New Green tree Python, and... Mites.

Green Tree Python, My girlfriend just picked up a young GTP, and Its an interesting little guy, the one who was handling it at the store was able to check the little guys eyes and mouth for mites and even present its teeth without the snake caring much at all. However after bringing it all of the way home, It was scared, poor little guy snagged me.

=D My first bite! ^_^;; didn't hurt much at all, but i can say for sure ive still not stopped trembling, lots of blood, man those teeth are sharp.

Thing is, the little guy has mites, the guy at the store informed me of this, and told me of how it was alot worse 2 weeks ago and he's been hand picking them off of them and using some kind of oil spray too? maybe i heard that wrong. But he did state that it was really an annoying thing to try and get rid of.

So my question is this,

The beast doesnt seem to be to wild. and just scared, but is there anything you guys can tell me what you do to prepare yourself for an expected bite? I just don't like shaking as I approach it.

and most importantly. Mites. Advice?

Provent-a-mite for mites. You'll need newspaper or paper towel substrate until the mites are gone, daily soakings.....which is going to be fun for a GTP....expect bites. Don't spray the PAM directly on any of the animals, it's for the enclosures only.
http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=53&Itemid=59

As far as bites go, if you were worried about getting bit, a GTP was probably a bad decision. They are not exactly hands on snakes, and from what I've heard adult GTP bites are more painful than you can imagine.

I'd be sure to PAM your ball python since the likelihood of them spreading to whatever reptiles you have are almost certain.

Bummer your new GTP has mites. Here is a good thread about how to treat GTPs with Prevent-a-mite. Since they are arboreal there are a few tips like spraying the perch.

http://moreliaviridis.yuku.com/topic.../Proven-A-Mite

How big is it right now? Maybe post some pictures. With green trees you don't want to handle them for the first year or so due to how fragile their spines are. After that they can be very nice snakes to handle but with most things you may have to work with them a bit to get them to trust you. Ours are all very mellow.

Oh, and Signal has a great article about handling tips to avoid bites. Also, do you know what locality it is?

http://www.signalherp.com/whybebitten.pdf

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

Ours are all very mellow.

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:hijackd: for a sec...

Is there any truth to what I've heard, that if you are going to handle them you should do so at night or they'll take your hand off? Just curious lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LGray23

:hijackd: for a sec...

Is there any truth to what I've heard, that if you are going to handle them you should do so at night or they'll take your hand off? Just curious lol.

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Actually you want to avoid night handling because they hunt at night. I don't think I'd go after one at night if some one paid me, lol. Their feeding response is a lot more heightened than a BP. If you handle them during the day just touch them gently or tap their perch with a snake hook to wake them up a bit to avoid a bite from startling them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jsmorphs2

Actually you want to avoid night handling because they hunt at night. I don't think I'd go after one at night if some one paid me, lol. Their feeding response is a lot more heightened than a BP. If you handle them during the day just touch them gently or tap their perch with a snake hook to wake them up a bit to avoid a bite from startling them.

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I must have had it mixed up then, I knew there was a time of day you'd lose a limb :rofl:

I'll post a picture ASAP, but it seems very docile, ive held it 2 times today and both times it seemed fine with me handling it.

It only bites because its scared right now, its a Biak GTP, very gorgeous, When the pet store guy reached in he was a ball python breeder originally and has several large snakes,

I'm not worried about being bitten XD it doesnt even hurt, just nerves getting to me :P

but yeah, a very nice temperment on the snake, considering i was dumb and tried to reach into the small box that they put it in for me to take home, i expected a strike, and it gave a LOT of warning to me, I just kinda crossed my fingers and hoped for the best :3

I'll get those pictures up right now though =D thankyou for advice.

http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/7609/dscf3172.jpg

I am not familiar with GTPs as I only keep ball pythons and a boa....I'm just letting you know that they are not as forgiving with husbandry as ball pythons are. They are known to drop dead for no reason with no warning. I'd switch up that analog thermometer for something much more accurate....He's awefully cute though :)

Again, this is just what I've been told by people I know who keep chondros, not from experience.

that's not the thermometer we're using, I just stuck it against the wall for a size comparison. lol :P i got another acurite already.

