Opinions on green tree pythons

I've been researching green tree pythons. I understand the care requirements, but I just want to know people's basic views on them. Horrible demons? Tame like puppies? Die at the slightest mistake? I keep seeing conflicting info on their temperaments and hardiness. Pics would be lovely too. And do you agree with cages 2 feet long by 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall for an adult?

I kept a few about 20 years ago. Everything I am going to say is from personal experience.
Care requirements, as long as you meet them they are pretty hardy unfortunately the signs of poor husbandry will be late in the game and can be difficult to recover from. I am not going to take the time to get into specifics but I will say you need to get a book called "The complete Chondro". It will be your bible and guide to being successful with the species. As long as you give them what they need you should be successful. Oh and if at all possible, go with captive bred and born. Avoid wild caught or farm raised/hatched. It is best to start with odds in your favor. There is a place in this hobby for wild caught and farm raised but for your first chondro I would not recommend.

Disposition, my aru female was a doll and was puppy dog tame. My Biak male was the devil reincarnated. My other mutts tolerated contact but we're not trustworthy. I have read locality can have something to do with it but every snake has his/her own personality and there will always be exceptions. Also, neonates are quite fragil and should not be handled too much. Their tails and spines are easily injured. Again, captive bred and born are likely better candidates as far as tolerating interaction.

As for housing I used pre formed plastic cube cages that were 24" x 24" x 24" heated with a Che on a thermostat and an ultrasonic humidifier on a timer. That set up seemed to work great.

So in summary do your research, if you decide to get one get a captive born and bred. I recommend not getting a neonate for your first. If you can find a sub adult or a healthy retired breeder you will be better off as they are a little more forgiving. Get your enclosure set up, stabalized and make sure it meets the snakes needs before you bring your snake home.
Hope this helps.

That was great. I hadn't heard of how delicate the babies are and I'll definitely look into an older one. I STRICTLY do captive bred so that was already decided. One thing I forgot, do you use heat pads and lamps, just lamps or something else for heat? And is it actually true to let the cage dry before more misting? I dont really understand what the "Che" is.

Che - ceramic heat emitter

I started with a Biak. She was awful. Made me bleed every chance she got.

My current Aru is awesome....... during the day. At night he bites anything that moves.

I have him in a 2ft cube and he is good. I heat it with a radiant heat panel, rhp, which is the best choice for arboreal snakes.

As for care they are more delicate but if you have a good understanding of how to provide them proper conditions they are easy enough.

The babies are extremely delicate and if you see a baby that says it's been sexed stay away from it. Your best bet to get one with a good temperament is to get one a bit older that is showing its true character.

My Emerald Tree Boa is in the same category and you'll read much more about them being a demon. Mine however is beyond awesome. I can pull her out day or night with no fuss, not even a hiss. She is in a larger care of 3x2x2 which is also heated with a rhp. Some day I may move my GTP to an identical cage but he it's good where he is. The ETB should get to a larger size to need the extra room.

I get my arboreal cages from pvccages.com and love them.

A great read is The More Complete Chondro.

I mist mine daily each morning. During shed I may do twice. The cages are a big part of this.

Before leaving for an extended period (5-9 days) of time I'll rehydrate the substrate, mist heavy, and go.

My ETB thread but it has some GTP pics as well.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ly-a-ETB-Owner!!!

My opinion? The most perfectly beautiful snake God put on our earth. My favorite snake by far.

One of the hardest to keep so if you lack experience learn and be diligent. I was planning on getting one but got an ATB for practice with those sort of arboreals.

The GTP is perfection, if you can handle it get it.

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Originally Posted by The_Godfather

My opinion? The most perfectly beautiful snake God put on our earth. My favorite snake by far.

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I agree, It's on my wishlist, One day.

Oh and the first time I held some GTPs I was amazed at how much smaller than expected they are.

Arboreals really are so much different in so many ways. And absolutely amazing. Their hunting skills and strike accuracy are sniper accurate with increased strike reach, and very large teeth often.

My coastal carpet is more semi arboreal but if you ever see an adult wild caught ATB you'll notice they evolved to be superior predators than other snakes. I watched mine kill 2 mice, at the same time, with different parts of his body.

Every snake can have a temper. But that shouldn't matter much. They usually don't like being handled and you should respect that if so.

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Originally Posted by BeelzeBall.

I agree, It's on my wishlist, One day.

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I've been able to achieve owning one for so long I just freeze up. I can afford one next month but I get so nervous about finally doing it. Not sure why. My ultimate dream snake and I freeze up.