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I obtained my first GTP back in May. Biak, less than a year old, and bright yellow in color.

I have been keeping other herps for some time now and this one seems to aggravate me the most. Here are the reasons:

Feeding: Since I got him in May, he has only eaten once. I have read that anoles/geckos are their natural prey and I have not tried feeding those yet due to the lack of success that others have reported. I usually get him hoppers and he is not interested one bit. When I whack him with the hopper he occasionally pseudo-strikes, but never grabs on.

Shedding: Also since I got him in May, he has never shed. Needless to say, my other herps shed every 5 weeks like clockwork, but with this guy, over 2 months later, still nothing. I keep the humidity between 50 and 80% by misting daily, but I have yet to see a shed.

He is also quite lethargic compared to other species I have kept. He has found one spot and stays there motionless and only moves if he wants a drink. When I got him, I had read that they're nocturnal and typically do their frolicking when its dark, but every time I look, he still hasn't moved...

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

Many of the problems you are experiancing may be related to the type of set up you have. GTPs in many ways are different from other snakes depending on what snakes you've kept. For more info. on neo. GTP set up, search this forum or try Greg Maxwell/ Andrew Kelly's website. While temps. and humidity are important things like perch size and security are also important.

When you aquired your GTP did you ask about it's feeding habits. If you got the animal from a breeder you should call them and see if they can help. If you can't call the breeder, try different sized food items, make sure the food stays warm / hot, scent with chick down, try different ways of presenting the food (touch the tail, alternating side of the neck ect.) If this doesn't work find search the forums for other tips (there are many)or find someone who keeps GTP's locally and see if they can help.

Shedding is related to growing/eating so it is not surprising that your little one is not shedding often. GTPs are not as active as some other snakes but in enclosures with lots of perching opportunities, plant cover, security they hunt/explore at night. They are especially active when shedding or defecating.

If your little one continues to give you problems you may want to have a vet check it. Good luck. Robin

My enclosure is 30" X 22" X 22". It has lots of vines to climb on and an artifical leaf vine draping down one side for hiding/security. I will take a pic of the enclosure and post it when I get home tonight. His perch is maybe a TINY bit smaller than his girth and I have a larger replacement perch that needs to be cut down to size so maybe i'll do that sooner rather than later.

When I got him from the breeder, the breeder said that he had just eaten the day before and never really had problems feeding, but I have a feeling that was more of a sales pitch than the truth. From my dealings with other species, I usually feed same size or slightly larger than girth but I have seen that GTPs like food a bit on the smaller size. I suppose I will try that too. What is your opinion on feeding with anoles?

I would leave the small perch in place, they are easier to hang on to when holding a good size meal.

I would continue to try feeding a pink or fuzzy depending on the size of the snake. Chick down on the nose usually works for kids and getting males to break fasts. I (& several others) have had good luck with a strip of raw chicken breast(warmed up) as a last resort. Lizards and frogs can be used for scenting or even feeding if ness.but I would not use a live anole. Since this little one has eaten a fuz/hopper for you once, it shouldn't be hard to repeat. Try different techniques, individual snakes differ as to the approach that works for them. Call the breeder for help esp. if they are local. Good luck.

I'd say there are several problems here. One the cage is much too large for a baby. A small shoebox sized or slightly larger rubbermaid tub is better. Humidity for babies should stay at a constant 80%. They dehydrate rapidly if not. Make sure the pinky offered is very hot....I mean hot! I typically take the pinky and last minute dip it in almost boiling hot water for just a 1/2 second before offering. I feed after dark. Are you certain this baby isn't a farmed import? If there's a chance, you may have a parasite overload problem. Getting a fecal if you can might point to parasites. You might consider worming with panacur as a possible preventative. Smaller cage, more security, hotter food and more security....higher humidity...more security. Did I mention babies need to feel secure? Also, the perches should be no wider than the widest portion of their bodies, so make sure they aren't too big or small. Temps should be about 85 on the warm side, in the mid to upper 70's on the cool.
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