Amazon tree boa question

I'm thinking about getting a ATB.
I've only kept ball pythons.

Was wondering if anyone thought an ATB would be a good starter for me?

All advice would be appreciated

Thanks

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if you do your research on them and know what you are getting into, then yes.
the amazon tree boa is a good arboreal for first time owners.

they will help you learn how to keep the perfect parameters that they need but they can handle it not being perfect better than others..
the cage will need to be big enough and have a heat gradiant so the snake can thermoregulate.
they enjoy temps lower and will make use of a hide.
humidity is important while having good ventilation..

often they are more agressive then other snakes, some are tame, some can be tammed and others will simply never like you LOL
if you want a play snake, this may not be the best choice unless you find one that is known to be easy to handle..

I say, if you are not worried about it trying to bite you (it will) go for it and you will love them , they come in a bunch of colours.

things you should know:

-colours all fade out as they become adults, they will brown out or become greyish in time. they will still retain some colours but no where as nice.

-don't get a halloween because of the orange/red markings these will all be gone by age 1 and it will only look like a normal garden phase

-they pee and poop often

-they need a big cage, 18x18x24 exo will not do for an adult in fact 24x18x24 is barely enough..they get long and enjoy cruising all over the cage at night.

best of luck, hope you find the one that's for you

Awesome!! Thanks for the response

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I did get a garden phase just given to me

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that's cool !! free is always nice that and nothing wrong with a garden phase, i like them just as much.
if one day you breed them, they can produce colourd snakes anyways, it's a surprise everytime seeing what comes out..

good luck and enjoy, they are a fun snake to keep, verry active when lights go out.. just watch out when feeding, they are fast little buggers lol always make sure you know where the head is before opening the cage.

Any tips on dealing with biting?

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Hi Ethan,

I was chiming in on the BPnet thread you started regarding this ATB. Stephane gave some great advice here.


As far as biting - they are very heat sensitive. Once I was holding one at my local reptile club and she struck out at someone next to me because they breathed on her. I can easily elicit a strike from mine by blowing on them - they are heat seekers!

One trick I've used is rinsing my hands in cool water. I've found the easiest way to pick them up is when they are sleeping on the ground, scoop them up with cool hands. They will then anchor on your hand. Not always possible of course, but sometimes it works. If they are wrapped around a perch or netting, I will take the entire perch out in order to get them out of the cage. I use a hook with my amazons, for my convenience and less stress on them.

They also have quite a large strike range and will lunge forwards trying to bite, try to keep an eye out and be quick. Try to keep a nice distance away from your face. Even though they are quick to bite, they also tend to have a 'lazy lunge' and are not always very fast, I can almost always avoid the bite simply by being faster than the snake is.

I hope that helps a little!

Okay great thanks!!

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Everything April said and here's a few more tips and things to know..

As i mentioned, sometimes you get lucky and find one that is very docile, I have one that is so tame , i can wear it as a belt or necklace while i clean it's cage, it has never tried to bite me.. well once the lights are out all bets are off
one thing you have to be carefull about is if the one you have tends to strike sometimes, never fully trust it, even when you safely have it in hands.. I have one that would seem to be fine all wrapped up on my arm and then WHAM turned and bit me on the wrist ??? out of the blue. it doesn't hurt much but you will have lots of little holes that bleed..
ME except for that one single ATB that's super tame, all the other I use a hook to keep the head away from me. Others are tame too, I just don't fully trust them.

The quick pick that April mentioned is great , it can be used just to handle them or to transfer in a tub while cleaning the cage.

a good trick that I do is, I use puppy pads on the bottom and since they love to use hides, i simply grab all 4 corners of the pad, fold them over the hide and remove the whole thing without even bothering the snake. then when i'm done cleaning, get a hook , remove hide, pick up snake fast and guide the head in the cage.. this trick works wonders for a aggresive one. By the time they realise what's going on, they're back in the cage with that evil look saying, why don't you try this again LOL

another easy way is to use a shoe box size humid hide. some really love these and if you have trouble with sheds, i suggest trying this first.
get a shoe box size bin, cut a hole on one side of the lid just big enough for the snake to fit and keep1-2" of humid spagmoss in it... this not only helps with sheds but simplifies removing the snake just grab the bin with the snake and cover the exit hole while you clean... or , let the snake come out on it's own and slowly work your way in handling it..

always remember what April said, they are super heat sensistive.. they seem to love the thick part at the base of out tumbs I got snagged a few times there LOL

enjoy your new snake

Lol okay great!! Thanks!

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