Brown tree snakes

[kalo1993]

Hi all new member here, been keeping reptiles for a few years now and love it!! i have only kept pythons but wanna get into colubrids in particular brown tree snakes(Boiga irregularis). So any advice or care tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Kaelem.

 

[Stuart]

Treat them as you would most Morelia but make sure they have plenty of places to hide too. They can be stressed, finniky eaters most of the time so dont keep them as a handling snake, they are better suited to a display animal if you are that way inclinded. Keep their humidy up when they come into shed otherwise you will end up having to assist them. Taller enclosure over a long one with temps about 33/34 at the high end. Not a beginners snake but not hard to own either. Unless you are lucky and get an older snake thats a proven eater, you will spend alot of your time wondering why its not eating and regardless of what you do, nothing will change that until its ready. I have 1 that has been with me for 3 years that has only now started taking fresh kill off the tongs.

A book I recommend is Scott Eippers "Elapids and Colubrids in Captivity." Get a copy and spend a bit of time reading up on the various colubrids out there to get an idea on them.

Anyway, good luck, they are a nifty snake.

 

[ShaunMorelia]

[MENTION=27815]Stuart[/MENTION] now that is what I call a brief rundown hahaha
How have you found them to convert to mammalian prey items?
Are they hard to switch like the Commons?

 

[kalo1993]

Thanks [MENTION=27815]Stuart[/MENTION], I am in the process of getting an adult snake which i am told is a good feeder on thawed mice. What humidity should they be kept at when not in shed? my enclosures usually sit around 50%.
I also just ordered a copy of that book which sounds very useful, although i don't plan on keeping Elapids anytime soon.. hahah

 

[Stuart]

@Stuart now that is what I call a brief rundown hahaha
How have you found them to convert to mammalian prey items?
Are they hard to switch like the Commons?

You make a good point Shaun. I was typing that from my mobile and I didn't re-read it at all which was a bit silly in hindsight.
I haven't dealt with Commons before so I couldn't give an accurate answer but from reading about them and talking to a few folks who have them I would hazard a guess that they are much easier. All of mine are on mice and the hatchies start on pinkies (or parts of them) and the only one I have ever had an issue with was a girl I got from someone else who couldn't get her feeding properly. Before I got her she was exclusively fed reptiles and it took about 3 months to convert her onto mice which I was able to do by not feeding for a month followed by mice "chasers" and reptile scented mice once or twice a week (depending on refusals) for just over 9 weeks and now she eats once every 10 days on the dot.

I will admit though that I have never tried to convert any of mine from rats to mice for the pure fact of even my largest one will have up to 3 large adult mice and then thats it.

Thanks @Stuart, I am in the process of getting an adult snake which i am told is a good feeder on thawed mice. What humidity should they be kept at when not in shed? my enclosures usually sit around 50%.
I also just ordered a copy of that book which sounds very useful, although i don't plan on keeping Elapids anytime soon.. hahah

To be honest I have never accurately measured my humidity in the past few years when they are in shed but the way I have done it is to either put a heat mat under their water bowls or move their water underneath the lamps (which are on infrequently in the NT) in addition to misting the enclosure once a day until they shed. If I was forced to guess I would say the humidity goes to between 70 and 80% for a period of 2 weeks. I'll admit this is not an ideal method and should be measuring it much better and encourage anyone reading this to measure.

Good work on the book and even better work on the Boiga. Don't forget the pictures

 

[kalo1993]

Thank you and also is it safe to cool them over the winter or should they be heated all year? I have read they need to be kept warmer than pythons.. not sure how true that is though. And yes i will try and post pics when i get it setup.

 

[kalo1993]

Had the snake for a few weeks now and has already shed and is a great feeder eating both mice and quail. Certainly my favorite snake species i have kept and plan on getting a few more in the future.

 

[Toska]

Oh wow what a beautiful animal.
I'd love to own one one day

 

[Sam123]

Oh wow what a beautiful animal.
I'd love to own one one day

Well to be honest... Who wouldn't want to own one of these

 

[BredliFreak]

I wish I could keep them, they are some of the most beautiful snakes!

 

[kalo1993]

Thanks guys!! one negative though is it craps a lot and it smells so bad haha way worse than any python I've kept, but its beauty more than makes up for it.

 

[eipper]

Nice night tiger