My first GTP

[Santy1129]

I finally got him. He has been on the ground. Is there something wrong with him?
Thanks

[dannybgoode]

Probably not. My local store breeds them and last time they had them in one of their babies liked the floor.

Didn't stop him feeding-trust me!

He may also find a branch at night and stay on the floor during the day for a bit.

[Santy1129]

I think he wasn't uncomfortable in the previous enclosure. He was still at the petstore. I tried to give him perches and temperature gradient but it seemed not to work out well. I put him no in his proper set up at home.
Day set up
Basking spot: 86
Cool end: 77
Night drop
Hot end: 76
Cool end: 72
Humidity 75 in the morning and drops to 50 during the day
Should I increase the basking spot during the day to 88?
Is it my set up correct or is there anything to change?

[Primal Rage]

Congrats on your GTP! Your set up and temps look ok. Did you bring it to a vet or a competent person who can do a fecal float? Most hatchlings are WC or "farm raised" imports that have parasites that should be treated. If your GTP has spent more than a couple days on the floor it is likely sick and needs a trip to the vet ASAP. No GTP's should be spending extended periods of time on the ground.

Not sure what your ambient humidity is but it is likely getting low during the day with the screen top and lights on your set up. I would check out how successful keepers, and breeders have their animals set up and go from there. Good luck with your guy! Do you know what locale he/she is?

[Santy1129]

I work at Petco and I special ordered this guy from the best vendor we have. I put him in the reptile unit but I guess it was too hot for him and he was seeking colder spots including the ground. Maybe the plastic branches that I used were too hot too. I decided not to take him to the vet but feeding and take him home if feeding was successful. Otherwise I would have taken him to the vet on Petco. He ate 2 fuzzies. When I brough him home he perched inmediately and he has not been on the ground since then. He loves basking. I increased the basking spot to 87 and at night it is 76. He is doing great so far. I dont lose so much humidity because it has a plastic on top of the screen. The right dome it's just light the one on the left is a night light that I use to provide heat day and night. I have a dimmer controller to do so. I think he is doing great. I will feed him again next Sunday but just one fuzzy.

[marvelfreak]

Congrats! Nice looking GTP.

[yeloowtang]

88 is a good temp for GTPs , you will need to change the cage for something that's 24" high at some point. a good cage is 24" cube but the exo cages 24x28x24 work too, just need to cover the top part.. also best to use a radiant heat panel versus lamps..

get some vines/branches that are smaller, they don't like the big ones most of times..
some plants/fake plants to make it feel secure..

ohh also, with a cooler spot in the cage. you don't need to have a night drop for now, or ever for that matter.. the night drop is used more for breeding reasons when cycling the animals.. you can still do it, but not needed. I would just leave it as simple as possible for now.. hot spot and cool spot, humidity when sprayed at 80-90% and let it drop to 55-6- over 24H. you will need to cover that screen top, these type of cages aren't designed for arboreal animals that need high humidity.. and spraying 10 times a day is not the same thing.. wet doesn't = humid. wet will result in a RI and fungus growth..

keep at it, looks like a nice one...and as mentioned, I know he's up perching now, but yes a grounded GTP or ETB is not a good sign.. where they can do it once here and there, if they stay down.. something is wrong..

best of luck

[Santy1129]

I do plan to change the cage next year. I will buy one from the Web site pvccages or something like that and they come with heat panel. I do have a plastic on top of the screen right now.
He seems to like the branches right now. He goes very active at night and perching all the time. The was only on the ground when he was still at Petco. When I took him home he perched inmediately and has not been on the ground since then.
I have a thermostat so I have the night drop by default.

Humidity is also fine. I spray at night and it goes to 90% and it drops to 50% over the next day before I spray again.

I was very hesitant before getting him because everyone says it is not for beginners. My first snake was a king snake which died 3 weeks after getting him when he escaped from the enclosure and my cat killed him. So basically this GTP is my first snake and he is doing great so far. He eats right away. I am feeding a fuzzy every Saturday and I will move up to Hoppers soon. I would say GTP can be your first snake but you have to know what you are doing and run some research before getting one.

Thanks for all your advices. I am still looking for a name

[yeloowtang]

That's eat then the fact he's acting like he should and the parameters seem to be in check !! then you are doing it right.
where' it's true GTPs and even more so ETBs are best suited for experienced keepers.. that is not totally correct, someone which takes the time to research the needs and gives the care and habitat the snake needs, they will succeed with no problems at all... most people skimp on the caging and basic needs for these snakes thinking it will be fine in an aquarium , a branch and a heat lamp ???
keep up the good work and you little GTP will thank you for it by eating, shedding and living a healthy long life

[David VB]

Just make sure that the cage gets time to dry out before misting again. Very important for their lungs that they don't live in very moist conditions all the time. Temp. wise i only know in Celcius, since i live in Europe 😉

[Santy1129]

Hello,

I have an issue with my snake. I updated the cage but it seems my GTP does not like it. He has been on the ground since I moved him. He always perched when he was in the small tank. Any ideas?
The new cage is one of those pvc cages. The pictures were too big to upload. Idk how to make them smaller

[Scubadiver59]

Originally Posted by Santy1129

Hello,

I have an issue with my snake. I updated the cage but it seems my GTP does not like it. He has been on the ground since I moved him. He always perched when he was in the small tank. Any ideas?
The new cage is one of those pvc cages. The pictures were too big to upload. Idk how to make them smaller

Run Microsoft Paint (mspaint.exe), and in the top menu bar, left click on "resize", select the "pixel" radio button, and then put "640" in for the Horizontal setting (landscape style picture), or "480" in for the Vertical setting (portrait style picture)--MS Paint will resize the other setting accordingly. Then just save as a new file name to keep original picture and then add the picture to your post.

[yeloowtang]

if possible, try and fit the same branches you had in the smaller cage.
if you have the pvc pipes for perches that sometimes come with the cages, they might be too big for your GTP.
best is to replicate the same environment, temps/humidity and get some plants, fake plants so he can hide and feel safe.. the change must have stressed him a little.
by having his favorite perch from that other cage will make him feel secure..

also add a few vines with multiple options for perches, they like smaller ones..

[Santy1129]

I could finally attach the pictures. It is impossible to recycle the old perches. It is a 10 gallon tank with a fixed background that I made with greatstuff and ghostwood as perches. I have a theory and maybe he does not like what I did to the new perches. Maybe it is too rough for him. Idk what to do. The temp seems to fluctuate. I had a bulb attached to a dimmer thermostat. Temp was always fixed. For some reason the thermostat does not work as accurate with the heat panel in the cage and as a resumt the temp fluctuates. Although the temp changes I dont think that is the issue since I turned it off so it was cool and he went right to the ground.

[David VB]

Seems to me that those perches are too thick for him.