Pics of my gtp

[bdiddy]

I finally got around to taking some pics around the house. Here's my neonate (assuming I can figure out how to insert the pics, lol.)

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Hopefully it worked...He/She/It just finished shedding a little over a week ago and ate a fairly large juvenile dwarf hamster (I have a breeding pair of hamsters and he never eats near time to shed, I kind of forgot about the rodents and didn't freeze it until it had become pretty large) then luckily this week my breeding colony of mice had more pinkies. Perhaps because I live in a tropical rainforest ecosystem very close to their home range, this is the easiest snake I have ever kept so far as eating and shedding goes. This one lives up to its reputation as a biter but I don't mind. Pinkies are a little small for my neonate as it is growing quickly, but I didn't want to make the trip across town to get a hopper, and reasoned that last weeks huge meal would be balanced by this, the mouse would be better able to care for the remaining pinkies, and they would grow quickly for next weeks feeding. Anyway it seems to prefer pinkies in spite of their being too small a food source for it's size now. I have access to microscopes but still haven't taken time to check a fecal. I must do that asap then get a weight on my neonate, and get the wormers needed to inject into a pinky or hopper before feeding. I would find another way but where I live vets are very cooperative, I have lots of experience (6 years I was a vet assistant) and the rodents are already dead so I don't think they mind...

[bdiddy]

Hi again guys,


The naughty little bugger bit me while I was taking pics, lol. It was just a warning bite, he didn't even draw blood, but he has a worse temper than me (I was in the US Navy and have PTSD, under control but I can surely overreact and blow up, aside from that I am Irish American, and we tend to be hotheaded anyway.) I saw a closed thread in which one person stated they fed larger food items than most. I have found my neonate gets defensive and refuses to feed on any rodent of a size it feels is threatening. I can hold it in the forceps and try all the tricks and all it will do is defensive biting with no wrapping and eating. As it grows, however, the threshold is growing as well. As I mentioned above it ate its largest rodent last week, of the same size that one feed prior to the shed in which it struck for 15 minutes but would not wrap and feed, so I had to make the trip to get a hopper across town and it fed with no problems. Anyway mine seems to know it's own limits, and adjusts them as it grows, or perhaps it was just THAT hungry after going two weeks refusing food (I find this to be normal when a shed is coming up, it is not interested in feeding at all for 10 days or more.) I've done a lot of research and realize GTPs have prolapse issues at times but this wasn't a full grown mouse, it was a juvenile dwarf hamster.
I am considering continuing my education without returning to the US now, if I do so I will be setting up a breeding colony of GTPs and will see how that goes. Those available to me are probably farmed, the price over here is about 1/10 the price you guys pay for quality captive breds. I live in a place where there is no way around it. Luckily I know a reputable dealer who has animals that were farm bred and established eaters free from parasites. It's the best I can do. Just some random thoughts, I am happy to be a part of this community and absolutely love my animal!

TTYL

Bdiddy

[C#@$e]

thats one amazing snake i have never heard of it what does the GT stand for?

[Aaron_S]

It's a Green Tree Python.

Babies are born usually yellow, and sometimes red. They will change colour as they grow older.

[C#@$e]

ohhhh ok its really nice

[bdiddy]

Yeah I've had a lifelong love of reptiles but this is my favorite I've ever kept, in spite of it living up to it's reputation as a biter with wicked long sharp teeth that are very hard to take care of. Again, perhaps it's because I live in a place very near its home range in a tropical rainforest but I have had no problems at all. Admittedly I have lots of experience keeping several types of reptiles, have great lab technique (analytical chemist) and enjoy doing research. I poked some holes in the lid of a 1/2 liter coke bottle I had rinsed out thoroughly, and mist it every three or four days until it stops eating, then mist it daily (mornings only), and it's sheds have been complete. These are not instructions on how to care for them, as I said it's warm in the winter, humid all year, and hot as hell the rest of the year as well where I live - almost identical to it's native ecosystem. It's a voracious eater, except for the occasions when I offered it food too large that intimidated it. It seems to prefer fuzzy hamsters, tiny hamster hoppers, or pinky hamsters though, perhaps that's the trick. I always had an unreasonable fear of rodents and paid as little attention to them as possible aside from being sure they are healthy, and noticed what I though was my mouse breeding colony are actually long haired syrian hamsters. That sucks, they are huge and have only 5 babies in a litter, and the females fight over them, and will gladly kill one anothers offspring where mice will share the mothering duties. I gotta get to the market and trade those nasty buggers in for mice, I get bitten by them way more often than I like. Funny, don't mind snake bites but I'm scared to death of hamsters, rats, and mice.

They grow 5-6 feet long and change color in adolescence to green or mostly green. Even the adults are beautiful creatures though. There are several variations, some almost blue in color, although breeding two of the same color usually results in random offspring colors, unlike many other snake species.

[C#@$e]

thats pretty kewl. ironic your scared of the rats but not of the snakes when the snakes eats the rats lol.

[LadyParvati]

Absolutely gorgeous young'un!

[bdiddy]

Yeah I know C#@$e, my fear of rodents (excluding only rabbits, and there is now some debate as to whether they are rodents or some other group) approaches phobia. Love reptiles though. Thanks to Ladyparvati as well, can hardly wait to see what adult colors will be.

[C#@$e]

um ya do know you can just say chase and dont have to waste your ttime pressing shift 324

[bdiddy]

Actually I copied and pasted it, but typing Chase will be easier still:yes:

I'm strongly considering picking up some farmned adults and starting a little breeding colony in the next month, as I understand thats their normal breeding season and as I said many times I live in SE Asia near their native habitat anyway. I make enough money to take care of my wife and daughter, and her sick mother (she has cancer) but plan to get a masters degree so that I can improve our lifestyle and save some money for bigger and better things. I want to do it through something I love, and there are few things I enjoy more than breeding and keeping reptiles. Anyway I will research more and think it over then post that in a new thread, where it belongs.

[LadyParvati]

I applaud your thoughts of more education! I'm a doctoral student myself, though not in a herp-related field, strangely enough! I started out in music, went to zoology, then ended up in communication--but I've never lost my love of animals, so I just keep my menagerie (as my friends call it!) Wish I had room for more . . .

Look forward to hearing about your breeding & education efforts! Sandy

[C#@$e]

i hope your mouther in law gets better is she under going radation, just wondering because my great uncle is a war vetren from viatnam (at least i think its viatnam) and he had like really bad cancer like it was spredding like wild fire and with our prays and the radation and stuff he got through it. it was truly a miralcle.

my prays are with her and you and your family.

[teiryklav]

what a beauty :)