Green tree python handling.

[Ned_fisch]

I have a question about the handling of Gtp's. Now most of us know that Green tree pythons require a pretty high humidity level.
I handle my jungles quite a lot, I let them roam around on the bed checking out everything of a night time as I watch tv. Some time in the next few years, I would love to get a gtp, I am just curious, as I have never heard anything about this.

Are you able to have your Green tree python out handling and roaming for a long period of time?
Seeing that they need a high humidity level and in Brisbane it isn't exactly close to what it is at there origin.
And I guess the answer differ's to other parts of the country..

 

[pythons73]

My opinion i wouldnt handle at all,Greens are alot different to any other python in regards to handling.Most owners will just pull the snake out with the stick,or whatever its on.They can get a kinked spine,it defiantly isnt worth the trouble it can cause....

 

[No-two]

People generally don't handle them, I played around with a mates, he doesn't handle them but once they're past the really fragile stage they're generally fine to handle from what I hear.

 

[Hooglabah]

whats the really fragile stage as hatchos cuz i dont think id want a snake i couldnt handle (except elapids)

 

[peterjohnson64]

Greg Maxwell's first Chondro bible "the Complete Chondro" was quite stroing in saying that a chondro is a look but don't touch snake. In his updated "the More Complete Chondro" he seems to have done a complete backflip and now says there is nothing wrong with handling them. Few people in Aus have bought chondros merely as a pet snake. After all, they are a bit expensive. This means that virtually everyone that owns them has them for breeding purpsoes and probably also has a lot of other reptiles and therefore has no interste in getting their snakes out for a "cuddle" or whatever.

Certainly you would do it with a young one to about a year old (or 70cm long) but then do what you like.

If you are worried about humidity, get yourself a hydrometer and only get him out when the humidity is at least 50% but they can certainly handle short periods of lower humidity.

Oh, one other thing, they have longer teeth than your other snakes do.

 

[euphorion]

Oh, one other thing, they have longer teeth than your other snakes do.

can't wait to find out for myself :S lol

 

[Hooglabah]

im only interested in small time breeding most of my snakes are pets so all get handled regular like i suppose for a gtp i would be content haveing em as a display snake. i heard they dont move much aswell is this true.

 

[solar 17]

Handling gtp's

well i am not sure where all this imformation about not handling gtps come from but what a lot of well rubbish we handle ours [several] all the time and they are fine and they range in age from a few weeks to a few years old, i have posted pics on this site several times of them climbing over chairs etc.and i notice no one on this thread is a gtp owner...and when you think about it....what about in the wild they are just like any other snake except in captivity they require a fine spray twice a day but apart from that they are like any other reptile [arborial]....cheers solar 17 [baden]

 

[mcloughlin2]

I'd say that the whole look but don't touch aspect of keeping green pythons is due to their high cost. I'd say once they become a more common python in beginners tanks the whole handling issue will be flushed down the drain.

I mean if you buy a $500 commodore, your going to rough it up more (Generally - not always) then you would a $200 000 lambogeini (Spelling?). I suppose its not the best comparison as no snake should be roughed up but you get the point.

 

[Retic]

I totally agree Baden, some of the stuff you hear relating to Greens is funny at best and scary at worst. Handle them like and as often as you would handle any snake, they aren't made of glass.

 

[Mayhem]

I handle mine almost every day, its approx 5 months old. I do treat it carefully, as I do all my snakes, but I cant see the problem. All this "dont handle" crap is just that, crap. It comes down to, treat it carefully and dont stress it. Nothing that wouldnt be expected of any other snake.

 

[cement]

Oh, one other thing, they have longer teeth than your other snakes do.[/QUOTE]

But not quite as long as my roughies:lol:

 

[bredli84]

Are young greens supposedly fragile in a physical sense or is it more of a stress issue?
I would doubt that they are much more physically fragile than most other pythons as they still have to be able to grapple with prey etc. An attack on, and the constriction of a prey item would put much more physical stress on a wild snake than normal "handling" ever would.

 

[pythons73]

Oh, one other thing, they have longer teeth than your other snakes do.

But not quite as long as my roughies:lol:[/QUOTE]
So the roughies would have the longest teeth,followed by the Green.

 

[pythons73]

Some1 i spoke to yesty said that Greens shouldnt be handled at a young age,it can cause severe spinal damage,it is worth the risk,just to handle it...

 

[Mayhem]

Some1 i spoke to yesty said that Greens shouldnt be handled at a young age,it can cause severe spinal damage,it is worth the risk,just to handle it...

Lots of heresay by people who dont actually own them. Take it from the few people on this thread who actually own them. Treat them as carefully as you should any baby python and I doubt you will have a single problem. They're expensive, and care should be taken handling (like every other baby snake you own!), careful handling isnt going to hurt/harm or damage the snake. <---- full stop.

 

[pythons73]

Lots of heresay by people who dont actually own them. Take it from the few people on this thread who actually own them.
Well he has been breeding them for years,so im pretty certain he knows his stuff...

 

[Mayhem]

Well he has been breeding them for years,so im pretty certain he knows his stuff...

oh well, good luck with stareing at ur next green python all day long.

 

[matt86]

It's like everything else in the hobby, or life in general... Everyone has a different approach to things... Some people have dogs and won't take them to a dog park for fear of disease or fighting... It doesn't mean that people who take their dogs to a dog park are irresponsible or uncaring owners, just different in their approach

There are obviously a number of GTP owners who have contributed to this thread, and believe that handling is not an issue. Personally, I would have to agree with them. I don't own them, but common sense tells me that they have the same basic anatomy as any other python, and handling shouldn't be a problem.

Perhaps the owners who advise you not to handle are just taking some extra precautions. It doesn't make them right or wrong, just different in their approach. I think if you want to handle your GTP, go for it. If you're happy not to, good for you!

 

[Serpentor]

I handle mine almost every day, its approx 5 months old. I do treat it carefully, as I do all my snakes, but I cant see the problem. All this "dont handle" crap is just that, crap. It comes down to, treat it carefully and dont stress it. Nothing that wouldnt be expected of any other snake.

While I do intend to handle mine once they reach a year or so, I might point out Greg Maxwell's position on the matter by quoting from his book

"Neonate chondros are normally quite snappy, and even if they are not, it is a good practice to avoid handling them prior to a year of age, due to the fragility of the spine"

In the end it's your snake, and I'm sure you're very careful with it, but I thought I'd just throw that one out there.

edit: quote is from page number 127 of "The More Complete Chondro"