First GTPs - Need advice regarding these setups!

Just yesterday my wife and I drove 14 hours to pickup a trio of GTPs and 222 Vision Cages to go with. Upon setting them up we notice the female has a slight wheeze and the cage setups are slightly different.

This First Cage Here is a Merauke Male,
The Cage is equipped with a heat emitter on the right side, does not have the inverted pocket lamp holder, does not have a middle screen on top, just in the back, and the bar is set at 3/4 back - 2/3 up in the cage.


The Second Cage is a Merauke Female,
The Cage is equipped with an inverted pocket lamp holder, does have a middle screen on top and in back, and the bar is set at 1/3 back, 1/3 up. I put a 50w infra red bulb in the pocket which is directly over the bar, and as you can see she curled up right under it.


The Third Cage is an Arfak Male,
The Cage is equipped with an inverted pocket lamp holder, does not have a middle screen on top, but does have a screen in back, and the bar is set at 3/4 back - 2/3 up in the cage. I also put a 50w infra red bulb on this cage but as you can see the bar is not directly under the lamp, but behind it instead.


Here is the female again without a flash


This is just the first phase of the setup, getting them in the door ect,
I plan to fully furnish the cages and get them off the floor as soon as I can decide what to do. I am giving them the high warm humidity treatment right now with sprayed aspen bedding and med high heat and letting them rest from the adventure. I am still adjusting the heat outputs as well.

I am also concerned about the piping because it is not secure and can turn when the snakes reach out shifting their weight. The bar should be secure and not able to turn right? And is it too wide for them?

I need some advice on what to do with the cages.
Should I...

A:) Take the bar that's under the lamp pocket in the females cage and move it up and back to match the other two, then secure the bar in place, add a heat panel on the left side, a grow bulb in the lamp pocket on the right, and a nice jungle plant under it. Then add some more jungle decor on the left to help hide the snake when it wants to cool down. Match it to the other two.

B:) Move the bar back and up to match the other two, continue to use the infra red as a heat source, and install light inside the cage either for live plants or cycling. Decor as well.

C:) Leave the bar where it is, continue to use the infra red as a heat source, and install a light inside the cage either for live plants or cycling, move the bar in the other two cages to match, and make the same.

D:) Something else involving a heat panel?

E:) Something else altogether?

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Please Explain!

First off welcome to the chondro world.. Second if she's wheezing she likely has an RI and needs a trip to a good herp vet.

Now for the cages, cut off the lamp cones that stick down into the cages and get heat panels. Set them so they cover one side above the perch or perches(two would be better) As for securing the perches so they wont roll over, here's what I do. I buy closet rod ends and cut a notch in one, I mount them to the walls and then drill a hole in one end of the PVC and put a screw into it so it will slid into the notch and the PVC will no longer turn.
here's a photo to give you a better idea of what i'm talking about.


there are other ways for securing them as well.

You don't need a light in the cage , Some cover will help , i don't use much myself.. Hope that helps some ..Randy

Well, looking at what hasn't been said, I'm all about uniformity, so I would move the bar and secure it. Especially if your other ones seem to be doing well that way.

However, my big thing here is that you need to change out the substrate. I don't really know about other people's experience, but it seems to me that my GTP's get sensitive about the aspen dust, and it causes them to wheeze a bit as well. The saying that goes something like, "simplicity is always best" is correct in this situation (from my experience) as I have had tremendous success using paper towels or similiar substrate for the bottom of my arboreal cages. I also use a large cake pan for their water, which helps keep the humidity up and gives them 24hr water availability. Some people have argued that it is not needed with arboreals, but if I wonder in my reptile room in the middle of the night, it is not uncommon for me to see one or two of my arboreals drinking water from it.

I'm not really sure what else to recommend for your cages, they look good to me. However, I would warn about taking a GTP to any vet unless s/he has had good experience with arboreals (particularly green trees) with references to back up their service. Many vets, and many that claim to work with reptiles, will KILL your GTP and do an autopsy to find out what's wrong. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!! Many people I know have been scammed into that and charged upwards of $300. So, no, I don't trust vets unless they have good solid references in working with arboreals with consistant success. There are a few out there, but they are really tough to find...depending on where you live. If you know a good vet, then I would recommend a visit, just to make sure everything is okay. Even if the vet isn't great, you can still have a fecal examination done. Just, don't let them get their hands on her.

By the way, your GTP's are gorgeous. Very nice snakes indeed. How are their personalities? I have three Jayapuras and an Aru. They are very gentle and seemingly enjoy getting out and being held. However, I have a hard time keeping them off my shoulders...I guess they like there. lol.

Oh, I forgot to ask what the temps and humidity are. You probably have already researched all of this, but it could also help us note if there is anything else to improve on. Thanks.

Update...

Things are moving along, still have a few other mods to do before i'm satisfied but here we are so far.

