My first GTP

[Santy1129]

Hello,

I am new in the forum, so I have no idea how active people are in terms of responding. I have never been lucky in other forums. Simply people do not answer.

I am fascinated with all animals. currently have a couple of fish tanks and a terrarium with dart frogs. My first snake was a kingsnake and unfortunately he passed away when I went on vacation. He found the way out and got stuck in a sticky trap and probably the cat also attacked him. My petsitter found him on the floor.
I work at Petco and I know how to take care of reptiles. I had a chameleon before. My concern is that I have been reading about GTP (I actually bough a book) and everybody seems to agree in the fact that GTP should only be kept by very advanced hobbyist. Is this true? Why do I have to be an expert in snakes? As long as I can provide the right environment I think I can do it. They all seems to suggest having a snake at least for a year before getting a GTP.
Please let me know your thoughts about it
Thanks!

[Albert Clark]

Well, welcome to the forum first! Sorry about the demise of the kingsnake that had to be a terrible way to die. But yeah, gtp are arboreal reptiles that have specific husbandry requirements. Of course it's always good to have experience with reptiles before embarking on one of the more advanced species. Imo, I would just get the research underway and grab a good book on the care and husbandry of gtps.

[toddnbecka]

Personally I prefer snakes that can be handled more easily (and safely for the snake) as well as having a better overall disposition than GTP's are generally known for. The temp and humidity requirements are much more exacting than a king snake. Sort of similar to keeping discus in an aquarium, compared to, say, angelfish. I've kept aquariums all my life, but never wanted to bother with such demanding critters that have to have such pristine water conditions to live.

[Santy1129]

Thanks a lot for your replies. I got a book about GTP and hopefully it will go well.

[Captain837]

A great book out there is called "the complete chondro" if I remember correctly. As far as husbandry as long as you can keep temp and humidity where it needs to be you should be ok. My biggest recommendation would be to pick the right local for what you want to do with it. If you want one you can handle, get a captive bred aru. I have had them and they can be puppy dog tame just don't stick your hand into the cage after dark when they are in feeding mode. If you want a beautiful look but don't touch snake, biak is the local you may consider. They are larger inumber size and attitude in my experience.
Either way, good luck!

[dannybgoode]

+1 to the complete chondro.

An important note re GTP's. They really should be a display snake only and handled as little as possible. It is incredibly easy to injure their vertebrae especially when they are younger but even as adults.

Lovely snakes though. High on my wishlist...

[Primal Rage]

Gtp's are fun to work with. That said you need to have your temp and humidity dialed in or the animal will suffer. I am not a big fan of handling them either. Most of the ones I have kept and been around tend to stress alot. Here is a pic of one of my hatchling Aru's.

[Captain837]

I keep hearing people say you should not handle them but my female aru was fine with it. All I had to do was tickle her sides and she would climb off her perch and onto my arm. I never had to nor would have fought to do it so I am not sure how that would have hurt her. As for stress, she always had a great appetite and never got sick so I am guessing you just have to know your animal and what they will tolerate.

[dannybgoode]

@captain. So long as they crawl of their perch onto you that's fine. It's when people uncurl them to get them off things that causes problems. They have a kind of rachet system on their vertebrae that locks their body in place and allows them to stay curled up on branches etc and even if you remove them gently you can damage the bone.

To the OP have you considered a carpet python. Closely related to the tree python but hardier and handles better. OK they're not green but they're beautiful snakes. Note they are generally very nippy until about 18 months old but calm down with time. Just a defence thing when young.

[Santy1129]

Thanks for your comments. I would like to know what is the right temperature for basking and cool end and the right humidity for GTP.
Thanks!

[marvelfreak]

I have always want one just never got one. One thing all tree python or boa cages should have is removable branches. So if you do need to remove them from the cage you can do it without taking them off the branch and less chance of injury.

[Captain837]

@Dannyb ok gotcha. I never new about the locking spine thing. I have never been one to force or manhandle any of my snakes anyway and all my arborial stuff had removable perches.

[Captain837]

Thanks for your comments. I would like to know what is the right temperature for basking and cool end and the right humidity for GTP.
Thanks!

Hot spot in the upper 80'so to 90.
Middle perch in the 82-84 range
Cold spot 78-80
Humidity 80%+ and they love misting.

That is all from memory from 20 years ago so if someone says different, they are probably right.

[dannybgoode]

IIRC (and again happy to be corrected) but GTP'S like a really good misting in the morning then having the humidity drop throughout the day and then repeat as opposed to constant very high humidity 24/7.

