Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just a quick question--
I recently [exactly a month ago] purchased my first amazon tree boa. It's about 4 feet long, and it's gray. [Of course, this has nothing to do with my question, except maybe the size.] At the moment, it inhabits a ten gallon aquarium, where it balls up comfortabley. I do plan to move it to a larger 40 gallon tank once I get it set up.

I can't find too very much information about ATBs--maybe I'm not looking in the right places--so I thought I would ask here:: Are ATBs compatible with other ATBs, or are they agressive toward each other? I've fallen in love with mine--It's got so much spunk--and I'd really love to get another, but I'd like to be able to keep both of them in the same tank. My common sense tells me that putting two 4' long ATBs in a ten gallon tank is asking for trouble and majorly overcrowding, but maybe they'd do good in the 40 gallon?

=) Any and all help is appriciated.

ALSO! My ATB doesn't seem to be shedding one solid skin. The bottom has shed, but the top still has old skin left--Perhaps he was malnourished or dehydrated? It's got plenty of fresh water and is fed weekly fairly large f/t fuzzie mice. Is there anything I can do to help the shedding process? I'd perfer not to use chemicals.. I keep fish as well and it's very easy for the chemicals to get into the water, even accidentally.

LANDSCAPING QUESTION:
The snake came with the tank and sticks, but of course, the snake will not do anything with the sticks and fake greenery. Should I get rid of that and put in a little 4-6 inch high platform for it to sit on, or maybe get some thicker sticks and put them horizontally throughout the tank?

Thank you very much!
Amelia

I'll try to answer all of this to the best of my ability. I've only been keeping ATBs since September, and just got an ETB a couple weeks ago. I've got plenty of experience with other animals though...

First off, it is never suggested to allow snakes to cohabitate other than to breed. Feedings can be quite tricky and fatal for one of the snakes. Any mites or disease one snake may have will transfer to another. While they might get along fine for a long time, you never know when things are going to change.

If you're having shedding issues, its time to take a look at humidity. When I notice mine going blue, i bump the humidity up even more, spraying twice a day instead of just once a day. I failed to do this the first time, and spent a couple hours fighting old shed. After the increase of humidity while in shed, my lil guy has had no problems at all. To get the old shed off, I filled a 20g tank with less than a half inch of warm (84*F) water, placed a small bar towel at the bottom, and proceded to bathe my ammie as best as possible. when I managed to put the towel on top of him, most of the shed came off as he fought his way out. The next morning he was just fine.

Amazons, unlike Emeralds, do prefer cross-points to rest on. While Emeralds will perch on a single branch, Amazons will prefer the crook of a branch instead.

hopefully this was of some help.

Thank you so much!
The only snakes I've heard of being able to be kept in groups without problems are rubber boas.. Given ample space. =) Your answer definately answers my question, and I can understand it, especially due to the nature of the snakes in question.

I'll try bumping up the humidity a bit--I spray heavily twice a day--in the morning [say, 5-6 am] and afternoon [between 3-4 pm]. The light goes off around 7-8pm. I'll start spraying a bit more heavily [my snake's being quite a bit grumpy lately and I'd rather give her a chance to calm down than handle her.] and see if that bumps up the humidity any.

I'll also attempt to construct a crossed perch for her.

Thank you very much!
~Amelia
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--Reptiles are my family. I love them, and they love me in return. People say reptiles are incapable of understanding a human's words, but when you tell an aggressive snake you love it and wish it would love you in return, and it strikes out with a closed mouth and rubs it's face against yours and perks up when you call out it's name when you arrive home.. That's love.