Newbee question - about color change in females

[Andys-Python]

I purchased an adult GTP about 6 months ago. I was told it was a Biak about 18 months old. Sex unknown. It was being fed 3 adult live mice a week and still had pieces of shed on different parts of its body. I took it home, cleaned its stinky cage and replaced it's skinny perch with another twice the size (which I think is still too small - I'm still learning here). I have been feeding it small rats every week and it has had two complete sheds since I've had it. I've noticed some of the scales along its sides and around its face have turned blue. The same blue color as the BP.net banner above. Would this color change be an indication of its sex? I understand that some female GTPs turn blue when they are ready to have sex - some more so than others.
I don't know that much about GTPs and I've been trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can, so I do right by mine (it's name is Puffers).
Oh, Puffers is about 5 feet long and very happy now. Still would prefer I not handle it, but I insist most of the time.

Andy-

[tikigator]

I would be very surprised if your 18 month old biak is 5 feet long. We only feed our chondros mice....you might want to go back on a mouse diet as they are much better for chondros than rats. Also, do not feed too large of meals. Color change takes place around 12-24 months, biaks it can take upto 3+ years. Females only turn hormonal blue when they are developing follicles or when they are gravid.....yours is a ways away from that, if it is indeed female.....and the color shift does not go by scales, they go ALL blue. However, not all chondros will turn hormonal blue, mostly only arus, and snakes with blue undertones. It's common for most chondros to have some blue hues, so this is probably normal. You can post a photo (or email it to me if you don't know how to post a photo, tikigator@gmail.com) and I can give you more insight to age, etc. Chondros make great display snakes and prefer not to be handled.....they are not "play with" snakes and it can stress them out tremendously. Their spines are very fragile, they should never be taken off the perch and if you insist on handling yours always make sure you are very careful when doing so. Biaks are known to be more aggressive, I don't know anyone who ever wants to handle their biak.

If you are new to chondros a great tool for you would be to purchase the book by greg maxwell, the more complete chondro. in the book you will find answers to all of your questions including husbandry, color morphing, sexual development, and more. every chondro owner should have that book. he is coming out with a reprint in the next couple weeks so if you cannot find one, check amazon soon! good luck and let me know if there is anything else i can help you with!

[KMG]

The age sounds off. I think it might be older than you were told if it really is 5 feet. Do you know its weight? Feeding three mice might be a bit much, but maybe they are smaller than what I'm used to.

That book is available for the Kindle app. It is much cheaper to download than find a hard copy.

[Andys-Python]

We only feed our chondros mice....you might want to go back on a mouse diet as they are much better for chondros than rats

For simplicity here, I'm going to assume Puffers is a girl...

Gosh, I thought I was doing right by her by feeding rats. I've been told (and read) that rats were better for Ball Pythons so I assumed this would be the case for Puffers. Mice won't be a problem though. I have plenty of those too. How many mice should I be feeding it? Is three per week enough? Doesn't seem like much given the size of this snake.

You can post a photo (or email it to me if you don't know how to post a photo, tikigator@gmail.com) and I can give you more insight to age, etc.

Puffers is in shed right now, so I hate to disturb her for a photo shoot. I'll see if I can find a photo I took when I first got her, but they were all taken while she was coiled up on her perch.

Chondros make great display snakes and prefer not to be handled.....they are not "play with" snakes and it can stress them out tremendously. Their spines are very fragile, they should never be taken off the perch and if you insist on handling yours always make sure you are very careful when doing so. Biaks are known to be more aggressive, I don't know anyone who ever wants to handle their biak.

Once out of it's enclosure, Puffers seems to like being out. She doesn't strike or anything and likes to explore and look out the window. I enjoy handling her but I never pull on her to get her out or off her perch. I just tickle her along the neck and body encouraging her to crawl out on my arm or into my hands. I'm VERY gentle with her because I've read/heard they have very brittle bones and shouldn't even be handled until they are a year old.

Do you know its weight?

I haven't weighed puffers. I'm not sure how I would do that. She's too active out of her cage and there's no way to weigh it, inside the cage. Maybe I can figure out a way to make a perch that will set on the scale or something.

