ETB or GTP which snake...

[Austin]

So I'd like some information from people who have kept, both or either Snakes. "Emerald Tree Boa" and "Green Tree Python".
Would like to know which would be more docile and some characterists that you have noticed about yours that could help me decide.
The differences in keeping either of them aswell like habitat and temps, humiditity if any.

Thanks in advance

 

[pitbulllady]

So I'd like some information from people who have kept, both or either Snakes. "Emerald Tree Boa" and "Green Tree Python".
Would like to know which would be more docile and some characterists that you have noticed about yours that could help me decide.
The differences in keeping either of them aswell like habitat and temps, humiditity if any.

Thanks in advance

I have had ETB's, and I know plenty of people who have GTP's. I would not describe either of them as "docile", typically. Both tend to be high-strung, quick-to-bite snakes, although there are of course exceptions. Be aware that should you get bitten by either, it's going to be a nasty, extremely painful bite and you will probably have some long-lasting results, like nerve damage, owing to how long their teeth are. I got tagged by a 6 1/2-foot adult female ETB, a feeding response, and this was the worse bite I've ever gotten from a non-venomous snake; in fact, it was more painful that I recall the Copperhead bite I got when I was nine years old to have been, and I bled like the proverbial stuck pig. I could literally hear her teeth grating on the bones in my hand before I could get to the vinegar bottle to make her release that hold!
There's not really any difference in husbandry on these two species. Both require high humidity, around 80-85%, but with good ventilation, and like most tropical Boids, need fairly high temps as well, so it really is a bit tricky to balance out the humidity and temperature, since higher temps tend to make the humidity evaporate away quickly. They absolutely MUST be kept in an arboreal set-up, as most of these snakes will not feed unless they are able to perch and feel secure., They really like to have some sort of way to conceal themselves, like behind a large plant in the enclosure. My ETB would eat frozen-thawed rats from tongs, but that seems to be a rarity with both species. Often they prefer live prey or at least moving prey. Generally speaking, I do not recommend either as a handleable snake, one you treat as a pet, but rather they are more like display snakes. Do NOT purchase a wild-caught of either species, as these do tend to be very difficult to acclimatize to captivity and often simply refuse to eat, even when treated for the inevitable parasites. My female ETB was handleable to the extent that she didn't try to bite once I picked her up, but she never sat still and was constantly trying to get away from me. Most of the ones I've seen, though, will nail you every chance they get, even the captive-bred specimens(which aren't cheap snakes). Supposedly certain locality GTP's are more calm and less bitey than the others, but I can't get a consensus among breeders as to which one that is. I've heard a lot of breeders say that the Aru locale snakes are calmer, but the guy I know who has a pair of Arus tells me he'd rather pick up a Cottonmouth than either of those GTPs, so if you're really looking for a snake to handle, I would not recommend either a GTP or an ETB, and if you're not an experienced snake keeper who has at least some experience successfully maintaining arboreal or semi-arboreal species, I'd would definitely recommend you stay away from these. I'll put it this way: I've got almost 50 years of snake-keeping experience behind me, and both of those species are really still more work than I want to deal with, which is why I sold my female ETB. They are not "forgiving" if you mess up or try to cut corners, and both are expensive snakes, too expensive to risk losing due to what might seem like an insignificant discrepancy on your part.

pitbulllady

 

[Quixtar]

I disagree with the above. My ETB is as easy to keep as any of my tarantulas, and far easier than any other snake I've ever kept. The only difference between her and my tarantulas is that I prepped way more before buying her than for any of my Ts. I put a lot of work into the enclosure for heat balance and humidity, and I did my research and got a nice healthy snake instead of pouncing on just any ETB. Temperatures are balanced with a good heating device and a thermostat. I have a big tub of water in her cage that I change out weekly. Aside from that, I just mist occasionally and feed once every 3 weeks. She defecates once every 2-3 months. Cleanup is easy with the right setup. I basically don't have to do anything with her most of the time. Great sheds, no regurgitation, always eats, always goes. If you plan it out properly, they are ridiculously easy to take care of.