[Captain837]

I used an ultrasonic humidifier on a timer as opposed to manual misting and it seemed to work very well.

[Santy1129]

I finally got him. He has been on the ground. Is there something wrong with him?
Thanks

[dannybgoode]

Probably not. My local store breeds them and last time they had them in one of their babies liked the floor.

Didn't stop him feeding-trust me!

He may also find a branch at night and stay on the floor during the day for a bit.

[Santy1129]

I think he wasn't uncomfortable in the previous enclosure. He was still at the petstore. I tried to give him perches and temperature gradient but it seemed not to work out well. I put him no in his proper set up at home.
Day set up
Basking spot: 86
Cool end: 77
Night drop
Hot end: 76
Cool end: 72
Humidity 75 in the morning and drops to 50 during the day
Should I increase the basking spot during the day to 88?
Is it my set up correct or is there anything to change?

[Primal Rage]

Congrats on your GTP! Your set up and temps look ok. Did you bring it to a vet or a competent person who can do a fecal float? Most hatchlings are WC or "farm raised" imports that have parasites that should be treated. If your GTP has spent more than a couple days on the floor it is likely sick and needs a trip to the vet ASAP. No GTP's should be spending extended periods of time on the ground.

Not sure what your ambient humidity is but it is likely getting low during the day with the screen top and lights on your set up. I would check out how successful keepers, and breeders have their animals set up and go from there. Good luck with your guy! Do you know what locale he/she is?

[Santy1129]

I work at Petco and I special ordered this guy from the best vendor we have. I put him in the reptile unit but I guess it was too hot for him and he was seeking colder spots including the ground. Maybe the plastic branches that I used were too hot too. I decided not to take him to the vet but feeding and take him home if feeding was successful. Otherwise I would have taken him to the vet on Petco. He ate 2 fuzzies. When I brough him home he perched inmediately and he has not been on the ground since then. He loves basking. I increased the basking spot to 87 and at night it is 76. He is doing great so far. I dont lose so much humidity because it has a plastic on top of the screen. The right dome it's just light the one on the left is a night light that I use to provide heat day and night. I have a dimmer controller to do so. I think he is doing great. I will feed him again next Sunday but just one fuzzy.

[marvelfreak]

Congrats! Nice looking GTP.

[yeloowtang]

88 is a good temp for GTPs , you will need to change the cage for something that's 24" high at some point. a good cage is 24" cube but the exo cages 24x28x24 work too, just need to cover the top part.. also best to use a radiant heat panel versus lamps..

get some vines/branches that are smaller, they don't like the big ones most of times..
some plants/fake plants to make it feel secure..

ohh also, with a cooler spot in the cage. you don't need to have a night drop for now, or ever for that matter.. the night drop is used more for breeding reasons when cycling the animals.. you can still do it, but not needed. I would just leave it as simple as possible for now.. hot spot and cool spot, humidity when sprayed at 80-90% and let it drop to 55-6- over 24H. you will need to cover that screen top, these type of cages aren't designed for arboreal animals that need high humidity.. and spraying 10 times a day is not the same thing.. wet doesn't = humid. wet will result in a RI and fungus growth..

keep at it, looks like a nice one...and as mentioned, I know he's up perching now, but yes a grounded GTP or ETB is not a good sign.. where they can do it once here and there, if they stay down.. something is wrong..

best of luck

[Santy1129]

I do plan to change the cage next year. I will buy one from the Web site pvccages or something like that and they come with heat panel. I do have a plastic on top of the screen right now.
He seems to like the branches right now. He goes very active at night and perching all the time. The was only on the ground when he was still at Petco. When I took him home he perched inmediately and has not been on the ground since then.
I have a thermostat so I have the night drop by default.

Humidity is also fine. I spray at night and it goes to 90% and it drops to 50% over the next day before I spray again.

I was very hesitant before getting him because everyone says it is not for beginners. My first snake was a king snake which died 3 weeks after getting him when he escaped from the enclosure and my cat killed him. So basically this GTP is my first snake and he is doing great so far. He eats right away. I am feeding a fuzzy every Saturday and I will move up to Hoppers soon. I would say GTP can be your first snake but you have to know what you are doing and run some research before getting one.

