Green Tree Python

[Hillsberry]

Please tell me all you know about a Green Tree Python. I am think they will be my next snake. And I would love to know all about them. Thanks:). I already read on them but would like to know more please

[marvelfreak]

If i remember correctly willow783 as a pair. She be the one to ask. I think it was her.

[emseeKAY]

told ya hill hahahahaha

[Will0W783]

Lol. Yes I do have a pair. My female is 3 years old and my male is 7. I love them, but they are definitely NOT a beginner snake. My male came to me with an abscess in his throat and he went through a course of antibiotics and was cleared by the vet but has never been really right and is now back on antibiotics again. They are very delicate. You are going to want to set up an automatic misting system or be very diligent to mist them 3-4 times a day. You want the ambient humidity up around 70% or so constantly, around 100% when they are in shed.
My pair are both quite docile and handleable. The male actually seems to enjoy being handled, even though the poor fellow is always getting stuck with needles...
If you are patient and look enough, you can find quite a few tame GTPs, even though they have a bad rep. You also need to look out for rectal prolapse- since they spend their whole lives in a tree, their systems are a bit different than terrestrial snakes, and occasionally if they take a big #2 or pee, it can cause their bowels to invert and fall out of the cloaca. If that's the case you need to keep the exposed tissue moist and get to an emergency vet immediately. I've never had it happen yet, but I know it well might.
If you are serious about getting a GTP, you will want to get the book "The More Complete Chondro" by Greg Maxwell. Invaluable advice on everything from choosing a chondro to growing, housing, breeding, and treating common health problems. Also, even more so with these guys than a lot of other snakes, do NOT get one from a pet store. Save your money and buy from a reliable breeder. Any more questions, feel free to ask. But be sure to do as much research as you can before you buy- these guys are delicate and expensive.

[citysnakes]

You are going to want to set up an automatic misting system or be very diligent to mist them 3-4 times a day. You want the ambient humidity up around 70% or so constantly, around 100% when they are in shed.



i mist my GTPs 3-4 times a week and i rarely experience bad sheds. if you are misting that many times a day then i would suggest a change in your husbandry methods. a wet enclosure is not necessarily a humid enclosure no matter what the digital hygrometer reads. the enclosure needs a drying period as well as a period of moderate to high humidity. constant wetness and constant high humidity is bound to lead to health related issues with any snake even GTPs.

to the OP, you can check out finegtps.com for some info on GTPs.

[Hillsberry]

Hey Sean I have to ask!! I am so happy!! My parents said yes!!! Hehehehe!!

[Hillsberry]

Thanks. Around how large do they get. I heard 6 to 7 feet?

[Will0W783]

Thanks Julian- I actually have the Mist King set up to only mist for 20 seconds at a time. It mists 3 times a day- once at 8 am, once at noon, and once again at 6 pm. Then the cages dry out overnight. I would mist less, but my house tends to be very dry in the winter. I check on the cages and they are always dry within an hour or two of being misted. They never stay damp all the time, or I would turn down the Mist King.
I experimented with several different ways- hand misting once a day, hand-misting several times a week, hand-misting 3 times a day, and the MistKing, and this seems to be what works best for me.

[citysnakes]

I check on the cages and they are always dry within an hour or two of being misted.

Kim, if this is the case then try slightly reducing the ventilation of the enclosure. obviously not too much because good air flow is important but enough so that the moisture in the air will be retained inside the enclosure for a longer period but still start to dry out after a few hours.

[Will0W783]

Ok. I have them in Exo-Terra vertical enclosures- they look like these: Exo-Terra Glass Terrarium - 18 in. x 18 in. x 18 in. | Terrariums & Stands | Reptile Cages, Terrariums & Accessories | Reptile - ThatPetPlace.com (http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215485/product.web) except that mine are 18x18x24 tall. If you think I should close off part of the screened top I will.

[Will0W783]

Thanks for the advice! I've only been keeping arboreals for about a year, so I'm sure I have tons more to learn. I bought and have read cover to cover and am rereaading parts of The Complete Chondro.

[Hillsberry]

Also I have read that they can be aggressive? Is that ture. Because I dont know if I believe that because all snakes can be like that if and handled. So is it true are they Aggressive?

[Hillsberry]

Oh and Willow is that tank the one on your post a good tank. If not my dad and I will make a tank.

[citysnakes]

you can completely cover those exo terra screen tops because they have enough ventilation coming from the vent in the front and especially if you are opening the doors daily to hand mist the enclosure.

if you do this and the enclosure never dries or notice mold growth inside the enclosure then just uncover part of the screen until the enclosure can hold moisture and later dry out.

Kim your doing fine!

[emseeKAY]

Hey Sean I have to ask!! I am so happy!! My parents said yes!!! Hehehehe!!

hahaha thats sooo sweet lol now i want one hahaha theyre soo amazing looking

[citysnakes]

Also I have read that they can be aggressive? Is that ture. Because I dont know if I believe that because all snakes can be like that if and handled. So is it true are they Aggressive?

all snakes can be aggressive but there are some that tend to generally just be aggressive by nature. you cannot tame down all snakes by regular handling. there are some that just dont want to be handled. if the ability to handle a GTP is important to you then i would suggest purchasing at least a yearling animal from a decent breeder so you can see and handle the snake in person before you bring it home.

it is very possible to end up with a GTP that wants to bite your face off every time you walk by the enclosure and there will be nothing you can do about it. dont go trying to save money by purchasing a little yellow or red neonate from a pet store or unknown source. you cannot handle them until they are at least a year old anyway and you'll most likely be disappointed when the thing dies from unknown causes in a couple months time. im not saying all these animals die but i am saying for a first time GTP owner with, im guessing, limited snake keeping experience your best bet is to go with at least a yearling from a reputable breeder.

most importantly before you go out looking for a GTP do your research and have your enclosure set up before you bring it home.

check out: Morelia Viridis - Message Board - Yuku (http://www.moreliaviridis.yuku.com/)

[Hillsberry]

Thanks. I did read that your best bet is to buy a year old GTP. I have been reading on them alot. And I know I have not had alot of experience with snake but do you think my best bet would not to get one. And wait till I have more experience with these animals?

[Will0W783]

Yes, definitely get at least a year old one. My female I got when she was 3, and she was sold as handleable. She is, as long as I don't reach in after dark..lol. My male is 7 and he is a big ham. He is gentle and clumsy and curious and can be handled any time of day. I don't handle him often though, since he is still recovering from the throat abscess he had when he came to me.

[Will0W783]

It is quite possible to find a calm GTP. A lot of people work with them now to be able to calm them. If you want to have a snake you can handle, I definitely suggest buying one from a breeder or show that you can go and personally handle before you buy it.

[Hillsberry]

Thank you Willow

[shaunyboy]

the one thing you have to remember about green trees is they have massive teeth.....!!!

[Hillsberry]

Their teeth arent as big as the Emerald Tree Boas though!

[Will0W783]

Nah, emmies' teeth are nothing......*shudders*
Fortunately both of my ETBs are big sweethearts, as are my GTPs. I just got a new cage and am in the process of setting it all up. It's 6.5 feet tall, x 4.5 feet wide, x 2.5 feet deep, and is divided down the middle with Plexiglass so the ETBs will get one side and the GTPs will get the other. It has 5 scorched PVC perches per side and plastic vines and plants hanging. I will try to get pictures up tonight or tomorrow of it. I think this will work out much better for humidity and temps and will give the snakes a lot more space. :)