-Using a thin layer of "baked" cypress mulch for substrate
-Installed proper perches (thanx for the tips ravengait which are equal to the snakes girth and even went as far as torching them for a nice dark bark look.
-Got some nice golden pothos (washed and re-potted with sterile soil ect) for cover.
I really like these plants for my herp cages as they do really well in pots and can take a pretty good beating from the animals. Plus they expand outward rather then upward which is always good for terrariums. (and they match the GTPs lol)
-Large water pan for drinking/bathing/humidity ect. Prob gonna convert to an XL Exo Terra water dish next supply order or whatever.
-Large Mopani wood for shedding/climbing to the perch.
-Cut holes in the tops of the cages and installed some hardware cloth for better ventilation. I think that was the main cause of their URIs was poor ventilation and high stress.
-Replaced the Infra red bulbs with Blue bulbs. (still plan to install heat panels this month, but these are working good for now. I leave them on 24/7 and they keep that side of the cage a good 89-90 degrees.





Still want to make it look nicer, ya know get some better hanging pots in green or even camo, fluorescent fixtures to go over the hardware cloth for the plants, better heat panels, whatever it takes to make them extra comfortable. These guys have been through hell it seems and if I plan to breed them they're going to need some extra TLC before next season.

I keep the humidity at 60+ misting 2wice a day and the hot spot is 88-90 depending on the reptile room temp. Being in south Florida all I have to do is leave the window open and the reptile room stays at 82+ degrees and 50%+ humidity so we're good there. They still have a slight pop hiss and throat puff but it seems to be improving. Like I said I think it was mostly ventilation related. Still having problems with the female Merauke eating though. Both the other two guys have taken food but she is super shy and super stubborn. I went from a small rat to a small mouse and everything in between and she still won't eat. Live, stunned, pre killed, nothing.
Does the head tuck every time the mouse gets near her.

Congratulations on your new Green Trees!
Your cages seem to be going in the right direction. I have a couple of suggestions for you that I hope will help you out and your Chondros. I would add at least 1 if not 2 more perches all at different heights. One perch should be directly under your heat source to allow the snake to bask at the hot spot. Adding more perches just like the one you have at different heights will allow the snake to properly thermoregulate. Take advantage of the cage space by adding more surface area that the snake will use. I hope this helps and I got my point across if not tell me and I'll try and be more specific.
One idea for cage aesthetics concerning plants is something I've used for years. Get a round piece of cork bark and start a few inches down and saw it at an angle. Then attach it to the side of the cage with silicone add some soil and pothos and you got yourself a real natural looking potted plant without all the plastic. Also if you need me to elaborate I will. Good luck and I hope this helps
Charles

Originally Posted by chazzz

Congratulations on your new Green Trees!
Your cages seem to be going in the right direction. I have a couple of suggestions for you that I hope will help you out and your Chondros. I would add at least 1 if not 2 more perches all at different heights. One perch should be directly under your heat source to allow the snake to bask at the hot spot. Adding more perches just like the one you have at different heights will allow the snake to properly thermoregulate. Take advantage of the cage space by adding more surface area that the snake will use. I hope this helps and I got my point across if not tell me and I'll try and be more specific.
One idea for cage aesthetics concerning plants is something I've used for years. Get a round piece of cork bark and start a few inches down and saw it at an angle. Then attach it to the side of the cage with silicone add some soil and pothos and you got yourself a real natural looking potted plant without all the plastic. Also if you need me to elaborate I will. Good luck and I hope this helps
Charles

I've read somewhere that adding multiple perches at different heights isn't really necessary as the snake will always choose the highest perch neglecting the other ones, but I do understand the logic in a three dimensional perching gradient. I wouldn't know personally but hey it's not like it's an experiment that will negatively affect the snake right? I'll give it a shot.

And your invention is a flower pot made of JUST cork bark? Sounds pretty nifty but my only concern is wouldn't the bark eventually start to rot after about 12 months of watering the plant? What about molds? If you've done it and it works then that's awesome! Just concerned about my geo location because since i've been down here in SFL i've discovered the air is rich with moisture and spores all year round LOL. Mold is one of my biggest battles aside from ants and I have to take extra precautions on my setups to make sure they are unsusceptible to attacks from both. One thing that may work is this stuff I got off the internet a while back. It's all natural soy based wood sealer. Haven't had a chance to test it out yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work great for that idea as well. My next question is where can I get some cork bark sleeves at a diameter of over 8 inches? Online preferably.
Thanks again!

As for the snake staying on the highest perch, as long as the heat source is only over 1/2 the perch, the snake can have the added security of multiple perches, but still utilize a horizontal temperature gradient.

Also, I've used cork bark in my dart frog enclosures, and it has lasted up to 3 years with no molding at nearly 100% humidity, while 1/2 to 3/4 buried in substrate in naturalistic vivariums.

Give it a shot....I bet you'll love the way it works!