I've never considered any herp to be high maintenance (don't know about crocs though...). Mammals and birds are another story, because you actually need to spend time with them.

 

[pitbulllady]

I disagree with the above. My ETB is as easy to keep as any of my tarantulas, and far easier than any other snake I've ever kept. The only difference between her and my tarantulas is that I prepped way more before buying her than for any of my Ts. I put a lot of work into the enclosure for heat balance and humidity, and I did my research and got a nice healthy snake instead of pouncing on just any ETB. Temperatures are balanced with a good heating device and a thermostat. I have a big tub of water in her cage that I change out weekly. Aside from that, I just mist occasionally and feed once every 3 weeks. She defecates once every 2-3 months. Cleanup is easy with the right setup. I basically don't have to do anything with her most of the time. Great sheds, no regurgitation, always eats, always goes. If you plan it out properly, they are ridiculously easy to take care of.

I've never considered any herp to be high maintenance (don't know about crocs though...). Mammals and birds are another story, because you actually need to spend time with them.

Compared with keeping say, a Corn Snake, this IS high-maintainance. You can't skip or forget any of those things with these snakes and expect to have a healthy animal. Your own words: "I put a lot of work into the enclosure for the heat balance and humidity" states right there that HARD WORK IS required to properly maintain these snakes! That's a far cry from a 20-gallon aquarium-type enclosure with a screen top and some newspapers in the bottom and a standard pet water bowl, which is how I keep native Colubrids like Corns. You also stated that you "prepped way more before buying her than any of my T's". THAT is exactly what I mean when I say that these ARE high-maintainance snakes! They are not animals that a person can simply buy on a whim and expect to be able to successfully keep them. There are very few snakes, aside from "hots" that require special handling devices, boxes to close off the animal from the main part of its enclosure, etc., that require more-specialized care than the tropical arboreals. "Ridiculously easy" is something that will live very happily in a standard reptile enclosure, at most humidity levels, does not require additional heating or lighting, and you know that an ETB is NOT such an animal. I can catch a Corn or Eastern King, and take an empty large sweater box, drill some holes in it, put newspaper in the bottom, a bowl of water, and I've got a decent enclosure for that snake, or just take one of many aquariums I have with screen tops, put newspaper in it, with a water bowl. Total prep time? About 5-10 minutes. If I do that and put an ETB in that enclosure, I can expect a sick or dead animal within a short span of time. Now, for a person like yourself who is willing to go that "extra mile", fork out those extra expenses for things like the proper type of enclosure, a reliable thermostat, etc., it's a rewarding animal, but I gathered, perhaps incorrectly, that the original poster is not as experienced in reptile keeping. You also didn't say whether or not you handled your ETB, or what her temperament was like, and this was one of the things that the original poster, Austin, inquired about. While there are indeed tame and handleable specimens of both ETB and GTP, they do not appear to the "norm". I have a very tame White-Lipped Python, for example. She's the third one I've owned. The other two would try to take my face off every time I opened their enclosure, and its was NOT a feed response, either. Most of the specimens I've seen at reptile shows, or those belonging to people I know, are just as nasty, so I can't tell someone, based on the behavior of my one current WL, that this species is docile. If someone wants a White-Lip for a pet, a snake that they can take out and hold and carry around their neck, they probably are going to have to check out a LOT of WLs before they find one that meets those criteria, ditto for ETBs or GTPs, and when it comes to wanting one that is primarily a pet, I certainly would not recommend buying one sight unseen because there are dealers who will tell you what you want to hear, and ship you an animal that bites every chance it gets.

pitbulllady

 

[Quixtar]

I handle every once in a while, and have a removable perch for doing so. She has never tried to bite me. There are two more ETBs that I co-own with a friend. As far as I know, they have never bitten him either. I will be getting the male soon to attempt breeding my female, so I'll get a taste of his temperament.

