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Thread: GTP feeding

  1. #1
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    GTP feeding

    So my neonate GTP is being rather stubborn at the moment it's been 4 weeks in a row that he has refused food. The first two weeks he ate like a champ even tho it was the first time he's had a f/t mouse. I was told that before he was on live pinks. I was able to just tap him on the side and tail and he would strike and eat. But lately no such luck even with annoying him trying to get a strike he won't. Currently he's at 17g. I have been trying at night with the lights off with the exception to the lights from my other cages so have just enough to see what im doing. I have tried even varying the temp of the pinks to 88 to almost 100 degrees.
    His cage is 12x12 with a few perches for him to hangout on and some fake leaves to give him some place to hide. The cold spot is 77 to 79 with a hot spot of 92 to 93. Mist him in the morning and night to keep his humidity around 75 to 90 percent. During the day he does not really do much. At night he really starts to move around and exploring his cage.
    I'd like to see this little noodle get back on track so he can get big and strong. So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions id like to hear them.

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    I recently bought a neonate GTP which went off feed for a 5 weeks, probably due 24hr transportation in a car and settling in to the new cage. I got my GTP back on track by scenting the mouse with chick down. I just thawed the mouse in warm water as usual, added some chick down to the mouse and after slight tapping on the sides the GTP took the meal and has been eating since. I´ve read that some people have also used egg yolk for scenting.

  3. #3
    BPnet Veteran SDA's Avatar
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    No offense but do you know the care needs for a GTP? Neonates are very particular. I would highly suggest reading up quick on care guides

    First off your temps are way too high. Basking spot needs to be from above or the side and no hotter than 88 degrees but in realistic means, 84-86. Cool should be in the mid 70s. You need to make sure you have the proper tub setup with adequate perches to let them regulate.

    Neonates can either be voracious feeders or very finicky. A finicky eater should never be sold to anyone until eating for a set period of time. 17 grams is far too small as they should not be sold before even close to 4 months of age and should be far larger than that.

    GTPS stress very easily and take a while to get that stress response going. They can seem fine for a week or two then just stress out for a month.

    I would make it as stress free as possible which means you do not handle or bother as much as possible. This means not misting directly on the snake and only opening the tub to change water and offer food.

    How old and what locality is it? Where did you get it from and is it captive bred or wild caught/farm raised?

    If it is feeding on live then you need to feed on live. I would also either get the complete chondro book and/or get on this facebook group and read up on this forum for how to care for neonates. If this is a wild caught or foreign farm import you need to get a fecal done soon to rule out parasites.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/MoreliaViridis

    https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/moreliaviridis/


    For now get that temperature under control, you have it way too hot.

    Look here for perchs for tub setup that work great

    https://www.specialtyenclosuredesigns.com/


    Get in contact with the breeder for help. If you got it from a reptile expo, craigslist, or pet store that is not the breeder then I hope it works out.

    Not trying to be mean but these are not snakes for first time keepers and should be researched for a long time before diving into.
    Last edited by SDA; 03-21-2018 at 08:41 PM.
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by SDA View Post
    Neonates can either be voracious feeders or very finicky. A finicky eater should never be sold to anyone until eating for a set period of time.
    If I really felt the animal was starving and I'd already offered 3+ times, I'd be tempted to just assist feed instead of continuing to harass it to eat voluntarily. Your take?

  6. #5
    BPnet Veteran SDA's Avatar
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    Assist feeding might be necessary if really a 17 gram neonate but I think that might be a typo because I can't imagine anyone selling a newborn that underweight.

    Most likely it is simply stressed and patience needs to be done. There are proven techniques to stimulate a feed response in neonates and are almost always successful. Scenting can work but feeding the same type and live status as was being fed is also important.

    I would say only assist feed if experienced in doing so and only if all husbandry is perfect first. For now they should adjust husbandry issues then offer every 3-4 days and using the techniques to get them interested like stroking the sides of the head with the pinky.

    It might also help to see a picture of the snake, the tub and give us a real weight as I am pretty sure 17 grams was a typo
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  7. #6
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by fluffykitten View Post
    So my neonate GTP is being rather stubborn at the moment it's been 4 weeks in a row that he has refused food. The first two weeks he ate like a champ even tho it was the first time he's had a f/t mouse. I was told that before he was on live pinks. I was able to just tap him on the side and tail and he would strike and eat. But lately no such luck even with annoying him trying to get a strike he won't. Currently he's at 17g. I have been trying at night with the lights off with the exception to the lights from my other cages so have just enough to see what im doing. I have tried even varying the temp of the pinks to 88 to almost 100 degrees.
    His cage is 12x12 with a few perches for him to hangout on and some fake leaves to give him some place to hide. The cold spot is 77 to 79 with a hot spot of 92 to 93. Mist him in the morning and night to keep his humidity around 75 to 90 percent. During the day he does not really do much. At night he really starts to move around and exploring his cage.
    I'd like to see this little noodle get back on track so he can get big and strong. So if anyone has any ideas or suggestions id like to hear them.
    Drop the temps. I keep mine at an ambient of around 77-79 throughout the cage. He has one small spot at the back right corner that has a little Nano CHE and a t-stat set to 85F. GTPs generally dont like it really hot. At least he isnt grounding so you got a plus there.

    Second, dont mist the snake. Most babies hate being sprayed with water and it can piss them off or stress them out. I personally never mist my cage and im using a Zoo Med 18x18x18 cube. I just cover the top with tin foil and leave a hole in the back right corner for the CHE. I use Reptichips on the floor with a large water dish and a live potted plant. That keeps humidity around 65-70%. You dont want a constantly wet cage. That will create RI conditions.

    Also give us a pic of what you got. The snake might not feel secure. Pat LOVES plastic plants so i have 4 of those in cage which he will sleep next to and play around on all night long. It's a good sign he is at least exploring at night.

