Amazon/Emerald tree boas

[Jones0911]

I'm thinking about moving and I have about 30 different size tarantulas that I'm going to sell and put the money towards a Amazon Tree boa ( Corallus hortulanus) or Emerald Tree boa ( Corallus caninus) ... just a few questions:

Are there any major differences?

Which ones get longer?

Neonate prices for both species?

Are both permanently defensive from birth or the more they are handled the less defensive they'll be?

Are these species fragile to care throughout their whole life or just til the juvenile stage?

any more advice/help would be great thanks.

In the past I have had JCPs, boa constrictors, ball pythons, corn snakes.

 

[Aviara]

I do not have first-hand experience with emerald tree boas, however I have always heard that most specimens remain aggressive throughout their life. They are considered a hands-off species of snake, although there may be exceptions. I do not know of any.

Have you considered green tree pythons? They tend to be more docile and are similar in appearance and in care. My personal green tree python is very docile and does well with handling, he has been that way since I started working with him as a young juvenile. It's uncommon for GTP's to be tolerant of handling as well, but I know they are calmer on average than ETBs.

 

[viper69]

I'm thinking about moving and I have about 30 different size tarantulas that I'm going to sell and put the money towards a Amazon Tree boa ( Corallus hortulanus) or Emerald Tree boa ( Corallus caninus) ... just a few questions:

Are there any major differences?

Which ones get longer?

Neonate prices for both species?

Are both permanently defensive from birth or the more they are handled the less defensive they'll be?

Are these species fragile to care throughout their whole life or just til the juvenile stage?

any more advice/help would be great thanks.

In the past I have had JCPs, boa constrictors, ball pythons, corn snakes.

Regarding differences, they have numerous physical differences, not just color, but their bodies too. For example, ETBs are heavier bodied, and ATBs are much leaner/more slender.

Amazon Tree boas are going to be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper

Regarding temperament, they are both defensive from hatchling to adults (exceptions to every "rule"). My point is, if you are getting one thinking "I'll be handling mine" like balls or boas, that would be a mistake. They are really like fish, looks pretty, hands off type species.

Green Tree Pythons are gorgeous and so are Emerald Tree Boas. These 2 snakes are examples of convergent evolution, much like dart frogs and mantellas. Regarding ETBs, there are now a few different designer morphs accomplished through selective breedings (not as many as GTPs) from line specific, varying amounts of high white to very melanistic ETBs. My favorite of the ETBs are HIGH white Amazon Basin ETBs, imagine an ETB that looks like white paint or SNOWS as splashed across its body. The white is so high, that it reminds me of Lemon Tree GTPs (not that much white as there is yellow in those high yellow GTPs mind you) LIKE GTPs, ETBs also have different localities, the Amazon Basins are the prettiest to me. Unfortunately, not every breeder keeps pure bred Amazon Basins or the other localities, they end up mixing the localities together.

It's a small community of hard core ETB breeders, and they all "know" each other so finding out who is reputable or not shouldn't be difficult. You can ALWAYS ask openly at FaunaClassifieds BOI subforum for free. It's saved my ass before.

ETBs are for snake owners looking to take the next step in challenging husbandry of exotic snakes. Sort of like, one might start with a Leopard Gecko, and move on to Chameleons or Leaf Tail Geckos.

I would definitely visit the Corallus forum that's out there, and even FaunaClassified's forum (herp centric forum). The tricky part of ETBs is humidity, that is maintaining the proper humidity. Some people mist them, others have nice automated misting systems, like you'd see for dart frogs. They aren't trivial to own in my opinion, and they are GORGEOUS.

 

[Beardo]

The biggest difference is that ATBs are NOT strictly arboreal....they will use ground cover if provided with the opportunity, whereas ETBs are 100% strictly arboreal.

ATBs are also more tolerant of handling and a wider temperature range. ETBs are much more sensitive and are prone to regurgitation issues if not kept exactly within their parameters.

If you have never kept either, I would suggest starting with ATBs first.....if you want a green arboreal boid, Chondros are much less sensitive and readily available than ETBs. And as always, only buy captive born and bred snakes from a reputable source.