If you are new to chondros a great tool for you would be to purchase the book by greg maxwell, the more complete chondro. in the book you will find answers to all of your questions including husbandry, color morphing, sexual development, and more. every chondro owner should have that book. he is coming out with a reprint in the next couple weeks so if you cannot find one, check amazon soon! good luck and let me know if there is anything else i can help you with!

Someone in another thread suggested this book and I ordered it straight away from eBay for only $60.00. It arrived in the mail today and I can't wait to get home tonight and start reading it.

Thanks to BOTH of you for your help and insight into the care of Puffers. I want only the best for my snakes. I've been thinking of getting a Neo. to keep Puffers company when it grows up, but I'd better make sure I'm doing things right with Puffers first.




Andy-

[tikigator]

You don't have to disturb her to take a photoshoot lol....just snap a pic of her on her perch, that is how photos of chondros are supposed to be taken see below....these are all photos I have taken of chondros here at my home. And yes rats are great for ball pythons, chondros are NOT ball pythons, not even close. Different in everyway. Usually a large mouse once a week is sufficient. She may beg at the door as many do but that does not mean she is hungry. Have fun reading, it's a great book!

[Evenstar]

Gosh, I thought I was doing right by her by feeding rats. I've been told (and read) that rats were better for Ball Pythons so I assumed this would be the case for Puffers. Mice won't be a problem though. I have plenty of those too. How many mice should I be feeding it? Is three per week enough? Doesn't seem like much given the size of this snake.

You obviously recognize your mistake thanks to Tikigator, lol, but never assume that what is good for one species is good for another. Balls are terrestrial snakes and do well on larger fattier rodents. GTPs, being arboreal, do much better with smaller lighter prey.


I feed my adult 5 ft male one large (maybe a jumbo) mouse every 2 weeks. No more than that. He is 9 years old and is a true 5 ft in length. He is a proven male and in his prime. Conversely, our 20 month old female Jayapura is about 30 inches in length and is eating a single mouse hopper each week. In other words, feed ONE mouse per week at this age. Once your baby is over 2 years old, you can, and most likely should, switch to feeding every 2 weeks. Less is better with GTPs.

Btw, some GTPs actually DO like to be handled. My male, Hunter, is a dreamboat and will settle with my hubby for hours at a time or hang out with me on my computer. Our female is also super sweet once out of her enclosure. She is young, so she tends to be more active, but she's very friendly. We handle both of them regularly. Of course neither one is a Biak....


This is Hunter. He is a PNG x OSHY male bred by Rico Walder and purchased from Rocky Gravley. Pictured here with Rocky's 8 year old son.



And this is Grianne. She is a pure Jayapura bred by and purchased from Alli Watson.

[KMG]

To weigh a wiggling snake I will put them in a pillowcase and then in the bowl on my scale. Of course you should place the bowl with the pillowcase on the scale and press the TARE button to zero out the scale then add the snake.

You can get a cheap digital kitchen scale on amazon or WalMart.

Feeding mice over rats is new to me. Even the book says to feed either. I have been feeding mine rats and he is a very healthy boy. I was feeding him weekly after getting his RI cleared up that he got with his previous owner. He was underweight. Now he goes every two weeks.

Mine also really seems to enjoy getting time out of his cage. He is very courious and out going. He is pretty relaxed most of the time. He has tagged me before but its not a common occurrence.

[KMG]

Tikigator, the gtp in the first pic is a knockout. I'm a sucker for the blues they can produce.

[tikigator]

If you want to weigh your snake do not stress them by bagging them....simply put a small tub or bucket on the scale, take the snake out on the perch and rest the perch on the tub or bucket. Then weigh the tub and another perch separate and subtract. Why stress your snake?? Keep it simple. You really don't need to weigh....just post a picture!! Lol.

We have the largest collection of designer chondros in the nation.......trust me on the mouse thing.

[tikigator]

Tikigator, the gtp in the first pic is a knockout. I'm a sucker for the blues they can produce.

Putting up a thread for you in a minute