Thanks for all your advices. I am still looking for a name :)

[yeloowtang]

That's eat then :) the fact he's acting like he should and the parameters seem to be in check !! then you are doing it right.
where' it's true GTPs and even more so ETBs are best suited for experienced keepers.. that is not totally correct, someone which takes the time to research the needs and gives the care and habitat the snake needs, they will succeed with no problems at all... most people skimp on the caging and basic needs for these snakes thinking it will be fine in an aquarium , a branch and a heat lamp ???
keep up the good work and you little GTP will thank you for it by eating, shedding and living a healthy long life :)

[David VB]

Just make sure that the cage gets time to dry out before misting again. Very important for their lungs that they don't live in very moist conditions all the time. Temp. wise i only know in Celcius, since i live in Europe 😉

[Santy1129]

Hello,

I have an issue with my snake. I updated the cage but it seems my GTP does not like it. He has been on the ground since I moved him. He always perched when he was in the small tank. Any ideas?
The new cage is one of those pvc cages. The pictures were too big to upload. Idk how to make them smaller

[Scubadiver59]

Hello,

I have an issue with my snake. I updated the cage but it seems my GTP does not like it. He has been on the ground since I moved him. He always perched when he was in the small tank. Any ideas?
The new cage is one of those pvc cages. The pictures were too big to upload. Idk how to make them smaller

Run Microsoft Paint (mspaint.exe), and in the top menu bar, left click on "resize", select the "pixel" radio button, and then put "640" in for the Horizontal setting (landscape style picture), or "480" in for the Vertical setting (portrait style picture)--MS Paint will resize the other setting accordingly. Then just save as a new file name to keep original picture and then add the picture to your post.

[yeloowtang]

if possible, try and fit the same branches you had in the smaller cage.
if you have the pvc pipes for perches that sometimes come with the cages, they might be too big for your GTP.
best is to replicate the same environment, temps/humidity and get some plants, fake plants so he can hide and feel safe.. the change must have stressed him a little.
by having his favorite perch from that other cage will make him feel secure..

also add a few vines with multiple options for perches, they like smaller ones..

[Santy1129]

I could finally attach the pictures. It is impossible to recycle the old perches. It is a 10 gallon tank with a fixed background that I made with greatstuff and ghostwood as perches. I have a theory and maybe he does not like what I did to the new perches. Maybe it is too rough for him. Idk what to do. The temp seems to fluctuate. I had a bulb attached to a dimmer thermostat. Temp was always fixed. For some reason the thermostat does not work as accurate with the heat panel in the cage and as a resumt the temp fluctuates. Although the temp changes I dont think that is the issue since I turned it off so it was cool and he went right to the ground.

[David VB]

Seems to me that those perches are too thick for him.

[REM955]

Seems to me that those perches are too thick for him.
What would be the optimal thickness for a GTP then? I am going to guess that near body thickness.

[Santy1129]

He does not want to leave the small cage. He wanders around at night and goes back to the same spot in the morning. It is worrying me because the heat panel does not reach that low a good temp.
:(
any ideas?
That picture was taking when he was put back in the cage after a bath but after overnight he was back in the small tank.

[yeloowtang]

yeah !!! I would say he doesn't like the perches, he's going back to what he prefers ..
nice looking perches by the way :) but too big and he might need time adjusting to the texture..
if you can get the temps with a heat probe or gun in that small cage where he likes to be... if it's in the 82++ range, it's fine they like perches that are smaller than their body.
I have huge emeralds that will perch on something the size of my pinky finger, hell even caught one on the electrical wire of the heat panel !!!!
if you can get perches that are the same as that little cage or take them if you can and zip tie them to the bigger ones in the cage.. or just get the exo terra small flexible vines mixed with the zoomed ones, that would also give you way smaller perches options for him.
he's still young and small, get him lots of criss cross vines in there, worst case , keep him in the small tank until he's older..

[yeloowtang]

hope this picture works, forgot about these.. I mix these vines in with others and fake plants.. looks real and gives smaller perches for them to enjoy; Lees Terrarium Vine - 6 Ft x 3/16" Diameter

[Scubadiver59]

How do you anchor them? Screws? Hooks? Superglue?

hope this picture works, forgot about these.. I mix these vines in with others and fake plants.. looks real and gives smaller perches for them to enjoy; Lees Terrarium Vine - 6 Ft x 3/16" Diameter

[Santy1129]

Well I would have problems with anchoring them since I can use the original perches. Those perches came with the PVC cage but I added soil to have a more natural look. I order 1/2" perches and I will try again. He also stopped eating after a bad shed he had. The vet said that he could be dehydrated and he put him on antibiotics just to be safe. Other than that he looks very healthy. The vet said to keep him in the small cage for now. My stubborn GTP obviously did not like the big effort I made to get a fancy cage :/
I will probably add the small perches and put the small cage back in the big cage and I hope eventually he will start perching in the new perches. I will probably leave them with no soil just in case he does not like the texture. Once it is done it cannot be removed. Thanks for your suggestion. I will look into it too.

