RCReptiles.com

[uncle_flo]

Lots of folks just kinda assume that since green tree pythons live in trees, then they should live in tall cages too. 'Course, lots of folks are wrong and shouldn't go 'round assumin' all the dang time!

Your chondro (that's slang for green tree python, and you better write that down 'cuz Uncle Flo' won't be repeatin' it) likes to be at the highest place it can get to. All you BP people out there listen up! When your BP tries to get away, it looks for the lowest, darkest place it can find, right? Well, if you lose your GTP, start lookin' up, 'cuz that's where they wanna hide.

So Uncle Flo's gonna play a little make-believe here to educate you, rather than explainin' it outright. So you got yourself a chondro and you got her a nice, tall cage, with lots of branches and stuff. Say it's 4' tall with a 2' x 2' footprint. Chondros do best with overhead heatin'. Where's your chondro gonna be? At the top. Why? 'Cuz that's where she feels most secure, like a BP in its hide. It also happens to be warm up there, but that's not as important the way she figures things.

Now it's time for a quiz: what if your chondro wants to cool off...where's she gonna go? You, in the front, go ahead...what's that you say? Down? Well, that's interestin' see, 'cuz it means you didn't pay attention to the subject of the thread.

As it turns out, your chondro lady has no ideal place to go in this situation. She'll usually just stay up top and endure bein' too warm, rather than risk her security by comin' down away from the heat. Probably won't kill her outright or anythin' like that , but it could dampen her appetite and stress her out, which weakens her delicate immune system. Even if she does come down to cool off, she's not gonna feel too happy about it. She's gonna be a little insecure, a little nervous. Maybe a lot nervous. And trust ol' Flo' when he says you don't want a lot nervous chondro.

Now, maybe you've read that chondros will ground themselves from time to time for no apparent reason. It's true! Uncle Flo's seen it with his own agin' eyes through his bifocals: The Sarge himself, one o' Flo's more secure chondros, coiled up behind a water dish on the floor of his cage for two whole weeks! So your fine little lady decides to ground herself for secret reasons she'll never discuss with you, and you got your fancy upright tank with the overhead heat source 4' away from her. How's your chondro lady feelin' now?

That's right: COLD!

How do you get around this? Well, just take a look at the subject of the thread: use a cage that is longer than it is tall. That bears repeatin': Use a cage that is longer than it is tall. For an adult you want one that's about 36" long, and 24" high and deep. Put some perches in there, natural or otherwise (Uncle Flo' uses PVC disguised as wood), but make sure the highest one goes the full length of the cage. Then put your overhead heat source at one end. That way, if your little beauty wants to cool off or heat up, she can perch as far from or as close to the heat source as she wants without havin' to feel insecure. She can stay at the tallest part of the cage as long as she likes. Fancy-pants people who like to use big words call this providin' a horizontal thermal gradient.

Uncle Flo' got this info here (http://www.finegtps.com/Care_sheets.html#PROPER%20CAGING%20AND%20ENVIRONMENT), and has met breeders who swear by this approach. While you're there you'll probably learn more about GTP's than Uncle Flo' can ever tell you, but he'll happily waste his time postin' more info here in the future.

Flo' uses a Vision 1758 rack for yearlin's (http://www.visionproducts.us/images7/6post_10chondroco.jpg), but right now his adults are in suboptimal but functional Vision 222's (http://www.visionproducts.us/cages/htm/medium.html). These aren't quite long enough, they place the heat source too low for the highest perch, and the placement of the vent encourages too much humidity loss. You thought humidity requirements were tough for BP's? Pah! So Uncle Flo's gonna build himself some custom cagin' just as soon as he saves up enough from his Medicare checks to give 'em ideal conditions, but in the meantime he's already made modifications to the cages to make things right.

Y'all take care now.

[deborahbroadus]

Great information! Thanks Uncle!