A couple of Biaks

David VB · 06-04-14, 11:16 AM

And i mean a real couple, coz i have one male and one female, hoping to breed with them next year, giving them time to grow slowly but steady.

Females go first of course so here she is :

David VB · 06-04-14, 11:17 AM

And then the male :

Hope you like them as much as i do

nyjon · 06-04-14, 11:49 AM

Beauties

jpsteele80 · 06-04-14, 11:52 AM

You have some beautiful gtp's and good looking setups but if I'm not mistaken GTP's don't usually breed till 3 or 4 years of age

David VB · 06-04-14, 12:15 PM

Male is 2,5 years and female 1. Would it be possible to keep them together before they're ready to breed? They're in separate enclosures now, but the females's one isn't 100% what i want.

jpsteele80 · 06-04-14, 12:18 PM

I'm sure you could house a male and female together, I personally wouldn't until breeding time though

sharthun · 06-04-14, 12:35 PM

Gorgeous snakes!

Batessi · 06-04-14, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David VB

And i mean a real couple, coz i have one male and one female, hoping to breed with them next year, giving them time to grow slowly but steady.

Quote:

Originally Posted by David VB

Male is 2,5 years and female 1. Would it be possible to keep them together before they're ready to breed? They're in separate enclosures now, but the females's one isn't 100% what i want.

Whoa brother, female chondros need to be given at least three years regardless of their weight, preferably 4-5 years. Age is a lot more important than size on this species. Not too mention, Biaks usually take at least 3 years to go through their full color change. They are beautiful animals and I am sure they are in great hands, but I do not recommend you attempting a pairing until your girl is about 4. Your male, on the other hand, might just be ready to go at his age, if you want to try to hunt down an older female. I am also going to ask when she was sexed? Probing should never be done on a GTP under one year of age. I do not mean any hate toward you, this is an awesome species and I just want you to have the best experience possible.

poison123 · 06-04-14, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batessi

Whoa brother, female chondros need to be given at least three years regardless of their weight, preferably 4-5 years. Age is a lot more important than size on this species. Not too mention, Biaks usually take at least 3 years to go through their full color change. They are beautiful animals and I am sure they are in great hands, but I do not recommend you attempting a pairing until your girl is about 4. Your male, on the other hand, might just be ready to go at his age, if you want to try to hunt down an older female. I am also going to ask when she was sexed? Probing should never be done on a GTP under one year of age. I do not mean any hate toward you, this is an awesome species and I just want you to have the best experience possible.

Why is it different with GTP's then other species when it comes to breeding? Why do you have to wait 4-5 years? And how is the color change connected to sexual maturity?

Batessi · 06-04-14, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poison123

Why is it different with GTP's then other species when it comes to breeding? Why do you have to wait 4-5 years? And how is the color change connected to sexual maturity?

This species does not develop the same way a ball python or even a carpet will, power feeding a chondro to achieve breeding size has numerous health risks, obesity and rectal prolapse being the primary ones. Female Chondros need nice gradual growth to avoid obesity and have sufficient, but not excess fat reserves. Color change is not connected to sexual maturity in most cases, sorry for the confusion, I just wanted to point out that if the OP is breeding for a certain phenotype, it would be a good idea to wait until the change is complete on top of the female needing some extra time. Males do not have these same limitations and can breed as early as 2 years, most do not though until they are nearly three, in fact males eat very little compared to the girls. You know a maturing male when he is not eating like the champ he was as a neo. I understand it can be hard to take this kind of feedback by a nameless person over the internet so I have linked two great articles by very well accepted authorities in the GTP world, notice how they both give females at least three years (give or take) to reach their preferred weights.

Conquer The Challenge Of Breeding Green Tree Pythons

Breeding Green Tree Pythons (Morelia Viridis)

I do understand how you're feeling though OP, I have an awesome pair from Joe Montini and I cannot wait for the girl to be ready, I will be giving her about 4 years total or more if I think she needs it...I have a nice proven adult Biak to try to prove the male out in the mean time.

David VB · 06-05-14, 08:24 AM

Tbh, i bought her as a female but i never had her sexed and i don't know when it was sexed by the former owner...
Didn't really know when they were ready to breed, but i hear a lot of the same lately, at least 3 to 4 years before trying so i will definitely wait till it's the right time. Only the best for my animals

The male was sexed by my vet late last year when he was suffering from pro laps. And i didn't even power feed him... Now they're both on smaller rats than before and i wait at least 10 to 14 days before offering again.

David VB · 06-05-14, 08:30 AM

Btw, to anyone not having seen prolaps, here it is :

I saw it in the evening, around 8pm and freaked out!!! I immediately contacted a vet, specialized in reptiles, even knowing he was an hour away (which is far for belgian standards^^). Luckily i could come and he stitched him up for a couple of days and kept him in a sterile box. After a long week i could get him back and ever since he's doing great.

Here he is in the sterile box :

So to all new GTP keepers, watch out with over feeding, as well in size as in time.

Batessi · 06-05-14, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David VB

Tbh, i bought her as a female but i never had her sexed and i don't know when it was sexed by the former owner...
Didn't really know when they were ready to breed, but i hear a lot of the same lately, at least 3 to 4 years before trying so i will definitely wait till it's the right time. Only the best for my animals

The male was sexed by my vet late last year when he was suffering from pro laps. And i didn't even power feed him... Now they're both on smaller rats than before and i wait at least 10 to 14 days before offering again.

Ditch the rats, go with mice. How often are you feeding? Most of my yearlings eat every 10-14 days, males eat when they are willing (usually every 10 days in the appropriate parts of the year). Glad to hear he's alright.

dbank999 · 06-05-14, 09:38 AM

David VB · 06-05-14, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Batessi

Ditch the rats, go with mice. How often are you feeding? Most of my yearlings eat every 10-14 days, males eat when they are willing (usually every 10 days in the appropriate parts of the year). Glad to hear he's alright.

Same as you, as said in my preview post