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Thread: GTP feeding

  1. #31
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    So the little guy finally got a pinky down by assist feeding. He was starting to get thin so it was time to go that route in my opinion. I call up a guy that has a reptile shop around here and talked to him and I guess he use to breed gtp about 25 years ago. So after taking with him I bought him down to him too look at. He agreed that he was too thin. So he was able to assist feed him with out any problems.
    With talking about my setup he thinks that the 12 by 12 cube is too small to get a proper thermal gradient. He recommended going with at least an 18 by 18 and also said that unlike most other snakes. It's important to use a uvb light with them. So I will ba making some changes in the next few days that will hopefully get this guy back on track. If necessary he will keep getting assist feed till he will eat on his own. The shop owner also said that if I bringin some of his poo that he can check it under microscope. So fingers crossed

  2. #32
    BPnet Lifer Sauzo's Avatar
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by fluffykitten View Post
    So the little guy finally got a pinky down by assist feeding. He was starting to get thin so it was time to go that route in my opinion. I call up a guy that has a reptile shop around here and talked to him and I guess he use to breed gtp about 25 years ago. So after taking with him I bought him down to him too look at. He agreed that he was too thin. So he was able to assist feed him with out any problems.
    With talking about my setup he thinks that the 12 by 12 cube is too small to get a proper thermal gradient. He recommended going with at least an 18 by 18 and also said that unlike most other snakes. It's important to use a uvb light with them. So I will ba making some changes in the next few days that will hopefully get this guy back on track. If necessary he will keep getting assist feed till he will eat on his own. The shop owner also said that if I bringin some of his poo that he can check it under microscope. So fingers crossed
    I disagree with a lot of this but if what this guy says works, then that is what matters. Here is a link to an article but Rico Walder and Trooper Walsh who were the guys who owned Signal Herp and were one of the first to actually breed GTPs in captivity. This is very good info. http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care...n-Tree-Python/
    Last edited by Sauzo; 04-17-2018 at 11:07 PM.
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  3. #33
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    Re: GTP feeding

    Quote Originally Posted by fluffykitten View Post
    So the little guy finally got a pinky down by assist feeding. He was starting to get thin so it was time to go that route in my opinion. I call up a guy that has a reptile shop around here and talked to him and I guess he use to breed gtp about 25 years ago. So after taking with him I bought him down to him too look at. He agreed that he was too thin. So he was able to assist feed him with out any problems.
    With talking about my setup he thinks that the 12 by 12 cube is too small to get a proper thermal gradient. He recommended going with at least an 18 by 18 and also said that unlike most other snakes. It's important to use a uvb light with them. So I will ba making some changes in the next few days that will hopefully get this guy back on track. If necessary he will keep getting assist feed till he will eat on his own. The shop owner also said that if I bringin some of his poo that he can check it under microscope. So fingers crossed
    There is very little of this that is accurate in my experience. Also, how old is your neonate?

  4. #34
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    Re: GTP feeding

    I'm going to try some of the things that he recommended at this point it can't hurt. The guys name in mike he says that he went to college for reptiles and teaching years ago and was a teacher for several years. That's how he gets his permit in nys for venomous stuff and big pythons. When I was little about 20+ years ago him and someone else had a rather large pet shop and he was the one that owned and breed all of the reptiles there. I remember seeing pythons hatching out of the eggs there when I was proll about 8 years old. He said when he he first breed the gtp it was him and someone from nerd that worked on it.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by Regius_049 View Post
    There is very little of this that is accurate in my experience. Also, how old is your neonate?
    At this point I'm unsure of the age

  5. #35
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    I suppose this can serve to some degree as a warning for people buying cheaper imports vs USCB green tree pythons. USCB are just so much more reliable, you know you have several feedings in them, and you have a breeder to consult with husbandry questions. However in this case, that is moot.

    Quote Originally Posted by fluffykitten View Post
    At this point I'm unsure of the age
    I ask because manipulating young green tree pythons can be very dangerous from a skeletal perspective. There are mountains of stories of specimens becoming deformed from restraining or probing as neonates. It is for this reason I would be extremely cautious about ever force-feeding one. Maxwell notes that 8-12 grams is a fairly normal hatch weight and babies can go 8-10 weeks without feeding before he will generally consider force-feeding. My guess is he was eating overseas, then stopped after importation, thus the importer said he was eating.

