Milk
1.0 Crested Gecko

Greg Maxwell has a full set of instructions on his website as well, but if you can get the book, I've found it to be invaluable. I've even purchased his next book.
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1.0~amel corn~C.S.
1.3~Aztec Okeetee corns~Coatl,Maya,Acatl,Tepin
0.1.1~Green tree python~Tempest, Whisper
0.2~Rhodesian Ridgebacks~Akilah, Ona
0.1~Old black Lab~ Callie
1.0~Black fat cat~Topper
3.0~Horses~Zaarah,Galliano,Achilles.....

Here's a link to building a very practical neonate set up.

You can use heat tape with slightly modfied set up plans. I use a rack system, but would prefer tape over bulbs to aid with humidity issues.
How to make a baby tub