My First GTP

Hey there... Thanks for looking, I recently picked up an 09 GTP from a friend of mine... Unfortunately I am a little uneducated when it comes to this particular species and would like to get some advice from some experienced keepers... Books can only tell you so much... As far as general husbandry and the basic setup I'm doing fine... Its the behavior, feeding, and handling I am curious about... I have had the little girl for about a week now and have offered her F/T as well as live fuzzy mice with no response... Is there a better food item I should try, or a good method to present the food items I have?? Also, what is recommended as far as handling?? Any insight would be appreciated... And again thanks for looking and happy herpin!!

I wouldn't handle it until it's a year old. Something about the spine and them being so young and vulnerable.

As for feeding it, give it some space and time. It'll come around. How many times did it eat for your friend?

As for what to offer, F/T is the best way to go. Perhaps the fuzzy is too big? I can't tell from the picture, but try a pinkie.

and join http://moreliaviridis.yuku.com/directory it's the best forum for chondros.

Hey there,
Thanks for the reply... I just needed some reassurance as to what I read about... I'll check out that other forum also... Thanks again

First things first.

What's the cage setup? Temps, humidity, etc???

Second. GTP's do not acclimate quickly in my experiences especially babies. No handling is best. It stresses them out at this age and they're quick to light you up and create some bloody pin holes in you.

You want the hot spot to be about 86-88 but not above 90 degrees. Cool side around 75-78 and ambient should be 84-86. They should have more then 1 tree limb as they naturally move around. Humidity around 70-80% as these are rain forest species so humidity is always very high. You'll still need to provide a water bowl.

how do you keep the humidity up other then the water bowl?

mist in am so it drys out by night time. also the smaller the cage the better they do not like big enclosures as babies. i have a male and 2 females all brought up from babies. feed smaller items and only every 7 to ten days i always waited for them to defecate before feeding again. you need to remember that they do not move around much and have a slow metabolism. feeding to big a prey item as a baby can cause them to regurgitate. to be honest with you this is not a snake for a begginer. read, read, read Greg Maxwell the complete chondro excellent book and will help a lot. good luck.

thanks ill see if i can find that book on ebay. i always do research before i jump into something new

gsrept is right is not the best begginer snake but that book will help out alot but to help out u out a little they need high humidty several perches basking light no hotter than 85dergrees durig the day at night 75 make sure u feed him nothing to big and as substrate i use jungle mix with gravel at the bottom. and u can handle them at any age but u have to be very gentle when they are babies do to their bones being so sensative can cuse broken ribs good luck

Tetsuya... I cannot stress it enough... HUMIDITY HUMIDITY HUMIDITY. Dont mess with it either. When you do, wear gloves and use tongs to feed it f/t or fresh killed. Do not unwind it. I know you are not a beginner and I am sorry if these seem like beginner answers. I had a pr of GTPs and all I did was look at them, feed them, and mist them a couple of times per day. They are awesome snakes. Also, do not overfeed them as it can be hazardous to them. I fed mine every two weeks and defnitely smaller prey than usual.

Hey,
handling at a young age isn't really the best idea. keep it to a minimum if you can until a year or so of age; they are fragile as juvies. But when you start to handle, just keep in mind that the species tends to be aggressive, some more than others. Do you know what sub-species she is? If she's a Sorong, Aru or a Jayapura there is a good chance she'll be better tempered than others like Biak. They can definitely be picky eaters and it takes a lot of patience. With my juvi ETBs we had to often leave live pinkies in the container and cover it so that it was dark. ETBs and GTPs are good night hunters due to the heat sensing pits on the side of their mouth. you could also try pissing her off so that she strikes at the mouse, but I use that as a last resort. Make sure you mist every morning and evening, and use your judgment to see if you think she needs more. Oh and if she's shedding she probably won't eat.