How much experience do you feel is needed?

[BoidsUnlimited]

I have been in this hobby for about 5 years now. Have owned stuff for about 4 1/2 years.

I plan on getting back into the hobby with some BCIs. But was just wondering what you feel is a good time to start with GTPs?

What exactly is so hard about them? Are they finicky about temps and humidity? Because I'm sure with a few weeks of testing temps and such would be good to get everything right.

Just curious thats all...because they are sooo BEAUTIFUL.

Thanks,
Don

[Brandon Osborne]

Don,

I believe anyone determined enough to learn about the animals first can keep whatever they want.....regardless of the amount of time they have in the hobby.

I will say, chondros are one of the easiest kept snakes I've ever had, contrary to popular belief. Once established, they are just about bullet proof.

The only thing hard about them, is getting babies established. If purchasing a baby, make sure it has had at least 15 meals in it prior to purchase. Usually by this time, they've become used to feeding on pinks and will take them with no problems. Watch out of use of the term "Captive Hatched" or "farmed". This usually means IMPORT. I'm not saying all imports are bad, but the majority of them will give you more trouble than you want to deal with.

I keep mine without the fancy thermostats or heat panels used by some. As long as temps and humidity are monitored, you'll be fine. I heat with standard incandescent light bulbs with wattages in the range of 7.5-40 watts. This depends on the size of the cage as well as the time of year. Obviously, I use a lesser wattage during the summer time and when cycling adults for breeding.

Normal day temps should be around 80-84 and 75-80 at night. For cycling adults, day temps of 78-80 and night temps of 65-72 have worked very well for me.

Humidity SHOULD NOT be kept HIGH at all times. Generally, you want humidity to be around 50-70%, and bumped up during the shedding cycle. Keeping them in a highly humid setup will cause necrotic sores due to the thin skin. If you spray a cage in the afternoon, it should be fairly humid most of the night, and dry in the morning. A consistanty wet cage is not a good thing.

My best advice is to start with a well established animal that is CAPTIVE BRED. Ask to see pics of the parents breeding, the female on eggs, siblings, etc. Get to know the breeder as well. They should offer any support you might need if a problem comes up.....and just be sure you have plenty of empty cages ready. There WILL BE more......lots more.

Good luck and enjoy.
Brandon Osborne

http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4446

[BoidKeeper]

I would pick up a copy of The Complete Chondro if I was you. When you're done reading it you'll deffinately be buying a chondro or more and you'll be more than ready for it too!
Cheers,
Trevor

[Vengeance]

Do Chondro's require a thermal gradient?

[Bartman]

Vengeance, I was reading the Maxwell caresheet and it said they do need a thermal gradient. It said you should provide a horizontal gradient as normal and not a vertical gradient like most think.

Read the caresheet from finegtps.com as its amazing and probably the one you can trust the most. Id also invest in his book, Greg Maxwell: complete chondro. Ive read some of it and the detail and time put into writing it is very good for helping new owners. Im thinking of getting a gtp in June, so ive been doing lots of research lately about them. Most people ive talked to said once you have the habitat down pat, they are not very hard to keep.

[marisa]

They most definitly need a thermal gradient. :D

I have also found my GTP very easy to care for. The only thing that gives me trouble is doing anything around him at night, he is totally unmanagable during this time so we leave him alone and do our maintanence in the day. Simple.

They are probably less forgiving of prolonged mistakes than other snakes. But aside from that they are great snakes to keep.

Marisa

[BoidsUnlimited]

Originally posted by Brandon Osborne
Don,

I believe anyone determined enough to learn about the animals first can keep whatever they want.....regardless of the amount of time they have in the hobby.

I will say, chondros are one of the easiest kept snakes I've ever had, contrary to popular belief. Once established, they are just about bullet proof.

The only thing hard about them, is getting babies established. If purchasing a baby, make sure it has had at least 15 meals in it prior to purchase. Usually by this time, they've become used to feeding on pinks and will take them with no problems. Watch out of use of the term "Captive Hatched" or "farmed". This usually means IMPORT. I'm not saying all imports are bad, but the majority of them will give you more trouble than you want to deal with.

I keep mine without the fancy thermostats or heat panels used by some. As long as temps and humidity are monitored, you'll be fine. I heat with standard incandescent light bulbs with wattages in the range of 7.5-40 watts. This depends on the size of the cage as well as the time of year. Obviously, I use a lesser wattage during the summer time and when cycling adults for breeding.

Normal day temps should be around 80-84 and 75-80 at night. For cycling adults, day temps of 78-80 and night temps of 65-72 have worked very well for me.

Humidity SHOULD NOT be kept HIGH at all times. Generally, you want humidity to be around 50-70%, and bumped up during the shedding cycle. Keeping them in a highly humid setup will cause necrotic sores due to the thin skin. If you spray a cage in the afternoon, it should be fairly humid most of the night, and dry in the morning. A consistanty wet cage is not a good thing.

My best advice is to start with a well established animal that is CAPTIVE BRED. Ask to see pics of the parents breeding, the female on eggs, siblings, etc. Get to know the breeder as well. They should offer any support you might need if a problem comes up.....and just be sure you have plenty of empty cages ready. There WILL BE more......lots more.

Good luck and enjoy.
Brandon Osborne

http://www.reptileforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4446

Thank you Brandon.

What do you feel is the best cage for these guys? I can easily maintain the heat, and the humidity all it sounds like is you need to keep a bowl of water under a pad to maintain some..and bump it up with a misting once or twice a day correct?

Also...I will probably be buying online. Any good references? I'm located in the US of A.

Thanks for the help!

I will probably go get that book you are talking of BoidKeeper! Thank you.

[peterm15]

ok i got a quick (probably stupid) question.... im not into snakes much, i like them but my fav has to be gtp.... do you think with the proper reasearch (im gonna start soon and hope for one withen a coupple years) and dedication that gtp's can be kept by a new snake owner... i know its not the best idea... but could it be done....

or should i look into getting another snake or 2 before a gtp.

p.s. i do keep some lizards so im not totally new to the reptile world...

[BoidsUnlimited]

Quoted off of Brandons post

I believe anyone determined enough to learn about the animals first can keep whatever they want.....regardless of the amount of time they have in the hobby.

I would think that for a very first it wouldnt be the BEST of ideas...but as long as you feel 110% confident you can PROPERLY care for it...go for it.

[rocketjawa]

a GTp was my first snake, and she is doing fine.. Had her for 2 years now.. the key is research. Get the Complete Chondro book, and prepare to SPEND.... the snake itself is $$ for a nice one, and you will want to put a good amount of cash into the cage to keep it comfortable :)

[peterm15]

sweet thanks alot guys... im gonna start right mow

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

DON:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/09%20-%20CAGES%20and%20EQUIPMENT/bnpbookandvideos003.jpg

This book helps alot.

Tony

[Brandon Osborne]

Originally posted by BoidsUnlimited
Quoted off of Brandons post



I would think that for a very first it wouldnt be the BEST of ideas...but as long as you feel 110% confident you can PROPERLY care for it...go for it.

The best thing to start with is a WELL ESTABLISHED CAPTIVE BRED animal from a reputable breeder. There are lots of small scale breeders with great animals available. Be sure to ask a lot of questions, get pics, and feed/shed records. Stay away from any animal that has had less than 15 meals. I personally do not consider these established. After the first 6 months or so, it's all down hill. They are very easy to care for.

Brandon Osborne