Green Tree Pythons

Hello! Have a few questions regarding GTPs. I've always found these animals absolutely stunning, and want to learn more about keeping and caring for them, I'll submit my questions in a list to kind of keep things somewhat orderly:

1. What's the best way to tell the locality of a GTP in terms of which "race" it is? My understanding is that their coloration or pattern can vary depending on where they/their parents were originally from.

2. Would you recommend a humidifier attached to a thermostat, or regular daily misting of the enclosure? Is it better to mist the cage for higher humidity during the day and letting it lower throughout the day, or to maintain a steady humidity in the enclosure at all times?

3. Can you handle a GTP on a regular basis? From what I've been reading, most sites I've been to suggest simply admiring them from afar.

4. Are there any GTP owners/breeders in the Northern VA/DC area? I am seeking an opportunity to handle and interact with these awesome snakes to get some experience with them.

Thanks! Looking forward to hearing some responses!

-Rob

I don't keep GTPs so I won't comment on them specifically, but I will say a little something about locality animals, specifically how to know the locality of your animal. Bottom line, the only way to know the locality of an animal is to A) know where it was collected B) know what it's parents were. You can't go based on the animal's appearance alone. For example, you may have two animals, one is a pure Biak, the other is 75% Biak 25% PNG. They may look identical. Crossbred animals can end up looking like either parent, somewhere in between, or like neither of them. No animal should be sold or represented as a locality animal unless it's collection site or lineage is known. Many sellers represent animals without locality data as (locality)-type. For example, an animal of unknown lineage that looks like a Biak may honestly be represented as Biak-type. This works great if you are just seeking an animal with a specific look, but if it's important to you to have true locality animals, you must buy from a reputable seller that knows exactly what they have.

Originally Posted by elena

I don't keep GTPs so I won't comment on them specifically, but I will say a little something about locality animals, specifically how to know the locality of your animal. Bottom line, the only way to know the locality of an animal is to A) know where it was collected B) know what it's parents were. You can't go based on the animal's appearance alone. For example, you may have two animals, one is a pure Biak, the other is 75% Biak 25% PNG. They may look identical. Crossbred animals can end up looking like either parent, somewhere in between, or like neither of them. No animal should be sold or represented as a locality animal unless it's collection site or lineage is known. Many sellers represent animals without locality data as (locality)-type. For example, an animal of unknown lineage that looks like a Biak may honestly be represented as Biak-type. This works great if you are just seeking an animal with a specific look, but if it's important to you to have true locality animals, you must buy from a reputable seller that knows exactly what they have.

Thank you for the info! I'm not sure which locality I'm seeking. Since it will be my first when I do pick one up someday, I'm not sure I'll care as much about locality so much as gaining the experience of caring for and interacting with one on a consistent basis.