[yeloowtang]

How do you anchor them? Screws? Hooks? Superglue?

All depends on the type of cage you have, if glass , the suction cup work nicely, and usually these cages come with a screen top. passing zip ties in the mesh to hold onto the vines works well, and if you have bigger perches ? then wrapping these around the others also works.

if you have pvc cage, I make brackets that I glue in place to hold fake plants/vines , these brackets can also be screwed in place if so desired.
some of the brackets I make are reversed T to hold the slotted bigger perches, and I make half moon pieces with a hole in it, once bonded to the pvc you can hang a plant or zip tie the vines in position.

Santy: your new cage is probably a combination of changes that prevent him from enjoying it, the size of the perches are too big and the texture may also be something the little one doesn't like.
keeping him in the smaller cage for now is best.

I fail to see why the vet put him on antibiotics just in case he's dehydrated ?? spraying more or even tubing some water with a pipette daily maybe or creating a humid hide!! but meds ???? just my opinion but meds should only be used if he's sick or has an infection, using some now can only create problems later and these meds don't have an effect anymore:
baytril aka Enrofloxacin
or
fortaz aka Ceftazidime
or
zythromax aka azithromycine

these are often used to help treat respiratory infections and other health issues, but using them too often will make them ineffective when needed.

but I'm not a vet , maybe he had other reasons for this, I'm just going with experience here :) if he goes back to normal in that small cage, give him time in there and later try the big cage again with added placed for him to use, you'll be amazed at how much they like smaller perches..

best of luck

[Santy1129]

The vet said he looked healthy but sent the meds just in case he had something else. I live 2 hours away from the vet so maybe he wanted to make my life easier. It would be hard for me to go there again if there is something wrong. I did get smaller perches and vains to wrap between the perches so he can have different sizes. I guess he doesnt like the texture either. So I wont be customizing the new perches because I vant remove it after it is done. It is a pain to inject him. He bit me once trying to give him the meds. I am away from home but I called the sitter and he is doing fine in the small cage as he have always been. As soon as he is done with meds, starts eating and I get the new perches, I will try putting him in the big cage again hoping he will perch with no issue. The small cage is really a pain to handle as my gloves are very thick and they get stuck with the perches due to the small space available. Thanks a lot for all your information. I always get very scared because I know they are very sensitive. I have always tried my best to keep him happy. Even though he is in a 10 gallon tank, it is very well suited for a GTP: customized perches and thermostat.

[Santy1129]

I tried to post a different thread but nobody has answered yet.
I am very worried about my GTP. Today I noticed something weird on the scales. Do you have any idea? Please help me
I touched it and it feels hard like burn. I think that rotting would feel like mushy instead.

[Santy1129]

Unfortunately, Isis passed away. I am selling the cage he never used in case someone is interested.

[Scubadiver59]

Sorry to hear about your loss!! :no:

What happened in between March and its passing? Did the scale problem get worse? Did it stop eating?

Lots of questions...

Unfortunately, Isis passed away. I am selling the cage he never used in case someone is interested.

[Santy1129]

After the vet said in multiple time that he was fine... We realized at last minute that he was severely dehydrated. A blood test was ran and 80% of the kidneys was compromised and damaged. He had high contents of uric acid in his blood stream. I assume it went to his brain and because of the low pH and toxicity of nitrogenous compounds, his brain was compromised as well. He lost his reflexes and ability to respond to stimuli. It was very hard for me to put him down but I couldn't see him suffer more. He is in snake heaven now. I am a marine biologist and I am sure I did my best. Probably to have gotten him from Petcp wasn't a very good idea. But now I know how a dehydrated snake looks like.

[Scubadiver59]

A tough way to learn...for both of you!

Again, sorry to see your friend go!!

After the vet said in multiple time that he was fine... We realized at last minute that he was severely dehydrated. A blood test was ran and 80% of the kidneys was compromised and damaged. He had high contents of uric acid in his blood stream. I assume it went to his brain and because of the low pH and toxicity of nitrogenous compounds, his brain was compromised as well. He lost his reflexes and ability to respond to stimuli. It was very hard for me to put him down but I couldn't see him suffer more. He is in snake heaven now. I am a marine biologist and I am sure I did my best. Probably to have gotten him from Petcp wasn't a very good idea. But now I know how a dehydrated snake looks like.