Does anyone handle their GTPs? Why? Why not? I don’t own one, just curious.
I have a lereh gtp that I handle a couple times a week, removable perches are a must to decrease chance of hurting them. Their bones are fragile (lighter due to being arboreal) they can be a bit nippy at first so gonna get tagged a few times for sure until they get use to being handled. Other than that just gotta let them do what they want. Mine 90% of the time just uses my arm as a heated perch and will chill for hours hardly moving the other 10% she tries to perch on my glasses but she gotten to big for that now😊
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I see. So even adults would require a removable perch to prevent damaged bones?
Yes, and never force them off their perch. They are usually more of a display animal then something you can handle like a BP or cornsnake. If you want something good for handling; rat snakes, king snakes, corn snakes and many other colubrids are better for it. BPs can be good but get stressed easier than many colubrids (especially as babies).
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Right, I was hoping their reputation for being a display animal was due to over-aggression and not potential harm to the animal. A really beautiful animal, but not a good fit for me. Just wanted to expand my knowledge a little. Thanks
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You are welcome.
Ive been keeping and breeding GTPs for years. Besides The occasional Demon of a snake , I find most GTP’s are usually cage defensive. Once i get them out of their enclosure they are quite handleable. Also, i never handle them at night unless absolutely necessary
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I’ve been keeping gtp since 1995 and aside from some locales, most are very easy to handle during daylight hours.
Even captive emeralds are pretty calm. Pic of the late great Rico Walder when I paid him a visit several years ago. He was the king of arboreals.
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But there is still a risk of harming the snake’s bones while handling off perch, right? Or is that risk only for those inexperienced handling arboreals?
Not really. It’s recommended they only be handled after they reach 100g. I started with mine at around 50g but I’ve always treated them as if they’re made of wet tissue paper. Adults are pretty resilient with “rough” handling. I’m not saying handle them like a dog, but some can tolerate quite a bit.
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I also know nothing litterally nothing about GTO other then they are beautiful. They are constrictors correct? If they have fragile bones how can they squeeze there prey tight enough as baby to kill it without breaking bones?
Voluntary motion versus forced motion. Your fingers are fairly “fragile” compared to other bones in your body. You can exert a decent amount of force with them when you are trying to, say, torque the stuck lid off a pickle jar. But if I grab your finger and forcibly bend it backwards… <!POP!>
Thanks for the info! Makes since now!
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