Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
As of late there has been some animals that have been catching my eye and I was wondering if there are any boa people out there keeping any of these animals. I would love to hear any experiences with them or suggestions. I would also like to know how much harder they are to keep than boas..

1. (1.1) Green tree pythons...
I've wanted some of these for as long as I can remember... The blues and now albinos...watch out those things are insane. INHO theres no such thing as an ugly GTP..

2. (1.1) "red" blood pythons...
I love these guys and I like the direction they have been heading (VPI has some outstanding looking animals)

3. (0.1) Green anaconda...
I love annys I just never got the chance to keep one although Im kinda reluctant cause I would have to handle her alone. Its just me and my girlfriend in our house and my girls about 90lbs. soak and wet LOL.

If anyone would like to share I would love to hear.. thanks Rich

I would say drop pro-exotics an e=mail and ask them for info. They are big in bloods. Andy

I have been looking at other snakes as well, and although I plan on breeding balls, those vanishing pattern hypo hondurans sure are spectacular animals. I am certain to get a pair in spring. Andy

I got a hatchling blood at the Hamburg show on Saturday. The guy I got it from said it was a CB female (they had 1.1 for $85 each). I held it at the show and it didn't try and strike or anything. I then got it out in the car on the way home and for some reason it kept striking at the snake bag I had laying on my lap. I don't know if it was the vibrations from the car or something, but after I moved the bag she went back to crawling around on my hand. After a couple minutes I put her back in the bag. When I put her in her tank, she just laid near the side and would do a closed-mouth strike when I walked by. It was actaully pretty cute. She'd stop right before she hit the glass and flip over. I've been leaving her alone, and I'm going to try feeding her tomorrow night. I haven't held her since Saturday, but so far I like her more than my Ball pythons and about the same as my boa. Hopefully next year I'll get a pair of Black Bloods.
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MY COLLECTION:
1.0 '04 Columbian BCI
0.1 '05 Sumatran Blood Python
0.0.1 Crested Gecko

MY WISHLIST:
A Northern Blue-Tongue Skink
1.1 nice Jungle Carpet Pythons
1.1 Hogg Island Boas
0.1 pastel Columbian BCI
1.1 Sumatran Short-Tail Pythons
1.1 Dumerils Boa
2.4 Bearded Dragons
1.2 Rankins Dragons
1.3 Crested Geckos
Breeding groups of various Leopard Gecko morphs (including Tremper Giant, Patternless Albino, Blazing Blizzard, and Bell Albino).

I've had my 1.2 trio of GTP's for awhile now and I couldn't be happier. My 2 females were hatched in 1999. I love them BUT they are not the kind of snake you can really hold. I enjoy them from a distance since I never really acclimated them to being held. I'm not even sure if it's good to hold them as it could stress them out. Mine are hardy and have done well in all sorts of environments. One thing I will say about GTP's.....don't get caught-up in all the locality hype. Like you, I appreciate the natural beauty of all GTP's and have yet to see an ugly one. They are just awesome. I think you can find a nice one these days for around $300...but there are also some priced much, much higher depending on specific traits such as higher amounts of yellow, blue, white color. People are creating hybrids now too, which I'm not really into. I'm trying to breed mine but my male is intimidated by the females since he is a little younger.

No experience with the others you mentioned....bloods are probably similar to ball pythons...or at least that's what I always assumed. Maybe I'll get into them someday...I occasionally check out the pics in that forum. Anacondas? I've never had interest given their larger size. I'm not a big fan of anything I'll need help with, especially since my wife doesn't like to help me with my herps. That's another story.lol....its a shame too since I have about 100 snakes, some of which are impressive & beautiful.

Have you ever considered Pits? Pits are awesome...I have a pair of northern pines and a pair of black pines. I've always wanted Eastern Indigos but will never be able to afford them. Plus, some of the Red and Hypo lines in bull snakes could rival hypo boas in beauty! I think Pits are overlooked by so many herpers.

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Sincerely, Jason
www.NortheastSnakes.com
NortheastSnakes@aol.com

I have had the Green Tree Pythons. They proved to be very forgiving and easy to raise snakes although I would suggest buying from reputable breeders as these snakes often look healthy even when sick. Get one that has had several meals. They do well in naturalistic tanks and have been very easy to raise. Just keep an eye on humidity and temps and mist them often. Also I was told to inject there food with water which worked very well. You will be happy you went ahead and bought a chondro. They are very rewarding.
As for bloods, I have only had them for a short time. I read about how they love high humidity and high temps. I kept mine on 2 inches of cypress mulch with high humidity and a heating pad. There was condensation on the roof of the cage and the glass. The bloods did very well for me although it was more work to make sure the humidity was high. I ended up selling the bloods after keeping them for just over a year. The Barkers keep them with normal humidity and a humid hide and have had much success. That would be less complicated plus it allows the snake to decide what it wants. You definitely need to talk to the Barkers before buying a blood because they were a great help.
There are so many fascinating snakes out there besides boas. Don't hesitate to research them and try them out. You might find something else that you really enjoy that you could work with along with boas. I have had much enjoyment out of kings, milks, indigos, corns, pits, rats, pythons, and hots.

Dan

I was leaning twords the GTP's before I made this post but the replys I got pretty much sealed the deal.. I have kept alot of differnt animals in my time here on earth but I've yet to keep an arboreal species of snake. Green tree's just have a fascinateing way about them, its almost a regal type of nature. I must say I love bloods but I can wait for those.. One thing that stood out to me that a couple of you suggested was indigos. Now thats an awsome snake! I've had the pleasure of seeing one in the wild wich many people never have and may never will. A while ago I was looking at them and yes they are pricey and hard to breed as I understand. Not that I would have to breed them but I would like to. Well thanks for the input every body, GTP's it is! Rich

I bought my first GTP, an 04 Biak male, this spring. And purchased my second, an 05 Aru in the fall. They are an addictive species! Getting "caught up" in locality is really a personal preferance. Different localities have diff traits: biaks tend to have a lot of yellow, aru's bright white, sorongs blue, ect. Most reputable breeders who put the time and effort into dialing in their baby chondros won't usually sell below $400, but the extra $ is usually well worth it as the follow up help is usually incredible. I got my Aru 9/6, right after he became available for sale...and he pipped 4/2...that gives you an idea of how anal some GTP breeders are. Handling neonate chondros isn't reccomended, nor is sexing them...their tails are super fragile and kinking is a common thing when proper precautions aren't taken. Most GTPs tend to be pretty good about being held when older though, except for some reason Biak's are more likely in my experiance to bite you. Hope this helps. If you need any advice feel free to e-mail me and I'll link you up to some sites and such.
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Cycling: Trio Black Rat Snakes

Together: Poss Het Axanthic male Ball x Normal-no mating witnessed yet.

Chris LaViola
CMLReptiles
Website under construction
CMLReptiles@aol.com