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I purchased a baby Biak x Sorong GTP at this year's Daytona Expo at the end of August. I am not new to snakes, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't new to Arboreal Snakes (my first was an Northern ETB from earlier this year, and she is thriving). My little python was an awesome, charismatic little guy, and I almost cried when we opened his bin on Sunday night to find him dead (October 5th).

The gentleman who sold him to me said he was established, and had eaten a few times, but not many. He was beautiful, mentally bright, and active. We brought him home from Daytona, and later in the week with a lot of convincing he ate a live pinky mouse, the 29th of August.

Since than he never ate. I have a zillion tricks up my sleeve of getting newborns to eat -- I've gotten countless newborn ball pythons to eat and my ETB was the hardest of all, but no dice with this little guy.

I feel awful because yes I was concerned, but I didn't realize it was life or death. He seemed fine the night before (since we were regularly checking on him); he was not acting lethargic or weak, and had not lost any gram weight. Now I feel like I should have done more, tracked down impossible-to-find ASF pinkies, something, anything.

I don't blame the breeder on this, but I do feel fooled because maybe I should have known better that he wasn't an established animal -- I wouldn't have known what to look for, my experience is in thicker-bodied Boids... Or maybe he WAS an established animal, and the 5 weeks were just to long for him to go without food?

I'm sorry.. I'm just so upset because I have never lost an animal to starvation before, and its been a hard week because a couple days before that I found out one of my Burms has a heart disease and is basically destined to die. Completely off-topic, I know, sorry.

Experienced Chondro Keepers out there, what would you recommend to a new GTP keeper on how to convince a hatchling to eat? Or should he have not died so quickly without a meal and could there have been something underlying? (I feel like he died exceptionally quick, but than again I am biased/partial to the situation, and feel like I was smacked in the face with it all).

Any imput on anything would be appreciated

I should probably add...
He was living in here...

Humidity always up at the higher end of the spectrum, usually around 80%. Back heat with a temp gradient of about 79 degrees to 92 degrees.

This is him a few days before he died >>>

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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

92 is really hot for a chondro, but i dont think thats what did it... Your breeder should sold you an established chondro which should have came with a hatch card noting its feeding habbits. If something was a miss you should work with the breeder.

The thing with chondros (or just snakes in general) there sort of machines that loose their memory. Working with neonates you really have to train some of them to eat. The longer you go with out them getting into that habbit of "eating is a good thing" the more difficult the battle will be.

Next time try for a few hours every other day. It sounds crazy to try to get a snake to eat for more than 10 min, but really, its the nature of some chondros and the reason why they are so damn expensive in the first place.

Lifes a big lesson, i wouldnt be to hard on yourself or discouraged from chondros. Things just happen... you sort of have to roll with the punches with reptiles... but im sure you know this .
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Julian Garcia
Chondros Exquisite
Seattle,WA

first I just want to say sorry for your loss. And second I am not by far an expert or and experienced breeder. I do own a 6 month old gtp I got from my best friend that does breed and I am writing to say what I've seen him do for picky eaters. I've never seen or heard of him force feeding but that but that may have to be an option. What he usually does is give the what they are used to in the wild, geckos or frogs wild they are neonates. And with that he'll just put them In the cage and a couple days later they would be gone. He's also made a paste from geckos and dipped pinkies in it just for the smell and gradually cut back. He also feeds at night because they are nocturnal and hunt at night. Hope this was helpful and if I'm wrong anywhere I keep an open mind and can always learn more.

I'm hoping your friend does a thorough deparasitation since he's feeding animals that are high in parasites. One of the reasons why most of us don't feed lizards, frogs or other animals like that. Very sorry for the loss of your little one. When you said it was a breeder, did he produce this animal himself? Did he have pictures of the parents, or was he an importer? If the baby was from a breeder, did you contact him to tell him the animal died. If it were one of my animals that died so soon, I'd most likely give something back on the purchase price.
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