    When you offer him food, are you just touching him? Sometimes you have to kind of smack em around to get them good and pissed lol. Also you can try and pinch the snout of the pinky mouse to create blood.

    Also is the snake drinking? A dehydrated snake wont eat. Again, need to see the set up. Do you have elevated water bowls? Have you seen the snake drink? Are you injecting the FT with water?

    Neonate GTPs really arent that hard from what i have seen but you need to get it right. There is too much that can wrong if you dont know what you are doing. But otherwise, to me, they are as easy to care for as my BCI boas.

    To give you an example, here is Pats cage. I got him about 3 months ago when he was about 10 inches long. He was a little bit of a problem feeder for the gal but now, he is about 20 inches long and eats like a horse every 5-7 days. After about the 4th day, he is out in force at night looking for food or perched at the front of the cage staring out the door lol.



    Also, if i didnt emphasize it enough, you need to make sure the snake is drinking. They use liquid to digest food. They also lose liquid to too much heat. They also piss out liquid. And neos will dry up quick. Try and hold a little tiny bottle cap of water to the snakes face during the day. It might drink. Pat drank water that way at first. Then he figured out the elevated little water dishes and found his large water dish at the floor which he swims in pretty much nightly. I still inject his FT fuzzy mice with water though to make sure he stays hydrated even though i have seen him drink.
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  9. #7
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by Ernie Mccracken View Post
    If I really felt the animal was starving and I'd already offered 3+ times, I'd be tempted to just assist feed instead of continuing to harass it to eat voluntarily. Your take?
    Some babies need to be harassed the get them to start eating. It sounds this baby has already been eating and then quit. Baby snakes dont eat and then quit for no reason. There is an issue. My guess is dehydration as that is a very common issue with neobate GTPs. It also leads to prolapse which is why you see a lot of neonate GTPs prolapse but almost never see adults prolapse. Adults have much more mass and much more body liquid. Babies dry out really fast which can lead to a downhill spiral really fast.

    I personally would not assist feed unless it was a last resort. If the snake is dehydrated to the point it wont eat and you shove food into, you are asking for a prolapse or a regurg and then even more issues. Now as the last resort, you can assist feed and inject the feeder with a nice amount of unflavored Pedalyte to replace liquids for it but again, i would start off with offering it a bottle cap of water to its face and see if it drinks. If it does, do that every day for a week and then offer it some food as well as making sure you have elevated water bowls next to its favorite perch spots.
    Last edited by Sauzo; 03-21-2018 at 09:36 PM.
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  10. #8
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by SDA View Post
    No offense but do you know the care needs for a GTP? Neonates are very particular. I would highly suggest reading up quick on care guides

    First off your temps are way too high. Basking spot needs to be from above or the side and no hotter than 88 degrees but in realistic means, 84-86. Cool should be in the mid 70s. You need to make sure you have the proper tub setup with adequate perches to let them regulate.

    Neonates can either be voracious feeders or very finicky. A finicky eater should never be sold to anyone until eating for a set period of time. 17 grams is far too small as they should not be sold before even close to 4 months of age and should be far larger than that.

    GTPS stress very easily and take a while to get that stress response going. They can seem fine for a week or two then just stress out for a month.

    I would make it as stress free as possible which means you do not handle or bother as much as possible. This means not misting directly on the snake and only opening the tub to change water and offer food.

    How old and what locality is it? Where did you get it from and is it captive bred or wild caught/farm raised?

    If it is feeding on live then you need to feed on live. I would also either get the complete chondro book and/or get on this facebook group and read up on this forum for how to care for neonates. If this is a wild caught or foreign farm import you need to get a fecal done soon to rule out parasites.

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/MoreliaViridis

    https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/moreliaviridis/


    For now get that temperature under control, you have it way too hot.

    Look here for perchs for tub setup that work great

    https://www.specialtyenclosuredesigns.com/


    Get in contact with the breeder for help. If you got it from a reptile expo, craigslist, or pet store that is not the breeder then I hope it works out.

    Not trying to be mean but these are not snakes for first time keepers and should be researched for a long time before diving into.
    No offense taken I am here to learn after all.
    I did get him at an expo, and he's a farm bred. The weight is not an typo. I use a ds6000 for checking weights. I have only had him out once since I have had him to do some cleaning the other day.
    I have already made some changes to bring down the temps.
    I don't always mist him directly but I have. So I'll make sure not to anymore.
    I was told he's a manokwori local
    I did pick up a copy of the complete chondro book.
    While I am not new to snake keeping, I have had snakes for over 20 years now. I now feel I didn't do enough research on the gtp before jumping in head first.

  11. #9
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    This picture is from tonight


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    Doesnt look too dehydrated to me. The 2 lumps on his head are looking rather large, might be getting ready to shed. And honestly, that doesnt look Manokwari to me. Looks like Pat who is pure Biak. But kind of hard to tell with babies. You will find out when it changes colors. If it doesnt full change in a year or so, you have a biak lol. They can take up to 3 years and most will change their whole lives.

    Anyways, cover the sides of the cage with black paper or reptile or aquarium backdrop to help him feel more secure.

    Also you need to give him smaller perches. They should be no thicker than him. I have been told too big of perches can actually hurt their spines although, i cant verify that.

    I personally use 1/2 inch oak dowels for Pat. He was on 1/4 inch ones when i first got him but he got upgraded.

    Also make sure the perches cant spin. GTPs HATE unstable perches lol.

    Also for not eating for weeks, he doesnt look skinny lol. Pat was skinnier than that when i got him and now he has bulked up nicely and actually might be getting on the little chubby side haha.
    Last edited by Sauzo; 03-21-2018 at 10:22 PM.
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