    I went through this thread a little more and you have made some notable improvements from your initial setup. However given that your last changes were ~1 month ago and he still isn't eating, he must not be "happy enough" or feel safe enough to feed. I actually like the setup, and a more established neonate would probably do just fine in it (though I would have opted for a small RHP vs the CHE). Chondros have been raised in worse setups, but generally (as much as I hate to say it) babies grow best in racks for their first year or so. Almost all the successful breeders I know go from hatchling tub => shoe box -> adult enclosure (3' x 2' x 2') and this was the flow I followed. They are hands down pickiest when they are young.

    If you have a rack, then I would place him in a shoebox tub with a perch akin to this. If not, I would go buy an opaque or semi-opaque tub about 12" x 10" x 6" or so and put some heat tape underneath one half. Place the probe on the perch and set it to about 84-86 F. This should ideally give you a small gradient from 85 F to maybe mid-70s. The floor will be somewhat hot, but this will be fine as it wont be warm enough to burn your snake nor will the snake really spend any time down there. Use a decent sized water dish and do not mist unless he is shedding. A properly sized water dish will give you all the humidity you need. When you go to feed, turn out the lights in the room and open the tub and try to tease feed.

    Once get starts to hit OCC (color change), you can probably move him back into the setup you have, then on to something larger.

  6. #36
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    Pat is an import and he is fine. When i got him, the gal said he ate once in a month and was really skinny. I accepted the challenge and almost 4 months later, Pat is a chubby, happy little snake that isnt defensive or anything. He is actually very curious and has sat on me with no problem. About the worst he does when he doesnt to be messed with is hiss and then try and get back into his cage lol. The owner of the reptile shop says i have a way with snakes as i can get any snake switched over on prey or eating. I got my JCP switched from live black mice at night only to FT rats any time during the day or night lol.

    There are plenty of good importers from Bushmaster like Harlin Wall and Ryan Burke.

    Sure, you are taking more of a chance but with imports but i wouldnt dismiss them as an option.

    And it's rather funny. I started Pat in a little tub and he actually did worse. Once i moved him to his 18x18x18 cube, he flourished. I dont buy that snakes need X amount of space to do good or not do good. In the wild, they dont live in a 12x10 cube or a 20 gallon breeder or whatever. The key is you need to make them feel secure. The reason i see tubs working so well for a lot is that is is cheap to use and the sides, top and overall small space acts as the cover in the snakes mind. But if you want to use bigger, you need to spend the cash to clutter it up right. The plus side to bigger caging is it is a lot easier to get a gradient but it can also be harder to maintain the correct temps and humidity. I could not get a tub set up right trying to use heat tape and stuff. I have started all my snakes in stuff a lot of people say are too big for babies and they all did fine and are relaxed and laid back now as juveniles or adults.

    And i got Pat when he was about 6 months old and he is almost 10 months old now. Eats fine, poops fine, sheds all in one piece. I think he might actually be eating too good as this last feeding, he was more concerned about climbing over one of the plastic plants closest to the door and seeing whats outside over eating lol. I kept using the FT mouse to block him and finally i think it pissed him off enough that he just grabbed it and ate it haha.

    The OPs little GTP boggles me though but i bet if i had it, i could get it to eat
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  7. #37
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    Just a small update. He did finally shed and now he does look a lot better. Before that he was looking super dehydrated. He still a littel skinny but we are working on that. Hopefully soon he will start taking food on his own. At this point that will make me very happy.

  8. #38
    BPnet Lifer Sauzo's Avatar
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    Holy cow! That snake still isnt eating on its own??

    I've heard of some snakes being a little special ed about food and needing to be 'taught' what food is but usually after a few times, they figure it out and start eating on their own.
    Last edited by Sauzo; 05-30-2018 at 08:38 AM.
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  9. #39
    Registered User fluffykitten's Avatar
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    sadly yes. its been very frustrating and has been requiring a lot of patience on my part. all i can do is try my best.

  10. #40
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    Re: GTP feeding

    So finally he's starting to put on some weight. He was looking super skinny for a bit. My hope is that eventually he will start eating on his own., I hope.




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