new biak and a question

[Laughingman868]

Hey guys just wanted to put some pics up and ask a quick question.
I picked this guy up from the pomona show on sunday and so far really like him. The breeder said he was about 2 which honestly I wouldn't usually get one that old but the scales along his dorsal area are a little blue so I was hoping they would maybe darken up a little and be more visible in the future.

Unfortunately he is a little nippy but no where near as bad as some stories iv heard. He has bitten me once and is pretty sketchy but once he's off his perch he's seems to be OK....still very fast to pull back though and I have to move extremely slow or he freaks out. Im determined to tame him though and if that takes me getting bitten frequently its alright.

One question for you biak owners as this guy is a first for me, are they really as bad as people say or can this two year old be tamed with consistent handling?

[Laughingman868]

again, I have no idea why these pics are right side up on my desk top but appear sideways when uploaded

[Laughingman868]

ok i think they should be right side up now

[Minkness]

Do they stay that lovely mottled green and yellow?

[yeloowtang]

Hi,

nice looking GTP :)

They can calm down in time with regular handling , but like all animals !! they each have their own attitudes.. some tame down while other may never..
the fact that once out of the cage he seems to be alright is a good sign..

to avoid bites, the best way to get it out of the cage , is by using a snake hook to get him moving and guided out.. or a removable perch that you slowly tilt to get him moving..
then always go from behind to hold it as it moves around .
once awake and on your arm, they often like the warmth and will perch ..then again some never stop exploring :)

the Biaks have been known to be more of a nippy locality

as for color, they can take up to 5 years sometimes before turning completely green.
they usually do unless you paid the big $$$ for a designer breed of high yellow.

for additional info regarding high yellows, as mentioned above !! they can take years before they fully change, so unless a seller has paper work backing the GTP, be careful when buying a said high yellow GTP, many claim high yellows or canary to get $$ to have the buyer stuck with a green snake two years later :(
nothing wrong with a green GTP, hell that's what they are all about.. but when you pay thousands and end up with a 300$ GTP :(

back on topic :)

yes in time he should calm down with regular handling and they aren't as bad as the reputation they have :-D
just respect him and go slowly avoiding all movement from the front, if it coils up in the S fashion , stop moving and take your time..
if it bites and doesn't let go, use a spray bottle with water to get him to let go..
even having a little vinegar mixed in the water helps and won't cause any harm to the snake.. the smell and taste will get him to let go. but very little, like a 5% mix , but this isn't usually required, only with nasty ones that tend to bite and not let go..

congrats on your first GTP, looking forward to seeing the others you will get hehehehe

[millertime89]

Congrats! Good looking GTPs. Best of luck with getting them calmed down.

[Laughingman868]

hey yellowtang thanks for the info. I do have a removable perch which is very helpful. I just had him out and I just held the one end of the perch and use my free hand to sort of rub under him to get him moving then once he has his upper half of the perch i slide that hand under him and he comes the rest of the way off. your right about him liking the warmth, yesterday he literally wraps around my hand exactly like he would do on her perch and just laid his head back down it was funny.

This guy wasn't big bucks at all, I have a jungle carpet and a BRB and didn't want anything too fancy that would cost a small fortune, I just love the way these guys look and figured it may be time to get a more challenging snake since I have the other two pretty calm at this point. thanks for the warning though regarding the false advertisement but your right I didn't want some crazy month I like the green and wanted him for that, just hoping the bluish tinge shows a little more with age.

another thanks for the spray bottle tip, lets hope he doesn't hang on though lol.

And minkness: I think he will probably turn mostly green over time with maybe a few yellow patches here and there, thats just what I have seen though I have no way of knowing for sure

[Laughingman868]

and yeloowtang I made my gf promise to slap some sense into me if I contemplate another snake. These three keep me more that occupied and if I get more I wont have enough time to handle them all as much as id like with school and work so for right now these three will be all, ad they are all pretty young so I'm sure they will be around for a long time.

