tanks size

[snakeman92]

ok i went down to the pet shop and they do have atb for 59 $ so i will be getting one here in a couple of weeks but i want to get the tank ready i have a 20 gal tall tank now i going to put in door out carpet in there two or three branches and i was wondering how much water they need i dont want to just fill up the bottum of the tank so would a good size water bowl be ok
thanks for any help

[PoiSoNouS]

You will need a tank to fit his size.. how big is it ?

ATB are 100% arboreal. they dont tend to swim but a big water bowl will help to have a good level of humidity,
Just 2 or 3 branches wont do it.. they are very nervous and needs to be hiding in the branches, you will need more branches with alot of artificial leaves... enough so they can hide..

an ATB on the ground is not a good sign.. remember..

hope this helped abit ;)

[snakeman92]

thanks so much i think the one i am going to get is still quit small so i am hopeing that means a 20 gall tall is ok for him for now
but thanks again for all your help

[sapphire_moon]

find some caresheets on them, from what I hear their humidity (sp??) it way high....and very nervous as PoiSoNouS said...the pet shop (good one) I know of keep their ATB in such thick foliage that you can barely see it...and they occasionaly poke their nose out....

[lilyskip]

$59 seems pretty inexpensive for an ATB. Do you know if it is wild-caught or captive bred?

[Linds]

No tanks. Tanks are the worst thing you can put an arboreal snake in. They are up in the trees therefore good ventilation is one of the key factors in housing them. You cannot maintain any cross-ventilation in a tank, and especially when you have to block off the top to get their humidity needs met. They will be sitting in stagnant air all day and this can be a deathtrap. Its a prime environment for spores to grow in as well. Rubbermaids are great for young ATB and custom work well for adults. A good sized water dish placed partway over/under the heat source will help to raise humidity. They need to be misted frequently as well for water. Corallus.com has an excellent care sheet on ATB.


Originally posted by PoiSoNouS
an ATB on the ground is not a good sign.. remember..


Not necessarily. They do sometimes venture to the ground to cruise, and it is not a symptom of a sick snake. If its always laying on the ground then I would be worried, but they aren't strictly arboreal like GTP and ETB.

[Rob McRobbie]

an ATB on the ground is not a good sign.. remember..

Ditto what Lindsay said.. The group of atbs I worked with were almost always on the ground during the daylight hours.. Come dusk though, they were always up and about and looking for warm hands..:eek:

An ETB or GTP tho.. that's definitely a different story.


Rob

[chas*e]

My ATBs are also on the ground in the daytime and branching at night...my ETBs are never on the ground ,day or night.

[Beardonicus]

I'd say that my ATB spends probably 80% of his time on the ground under a hide.

[Zoe]

I would definitely keep him in a rubbermaid for now, especially since he's young. That way you can make holes on all sides of the rubbermaid so there is lots of cross-ventilation. It also makes it easy to put in lots of branches the way you want them. Use papertowel substrate (at least for now, until you are sure the snake is mite and parasite free. even then you can keep using papertowel), and give her a snug hide (upside down ceramic or plastic pots with holes work well). Offer a couple hides of different sizes if possible. Also give her a big water bowl, under or over the heat source to increase humidity. You'll also want to spray once a day, probably in the evening when it starts to get dark. Keep a 12/12 day/night light cycle because they are from equatorial regions where there isn't much of a daytime duration change throughout the year.

Provide the snake with lots of branches of different sizes (make sure you scrub them with a mild bleach solution and a scrubbing brush - rinse them well and let them dry before using them). You should also give the snake plants. You can use live plants like pothos, but you'll have to make sure that your snake isn't in the plant when it eats in case it gets dirt in its mouth, or you can fill a vase with rocks and water and just put vine clippings in there.
Fake plants are great, too. Some even have suction cups so you can stick them to the side of the rubbermaid. I hear atbs like those. Or plastic vines just strewn around the cage. Make sure it has enough foliage to hide.
When it gets older you'll want to get a custom cage made, tanks are no good for arboreals.

As for the atb itself, I would be wary of petstores. 59$ is a good price, but since you're getting it from a petstore my bet would be that it's WC. For a first time atb keeper, I would steer very clear of a WC atb, because you'll end up spending more on meds to clean up the snake and you may have to deal with fussy eaters, bad shedders, etc etc. You'll be far better off buying an established atb from a breeder. You'll have a bigger choice of snakes, and sure you may be spending 50$ more but you'll save tons in vet trips and grief and stress.
However, if the pet store atb looks cb and healthy, go for it, but be wary and try and find one from a breeder instead.

I think that covers it! There are a million caresheets online, here are some of them:
http://www.compasscomputers.net/boa-cam/ammycare.html
http://www.corallus.com/urbanjungles/ammycare.html
http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/reptiles/snakes/SNK2744.shtml
http://www.reptilekeeper.co.uk/amazonboa.php
http://thompsonsden.tripod.com/careofyourboas/id2.html
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/corallus/c._enydris$narrative.html

Read them first, they will help you perfect everything. I also suggest you regulate the temps and lighting before getting your snake, so you don't have to stress it out needlessly with playing with UTHs or lightbulbs or whatever.

Oh! And make sure, if you use a lightbulb to heat, that it is NOT in the cage. You don't want the atb striking at it and/or coiling around it and getting burnt.

Zoe

[Beardonicus]

Excellent reply, Zoe! Ditto what you said.....although the light period is not necessary it is good to have.