My first GTP

[REM955]

Originally Posted by David VB

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

What would be the optimal thickness for a GTP then? I am going to guess that near body thickness.

[Santy1129]

He does not want to leave the small cage. He wanders around at night and goes back to the same spot in the morning. It is worrying me because the heat panel does not reach that low a good temp.

any ideas?
That picture was taking when he was put back in the cage after a bath but after overnight he was back in the small tank.

[yeloowtang]

yeah !!! I would say he doesn't like the perches, he's going back to what he prefers ..
nice looking perches by the way but too big and he might need time adjusting to the texture..
if you can get the temps with a heat probe or gun in that small cage where he likes to be... if it's in the 82++ range, it's fine they like perches that are smaller than their body.
I have huge emeralds that will perch on something the size of my pinky finger, hell even caught one on the electrical wire of the heat panel !!!!
if you can get perches that are the same as that little cage or take them if you can and zip tie them to the bigger ones in the cage.. or just get the exo terra small flexible vines mixed with the zoomed ones, that would also give you way smaller perches options for him.
he's still young and small, get him lots of criss cross vines in there, worst case , keep him in the small tank until he's older..

[yeloowtang]

hope this picture works, forgot about these.. I mix these vines in with others and fake plants.. looks real and gives smaller perches for them to enjoy; Lees Terrarium Vine - 6 Ft x 3/16" Diameter

[Scubadiver59]

How do you anchor them? Screws? Hooks? Superglue?

Originally Posted by yeloowtang

hope this picture works, forgot about these.. I mix these vines in with others and fake plants.. looks real and gives smaller perches for them to enjoy; Lees Terrarium Vine - 6 Ft x 3/16" Diameter

[Santy1129]

Well I would have problems with anchoring them since I can use the original perches. Those perches came with the PVC cage but I added soil to have a more natural look. I order 1/2" perches and I will try again. He also stopped eating after a bad shed he had. The vet said that he could be dehydrated and he put him on antibiotics just to be safe. Other than that he looks very healthy. The vet said to keep him in the small cage for now. My stubborn GTP obviously did not like the big effort I made to get a fancy cage :/
I will probably add the small perches and put the small cage back in the big cage and I hope eventually he will start perching in the new perches. I will probably leave them with no soil just in case he does not like the texture. Once it is done it cannot be removed. Thanks for your suggestion. I will look into it too.

[yeloowtang]

Originally Posted by Scubadiver59

How do you anchor them? Screws? Hooks? Superglue?

All depends on the type of cage you have, if glass , the suction cup work nicely, and usually these cages come with a screen top. passing zip ties in the mesh to hold onto the vines works well, and if you have bigger perches ? then wrapping these around the others also works.

if you have pvc cage, I make brackets that I glue in place to hold fake plants/vines , these brackets can also be screwed in place if so desired.
some of the brackets I make are reversed T to hold the slotted bigger perches, and I make half moon pieces with a hole in it, once bonded to the pvc you can hang a plant or zip tie the vines in position.

Santy: your new cage is probably a combination of changes that prevent him from enjoying it, the size of the perches are too big and the texture may also be something the little one doesn't like.
keeping him in the smaller cage for now is best.

I fail to see why the vet put him on antibiotics just in case he's dehydrated ?? spraying more or even tubing some water with a pipette daily maybe or creating a humid hide!! but meds ???? just my opinion but meds should only be used if he's sick or has an infection, using some now can only create problems later and these meds don't have an effect anymore:
baytril aka Enrofloxacin
or
fortaz aka Ceftazidime
or
zythromax aka azithromycine

these are often used to help treat respiratory infections and other health issues, but using them too often will make them ineffective when needed.

but I'm not a vet , maybe he had other reasons for this, I'm just going with experience here if he goes back to normal in that small cage, give him time in there and later try the big cage again with added placed for him to use, you'll be amazed at how much they like smaller perches..

best of luck

[Santy1129]

The vet said he looked healthy but sent the meds just in case he had something else. I live 2 hours away from the vet so maybe he wanted to make my life easier. It would be hard for me to go there again if there is something wrong. I did get smaller perches and vains to wrap between the perches so he can have different sizes. I guess he doesnt like the texture either. So I wont be customizing the new perches because I vant remove it after it is done. It is a pain to inject him. He bit me once trying to give him the meds. I am away from home but I called the sitter and he is doing fine in the small cage as he have always been. As soon as he is done with meds, starts eating and I get the new perches, I will try putting him in the big cage again hoping he will perch with no issue. The small cage is really a pain to handle as my gloves are very thick and they get stuck with the perches due to the small space available. Thanks a lot for all your information. I always get very scared because I know they are very sensitive. I have always tried my best to keep him happy. Even though he is in a 10 gallon tank, it is very well suited for a GTP: customized perches and thermostat.

[Santy1129]

I tried to post a different thread but nobody has answered yet.
I am very worried about my GTP. Today I noticed something weird on the scales. Do you have any idea? Please help me
I touched it and it feels hard like burn. I think that rotting would feel like mushy instead.

[Santy1129]

Unfortunately, Isis passed away. I am selling the cage he never used in case someone is interested.

[Scubadiver59]

Sorry to hear about your loss!!

What happened in between March and its passing? Did the scale problem get worse? Did it stop eating?

Lots of questions...

Originally Posted by Santy1129

Unfortunately, Isis passed away. I am selling the cage he never used in case someone is interested.

[Santy1129]

After the vet said in multiple time that he was fine... We realized at last minute that he was severely dehydrated. A blood test was ran and 80% of the kidneys was compromised and damaged. He had high contents of uric acid in his blood stream. I assume it went to his brain and because of the low pH and toxicity of nitrogenous compounds, his brain was compromised as well. He lost his reflexes and ability to respond to stimuli. It was very hard for me to put him down but I couldn't see him suffer more. He is in snake heaven now. I am a marine biologist and I am sure I did my best. Probably to have gotten him from Petcp wasn't a very good idea. But now I know how a dehydrated snake looks like.

[Scubadiver59]

A tough way to learn...for both of you!

Again, sorry to see your friend go!!

Originally Posted by Santy1129

After the vet said in multiple time that he was fine... We realized at last minute that he was severely dehydrated. A blood test was ran and 80% of the kidneys was compromised and damaged. He had high contents of uric acid in his blood stream. I assume it went to his brain and because of the low pH and toxicity of nitrogenous compounds, his brain was compromised as well. He lost his reflexes and ability to respond to stimuli. It was very hard for me to put him down but I couldn't see him suffer more. He is in snake heaven now. I am a marine biologist and I am sure I did my best. Probably to have gotten him from Petcp wasn't a very good idea. But now I know how a dehydrated snake looks like.