This is my carpet on his turtle dock which he loves but he needs a larger one now and my BRB getting ready to grab a mouse that ran into his home lol

[David VB]

I got 1.1 Biak locality and these two are the only one i have to handle (which i seldom do) with gloves. They're nasty but i won't 'tame' them because if that's their nature, so be it ;)

Biak is known to keep a bit of yellow as adults.

Greetz

[Laughingman868]

thats a funny way of looking at it David lol. I just can't stand to have such a nice reptile but for viewing only, it kills me that I can't just reach in and grab this new guy and my jungle carpet like I can with my BRB. In time they will come around I think, plus why wouldn't they wanna come out and get some fresh air from time to time.

[toddnbecka]

I'm with you on the don't-touch deal, almost didn't get a carpet python because I read several care sheets that stated they tend to be nippy/better suited to display than handling. I got lucky with my carpet though, it's as mellow as the rest of my collection.
How long is that one at 2 years if age, and how bad is the bite?

[reptiledude987]

My male bredli carper has caught me twice now. When he does he dosent just strike but latches and tries to eat my hand lol. The last time he got was about 6 weeks ago and the last of the marks are finally fading away. When I finally get him off of me it bleeds pretty good for 5-10 minutes. So its certainly not a fun ordeal but at the same time my monster jcp Shelia is a big sweet heartand has never tried to strike ever. So as stated on many threads here species dosent nessacarily determine temperment. Its an individual thing snake to snake. Heres one thats a bit hard to belive but my male ETB (wild caught) has never tried to strike at me once and they're known as an aggressive species in general. His wife (yes theyre married, It was a beautiful cermony lol) on the other hand smacks her face off the glass when I walk by the tank.

[reptiledude987]

His wife (yes theyre married, It was a beautiful cermony lol) on the other hand smacks her face off the glass when I walk by the tank.[/QUOTE]
She actually caught me the day I brought her home and was putting her in her tank for the first time. That was the most painful bite I've ever expierenced and bled alot.

[Laughingman868]

that is pretty surprising to hear that the male is docile being wild caught reptiledude, you are fortunate, although having an absolutely mad female i guess evens things out lol. I can imagine it was a terrible bite those ETB's have an impressive set of front teeth for a non-venomous snake.

My new biak is maybe close to 2 1/2 but not over I don't think. I haven't quite gotten him to sit still long enough yet to get a rough measurement. The difference in the size of the head between my carpet and him is substantial though considering the carpet is longer. I don't really mind getting bitten now though as long as he calms down before he gets bigger, the quickness of the strike is the worst part.

[Laughingman868]

The breeder said he fed him on sat or sunday night but that would have been the days of the show and I'm assuming he didn't feed him and if he did it was a very small meal bc there was no lump but I can get him to eat, I'm not very concerned because its only been 4 days but when I put a mouse in the carpets or BRBs tank they can smell it within a few mins and come out for it. This guy WILL NOT move when it is light out and even after dark he won't start moving until iv been asleep for an hour or so then wakes me up with his noise in the tank. I mean he is nocturnal to the extreme it seems.

When do you guys feed yours? and do they immediately go for it?

[Shallowgrave]

Beautiful, wow! Congrats!

I'm in the same boat. I recently picked up my first green tree python last weekend. It's a Aru and Biak cross. I am wondering the same things about taming them down.

[Laughingman868]

Mine seems to be fine and has only bitten me once. I understand that some just won't calm down but with regular handling I believe most will. In my opinion its all about how you approach animals. My brb usually wouldn't bite anyone but he definitely didn't like my one friend holding him and that because some ppl just can't comprehend how to approach shy animals.

Don't worry about him taming down, just give him regular attention in short increments until he's used to it then up the handling time. My jungle carpet was a ******* when I got him, his head would literally fling out of his cave to grab me when my hand was in his tank spot cleaning but now he's at about 3 1/2 feet long and 6 months older and as tame as ever.

[Laughingman868]

btw shallow grave put a picture up so we can see him