Def need to do more research on their housings and glass tanks are a no no with GTP.

Look into Custom ABS/PVC Cages for Arboreal snakes.

2x2x2ft malamine cages are easy to make. Only need a small vent so humidity stays high. Melamine makes it easy to mount PVC pipes in the cage for perches. Very easy to clean to. Can build a cage for under 100$ including the glass door.

Hope you're able to get rid of the mites quickly...seems like you're on the right track. Repti-racks has decent caging for low prices - totally worth it for the price.

As far as being handleable, mine are quite laid back and I've yet to get tagged. I have one male in particular that is an extremely aggressive feeder and will "stalk" anything that moves within a foot or so of his enclosure at night, but he can be handled any time (day or night) as long as I show him that its me and not food.

I also wanted to add that gtps do not drop dead for no reason. This exact statement (don't worry..I've heard it a few times from different individuals, it seems to be a common misconception) kept me from keeping this species for several years. I've talked to a few keepers that have had gtps die for "odd" reasons, but I will venture to say that if you survey a large enough quantity of any species, you will have a few die for ambiguous or uncertain reasons. This does not necessarily mean that they are delicate. I think this myth came from the early days of keeping chondros when we did not know as much about the species, did not have as many caging options available, had many imports heavily loaded with parasites, etc. I have found my gtps to be hardy and easy to care for when set up correctly. Granted "hardy and easy to care for" is relative...I do not disagree that they require a bit more upkeep than bps, boa constrictors, etc.

lol, I understand everyones concerns, but it was only a temp.

I assure you all ive done plenty of research on the housing XD I have a 58 quart tub set up with a pvc pipe that runs through it ive drilled holes that perfectly fit the pvc, removed a section and created a heat lamp box for the top half and ive got an Acurite humidity temp monitor and the little aquarium s/he was in was simply for the photo.

Beyond that it's living space is well set up ^^; I appologize if anyone has gotten the wrong Idea on this.

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/4397/dscf3173d.jpg
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/8168/dscf3174.jpg
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/8528/dscf3175.jpg

Theres pictures of the tub i built and set up,

those are two diff humid/temp gauges on each side, a bleachable water dish, a screened framed top with a 60 wt ceramic heat emitter. and an obvious pvc pipe through the thing, i have another i intend to add at a later date a little lower for the little guy.

and I intend to build a much more professional enclosure with real plants and such inside it when the little tike is mite free and more comfortable with us.

The tub looks good. You might want to go with a smaller diameter pvc though and maybe add a second perch. He looks like he's a good size to start handling (after its settled in and the mites are gone). Just be careful not to pull him off the perch but let him crawl off himself. He's very pretty (idk if its a he or she, sorry, lol). As far as Biaks go, ours is very calm and handleable but I've been told by a few experienced keepers that they can change personalities and don't always stay calm. Just something to keep in mind. Good luck with the little guy.

I had one of my sub-adults in that same tub model for a few months and it worked very well. I agree with the statement about the perches. Movement aids in muscle tone and bowel movements so I try to give mine as many reasons to move as possible..and I will tell you that I definitely see a correlation between amount of movement and the regularity of poops within my collection. For a quarantine cage though, I think its fine...except for the hide, which I would ditch. Gtps will occasionally ground themselves but I've never seen or heard of one using a hide. Right now its just something else for the mites to get into and for you to clean.

Blah, okay then. i never liked that hide anyway. >_>

I just wanted to add that apparently snake mites do not lay their eggs on the animals themselves, they onyl attach to the snake to feed and then drop off and lay eggs in the enclosure, so if you Provent-A-Mite the cage you should be good to go because as soon as the mites drop off your animal to lay eggs they will get dosed up with the PAM, the stuff is great and will kill mites for months. I had to use the stuff once for one of my snakes and it only needed one application and completely destroyed the infestation. Just make sure that you follow the directions exactly, and you should be good to go. Good luck!