GTP hiding in moss

[andcad]

Im a little worried. One of my female GTPs (about 1.5) is continually hiding in the moss on the ground of her cage (which she shares with another female GTP). Theres enough branches for her to perch and the temperature has been rather chilly at night, so I dont see why she would go away from the heat lamp. Any opinions?

[Corey209]

Im a little worried. One of my female GTPs (about 1.5) is continually hiding in the moss on the ground of her cage (which she shares with another female GTP). Theres enough branches for her to perch and the temperature has been rather chilly at night, so I dont see why she would go away from the heat lamp. Any opinions?

Housing two snakes in one cage is most likely your biggest problem.

[Mark Taylor]

Any pics of the set up mate so we don't have to guess.

Also agree with Corey but not 100% on sure about gtp, but im sure others are.

[Lankyrob]

Female gtp can be housed together with no issues. No idea about the hiding in mosss tho :)

[Corey209]

Female gtp can be housed together with no issues. No idea about the hiding in mosss tho :)

They still are technically fighting over resources are they not?

[Will0W783]

Whether or not two GTPs (regardless of gender) can be housed together or not depends entirely on the size of the setup. Each snake should be allowed a 2' x 2' x 2' area to itself, so a cohabitation cage would need to be at least 4' on every plane.

Another note, GTPs are not 100% arboreal; they are known for going to ground periodically, so the hiding on the ground in and of itself is not a cause for concern IF husbandry is correct. However, I'd be more concerned about two snakes being housed together if the cage is small.

[Mark Taylor]

They still are technically fighting over resources are they not?


I agree that snakes should not be housed together but sometimes its fine. Rob was simply stating that female gtp are OK to do so.

To the op are the gtp's male or female, size of enclosure and pics would help.

[NBLADE]

Im a little worried. One of my female GTPs (about 1.5) is continually hiding in the moss on the ground of her cage (which she shares with another female GTP). Theres enough branches for her to perch and the temperature has been rather chilly at night, so I dont see why she would go away from the heat lamp. Any opinions?

When you say continuosly, how often are we talking? One of my females will occassionally go down and burrow under the moss over night, but is generally when she is coming up to a shed. Is she still feeding normally? And no sign of wheezing or bubbling?

[andcad]

She eats regularly. I'll post a video of the enclosure. They have lived together for a while now and theres never been any issues.

[andcad]

oh, and no wheezing or bubbling. She's been going on the ground for about a week or so. Im uploading the video to youtube now, I will post it here soon.

[andcad]

heres the vid.

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[Corey209]

I agree that snakes should not be housed together but sometimes its fine. Rob was simply stating that female gtp are OK to do so.

To the op are the gtp's male or female, size of enclosure and pics would help.

Yes I understand what he is saying..

[andcad]

Im looking into the bigger Exo Terra terrarium, any recommendations? opinions?
this would be my permanent home for those two.

[NBLADE]

oh, and no wheezing or bubbling. She's been going on the ground for about a week or so. Im uploading the video to youtube now, I will post it here soon.

Looks like a decent enclosure for them, set out well and enough room, and they both look healthy, it does look that the area you pointed out looks to have more humidity on the glass there, so could be that she is seeking that out, so may be early signs of a shed, she is still perching aswell, so not always sitting on the floor which is a good sign. It isn't uncommon for them to go to ground occasionally, aslong as she is feeding and there are no physical signs of ill health with her, i'd not be worried.

[andcad]

Looks like a decent enclosure for them, set out well and enough room, and they both look healthy, it does look that the area you pointed out looks to have more humidity on the glass there, so could be that she is seeking that out, so may be early signs of a shed, she is still perching aswell, so not always sitting on the floor which is a good sign. It isn't uncommon for them to go to ground occasionally, aslong as she is feeding and there are no physical signs of ill health with her, i'd not be worried.

thanks blade, Im not super concerned but still curious and not happy about it :mad:

[jausi]

my understanding for GTPs is that they can stresss reallly easy if there is a lot open view, I'll recomend to cover the sides of your enclosure, to provide more privaciy for them, that minght help too

[ilovemypets1988]

i can only think of 2 reasons tbh, too much open viewing from 100% glass and light penetration and possible seeking out extra humidity for shedding as (from my understanding), GTP`s need 90% humidity

[NBLADE]

i can only think of 2 reasons tbh, too much open viewing from 100% glass and light penetration and possible seeking out extra humidity for shedding as (from my understanding), GTP`s need 90% humidity

If it was stress related due to the open glass sides, it would have done this when it was first put in the tank, and it would definitely not have been feeding and still be feeding so well, i'd still bet it was seeking out extra humidity in the moss, some of mine do it when they are coming up to a shed. The humidity shouldn't be 90% constantly, it can risk infections if it is too high for too long, a spray down in the morning will peak the humidity at around 90%, then it will gradually dry off throughout the day, and drop down into the 60 to 70% range, which is fine, (higher when in shed).

[andcad]

This weekend Ill either be building an enclosure or buying a better one. The one that stays on her perch (Martha) shed this morning - a beautiful one piece shed. I was extremely happy to see. Medusa is still chilling on the moss :( She seems ok though, i just have to fix them up separately.

[jarich]

Separating them is a good idea, I think. It will give you the option of playing around with Medusa's heat/humidity/perches a bit too. Could simply be that the two snakes have different preferences in those regards. If Medusa likes the thick perch on the right, but its just a bit too hot, that could be the reason she goes down to the moss. They are one of the most particular snakes Ive ever kept regarding temperature. A couple degrees difference can be enough to make your snake chose the ground over the perch. Similarly the perch size can make a difference, especially as your snakes are growing right now. A perch she was happy with as a smaller baby may seem/feel too small for her now. Im guessing neither snake uses that small one to the left of the tank anymore, for instance.

Either way, not a major cause for concern, in my opinion.

[andcad]

Separating them is a good idea, I think. It will give you the option of playing around with Medusa's heat/humidity/perches a bit too. Could simply be that the two snakes have different preferences in those regards. If Medusa likes the thick perch on the right, but its just a bit too hot, that could be the reason she goes down to the moss. They are one of the most particular snakes Ive ever kept regarding temperature. A couple degrees difference can be enough to make your snake chose the ground over the perch. Similarly the perch size can make a difference, especially as your snakes are growing right now. A perch she was happy with as a smaller baby may seem/feel too small for her now. Im guessing neither snake uses that small one to the left of the tank anymore, for instance.

Either way, not a major cause for concern, in my opinion.

Thanks Jarich, I actually posted in the enclosure section a little bit ago. I have a vision cage im planning to buy. Check out the post, it has the link to the cage.