ETB questions!

newtosnakes · 08-19-04, 02:51 PM

Can ETB be housed with other snakes and what is there temperment like? My fiance has always been fascinated with these snakes and would like to get one someday!

LdyDrgn · 08-19-04, 03:48 PM

No, do NOT house them with anything else. Many of them stress out very easily and stress KILLS.

Many of them have a tendency to be high strung and a bit nippy. But if you get a nice CBB animal this should not be a problem. The thing to remember about them is 1) they have BIG teeth (up to an inch long) and they should not be handled often. They have thin, sensitive skin and I cannot say enough about how easily they can stress out.

These need to be kept at lower temps (dth 80-83, ntl 78) and require high humidity (dt 80-85%, nt 60-70%). Not exactly for the novice keeper.

Whatever you do, if you decide to get one, understand that you get what you pay for! Do not, under any circumstances, buy one "just because it was cheaper". More than likely you will end up with a WC animal that will get sick and die leaving you with nothing but heartache and an empty wallet. Spend the extra money on a CBB baby/juvie. Yes, they are expensive, but the quality is worth it. We got ours from Craig and Karen Clark and could not be more pleased with him.

BoidKeeper · 08-19-04, 03:48 PM

In my opinion, which I'm basing on things I've read and things that I know large breeders do, I feel that snakes should never be housed together. Here are some points that I keep in mind and reasons why I do not house snakes together.
1. The presence of another animal in their space represents competition, competition leads to stress.
2. Stress leads to loss of appetite and or disease.
3. If one sick gets sick they can both get sick.
4. How do you know who is defecating and who is not?
5. Snakes are not social animals so although captivity its self is not natural forcing two animals to live together is even more unnatural.
Now keeping two different species together can open up a whole new can of worms. Different species can be more susceptible to different diseases. Also they can differ in heat and humidity requirements.
Cheers,
Trevor

bistrobob85 · 08-19-04, 08:13 PM

I wouldn't even keep two ETBs together... I've asked it previously ( a few months ago ) and the answer i had really convinced me that if you ever want to have some control on your snake's health, just keep them separately... It is also better to keep a feeding/defecating calendar so that you can know if it is safe to feed your snake!!! That is impossible if you house more than one snake in the same cage... You'll find poops that may come from either of your snakes... ETBs are also pretty touchy about stress and all... And i wouldn't really council ETBs for people who are ''Newtosnakes'', hehe, sorry about that, but your nickname meant just what i mean! I would say an ATB would be an excellent choice, thought, cause they are wonderful and amazing tree snakes too and they are easier to keep, less aggressive, less expensive and have smaller teeth!!!

phil.

LdyDrgn · 08-19-04, 10:24 PM

Our ETB is handleable, not nippy at all. 2 out of the 4 ATB's we have are quite nippy. I think it really depends on proper care and handling techniques...and individual personality. Our last ETB was not one that could be held, but then he was LTC. This new ETB has convinced me that it depends on what you get, who you get it from, and as I said before, proper care and handling. I have seen some VERY aggressive ATB's so saying they are less aggressive doesn't really fly with me anymore, LOL.

ATB's are more forgiving of husbandry mistakes and can eat more than the ETB's meaning they can take prey the same girth as instead of something slightly smaller and you don't have to watch their diet/defecation quite as closely. *shrug*

bistrobob85 · 08-19-04, 11:16 PM

You're right, Ldydrgn. Some ETBs are handleable and some are not. Same for ATBs but it's basically thrue for most of the snakes around too... They all have their past and own experiences with humans and that give them their personality. My ETB is handleable and never bit me once ( i had it only for 5 months now and i took it out something like a dozen times ). Even though some ETBs might be docile, you'll suffer less from an ATB's bite Have you seen Agar's ETB mouth shots??? The snake on the pic is only a sub-adult!!!

phil.

CraigC · 08-20-04, 07:13 AM

The major reasons for separation have been covered. We had to temporarily put 2 sisters together for about 24 hours. They were about 2 years old. We noticed that one was not staying on the perchs, but had gone to ground. Emeralds almost never go to ground. We believe that we were observing a dominance situation that was stressful to both, but more so to the girl on the ground.

Although it may not be a problem with juvies and sub-adults, mature males housed together could be a problem when "breeding season" comes around.

CraigC

LdyDrgn · 08-20-04, 10:00 AM

My husband has nerve damage from an ETB bite and I have witnessed our other ETB eating. Yeah, I know all about their teeth!

One of our ATB's wants to be an ETB when he grows up, though. Normally one his size wouldn't break the skin, but this kid has a VICIOUS bite to him!! The jaw muscles on his head are huge.

ib_inked · 08-20-04, 12:39 PM

See my pics for a bite that I took. It was a mild one too, but it got infected and hurt like a mofo.
I have been bit by alot of different species and the Emerald hurt almost the most.

newtosnakes · 08-24-04, 06:43 AM

Thank you for all the responses. This will definitely be something thats put on the back burner for a long time. Maybe someday when Ron or I has enough experience with snakes and we feel we're ready for one.

BoidKeeper · 08-24-04, 07:03 AM

Please don't get turned off of ETBs because of what we said. We sure didn't want to scare you off of them. If you get a CBB ETB and meet it's caging and husbandry requirments, which if you have some snake experience you'll have no problem doing, you'll be fine with an ETB. The key is to ask a few questions read a bit, buy CBB and house them individually.
Cheers,
Trevor

newtosnakes · 08-24-04, 07:06 AM

LOL, you didnt scare us off! We're just not ready for one now. My fiance and I have our own place now so we're getting started. I'm sure we'll have one down the road.