I must have built up higher standards for regular pet housing, because even though I did put more work into it, it felt pretty far from HARD WORK in my opinion. All of my inverts and herps for instance are kept in custom acrylic cages. The typical 20-gallon aquarium enclosures with screen tops are something that I wouldn't even consider being viable for any of my animals nowadays. The only difference here was that I had a bigger cage to work with, and had to install a heating device in the right place, with some perches. Basically I had to actually care a little about creating a temperature gradient. When I mean easy, I'm talking about feeding and maintenance, not the setup. As far as feeding and maintenance goes, they're a lot easier and less time-consuming than some other reptiles such as geckos and monitors.

 

[pitbulllady]

I handle every once in a while, and have a removable perch for doing so. She has never tried to bite me. There are two more ETBs that I co-own with a friend. As far as I know, they have never bitten him either. I will be getting the male soon to attempt breeding my female, so I'll get a taste of his temperament.

I must have built up higher standards for regular pet housing, because even though I did put more work into it, it felt pretty far from HARD WORK in my opinion. All of my inverts and herps for instance are kept in custom acrylic cages. The typical 20-gallon aquarium enclosures with screen tops are something that I wouldn't even consider being viable for any of my animals nowadays. The only difference here was that I had a bigger cage to work with, and had to install a heating device in the right place, with some perches. Basically I had to actually care a little about creating a temperature gradient. When I mean easy, I'm talking about feeding and maintenance, not the setup. As far as feeding and maintenance goes, they're a lot easier and less time-consuming than some other reptiles such as geckos and monitors.

Well, THIS is true...any snake, as far as I'm concerned, is easier to maintain that probably 90% of lizards, and MOST herps are easier than birds or mammals, even mammals like dogs and cats. An exception would probably be the large carnivorous lizards, like Monitors or Tegus, as well as larger Iguanids. You have a lot more specialized requirements and in many cases, a NEED to interact with humans if the lizard is going to stay tame to any degree. Generally, though, when someone asks me how easy or how difficult a particular snake is to keep, I think in terms of "compared to which other snakes", not "compared to a cat or dog".

pitbulllady

 

[Austin]

Thank you both for your information pitbulllady and Quixtar, Both provided good info.

I am just getting started in creating my own acrylic cages, and All of my T enclosures I keep very good care of. In no way, shape or form was I going to jump into getting either of these Snakes before having to put together a suitable enclosure.

With the info you both have told me, I supose it all could be the individual snake as far as temperment goes... somewhat so in T's and I guess almost any other pet or animal.

As far as expeirence with snakes, I have not kept anything other than garder snakes. Been around some Ball pythons but thats it.

I'm really looking for an aboreal, corns, kings, just dont amuse me much.

Thanks again both of you for your reply's.

 

[astraldisaster]

I've never had a GTP, but I have had two ETBs. Both have been male (supposed to be more aggressive) Northern types (also supposed to be more aggressive), but neither ever struck at me. I currently still have one of them, Abraxas, a juvenile male captive-bred male. Believe it or not, he's actually a really, really gentle snake. A few months ago, he developed a fungal infection on his head and I had to restrain him and put mediction on his face twice a day. He absolutely hated it -- would squirm and try his best to wriggle out of my grasp -- but he never once showed sings of aggression even during that ordeal. He hissed the first time, and that was it. As soon as the torture was over, I'd continue to hold him for a few minutes and he'd be completely relaxed. I love that snake! He does turn into a monster after dark, though. Once I forgot to lock his cage before the lights went out, and I had to retrieve him from my closet while he was in "hunting mode." At that point, he was NOT docile. It was like Jekyll and Hyde.

My other ETB was a wild-caught long-term captive, and while he was not as relaxed as Abraxas he never struck at me either and tolerated handling. I sold him to some people that told me they hold him every day and that he's never bitten. Maybe I've just been really lucky, but I think if you buy a captive-bred snake from somebody who knows its temperament, ETBs are generally not "mean." I think it's a similar situation with GTPs, but I've heard of the hatchlings being a little nippier. And certain locales are rumored to have better temperaments than others. I don't think there's much difference at all when it comes to care -- it's virtually the same. So I'd go with whichever you prefer.

 

[Austin]

Cool Thanks for sharing astraldisaster

Really awsome pics too. That is really crazy, he put up with the medicine twice a day.