ok thanks. i am intrigued by the water bottom idea. about how much water could be in the bottom?
Gtp care.
- Thread starter crayfishguy
- Start date
I personally would use substrate... just cause chondros do go to ground from time to time... some more than others...
Often times they only do it if there is something wrong (usually temps to high) but not always and if they want to spend a day on the ground they should have the option in my opinion
Often times they only do it if there is something wrong (usually temps to high) but not always and if they want to spend a day on the ground they should have the option in my opinion
You could set up a vivarium with a water feature. Chondros are one of few snakes that actually do well in a viv because they don't destroy everything on the ground and tend to not really bother any epiphytes on branches either.. they might knock off a few here and there if they are int he way but otherwise they leave stuff alone.
Firts, the only good way to heat a GTP terrarium is with a heat panel. The snake might, otherwise, burn itself.
Greg Maxwell's book is very good, although, imho, he tends to over humidity. Mian thing is constance. You can keep a GTP around 60 % RH allways. I know keepers and breeders who never spray, and other who spary everyday and others who spray once a week.
As said, it is question of constancy. GTP's do not thrive in changing conditions and it is very easy to kill them with respiratoy infections.
The water in the bottom stuff I would not advise. Water is a major bacteria breeding ground. Avoid it. It will end up messy, dirty, and over humid.
Put substrate in, a couple of potted photos plants, with adequate light, water the plants and slightly mist them regilarly and that should do it.
Greg Maxwell's book is very good, although, imho, he tends to over humidity. Mian thing is constance. You can keep a GTP around 60 % RH allways. I know keepers and breeders who never spray, and other who spary everyday and others who spray once a week.
As said, it is question of constancy. GTP's do not thrive in changing conditions and it is very easy to kill them with respiratoy infections.
The water in the bottom stuff I would not advise. Water is a major bacteria breeding ground. Avoid it. It will end up messy, dirty, and over humid.
Put substrate in, a couple of potted photos plants, with adequate light, water the plants and slightly mist them regilarly and that should do it.
every place i have looked at has said that ceramic heat emitters are fine. and you should get it to about 70% then let them dry out. ok so no water in the bottom. i have wanted to put in lots of plants (bromeliads, pothos etc.) what lighting would that need? thanks for the help
When I was first getting into GTPs earlier this year, my chondro friend told me that there are lots of things we don't know about these creatures. So far we've figured out how to keep them alive, and how to get them to breed. That's about it. That's all we need to know right? 
There are so many different ways to successfully keep chondros it seems. Many breeders will have different ways to go about it and they will have comparable/equal success using different methods. I personally find this unsettling.
One of the things you don't want to do is to keep them too hot. Keep the temperature on the hot side at about 85 and on the cool side at 80. Dip into the high 70's at night is okay.
I personally no longer spray my animals except for during shed cycles and sometimes after meals. I'd say straight 60-65% RH is good as well, and peak into 80-85% when in shed, allowing it to dry out in between sprayings. There are other ways to achieve RH, like a hefty sized water bowl. Many people do think that they need to be kept in very wet conditions, but I would wager that will do more harm than good.
Eco earth substrate would be fine, although IME they tend to dry out and get dusty down the road.
3x2x2 is plenty good, personally that's what my animals will be going into. However, many successes have come from considerably less than this purported norm.
My male is always wandering around, at times finds himself on the floor, but a chondro that is off-perch is telling you something IMO.
The More Complete Chondro is a pretty good book that's worth the money. It's an interesting read to those who are starting out with nice pictures but some keepers will tell you that they'd rather use it as cage substrate than an information extraction pool. Some of these people have more credentials than Greg Maxwell. Maxwell just happened to be a guy who wrote the book, he is just famous for the commodification of 'high-end designer' chondros. He is comparable to BP breeders who breed for colour, and if you go on his website and take a look at the recent breeding updates you will see what I mean.
I researched chondros for 4 years before I brought one home. Now, this had a lot to do with college/funding/timing issues but I am very glad that I did my homework. The last thing you want is to get one of these from a show on a whim, get stuck with a nice unstable WC that will drop dead on you the next week.
Read as much as you can, find a breeder in your area and bombard them with questions. If they are worthy of your time and money, they will be delighted to talk to you.
There are so many different ways to successfully keep chondros it seems. Many breeders will have different ways to go about it and they will have comparable/equal success using different methods. I personally find this unsettling.
One of the things you don't want to do is to keep them too hot. Keep the temperature on the hot side at about 85 and on the cool side at 80. Dip into the high 70's at night is okay.
I personally no longer spray my animals except for during shed cycles and sometimes after meals. I'd say straight 60-65% RH is good as well, and peak into 80-85% when in shed, allowing it to dry out in between sprayings. There are other ways to achieve RH, like a hefty sized water bowl. Many people do think that they need to be kept in very wet conditions, but I would wager that will do more harm than good.
Eco earth substrate would be fine, although IME they tend to dry out and get dusty down the road.
3x2x2 is plenty good, personally that's what my animals will be going into. However, many successes have come from considerably less than this purported norm.
My male is always wandering around, at times finds himself on the floor, but a chondro that is off-perch is telling you something IMO.
The More Complete Chondro is a pretty good book that's worth the money. It's an interesting read to those who are starting out with nice pictures but some keepers will tell you that they'd rather use it as cage substrate than an information extraction pool. Some of these people have more credentials than Greg Maxwell. Maxwell just happened to be a guy who wrote the book, he is just famous for the commodification of 'high-end designer' chondros. He is comparable to BP breeders who breed for colour, and if you go on his website and take a look at the recent breeding updates you will see what I mean.
I researched chondros for 4 years before I brought one home. Now, this had a lot to do with college/funding/timing issues but I am very glad that I did my homework. The last thing you want is to get one of these from a show on a whim, get stuck with a nice unstable WC that will drop dead on you the next week.
Read as much as you can, find a breeder in your area and bombard them with questions. If they are worthy of your time and money, they will be delighted to talk to you.
When I was first getting into GTPs earlier this year, my chondro friend told me that there are lots of things we don't know about these creatures. So far we've figured out how to keep them alive, and how to get them to breed. That's about it. That's all we need to know right?
There are so many different ways to successfully keep chondros it seems. Many breeders will have different ways to go about it and they will have comparable/equal success using different methods. I personally find this unsettling.
One of the things you don't want to do is to keep them too hot. Keep the temperature on the hot side at about 85 and on the cool side at 80. Dip into the high 70's at night is okay.
I personally no longer spray my animals except for during shed cycles and sometimes after meals. I'd say straight 60-65% RH is good as well, and peak into 80-85% when in shed, allowing it to dry out in between sprayings. There are other ways to achieve RH, like a hefty sized water bowl. Many people do think that they need to be kept in very wet conditions, but I would wager that will do more harm than good.
Eco earth substrate would be fine, although IME they tend to dry out and get dusty down the road.
3x2x2 is plenty good, personally that's what my animals will be going into. However, many successes have come from considerably less than this purported norm.
My male is always wandering around, at times finds himself on the floor, but a chondro that is off-perch is telling you something IMO.
The More Complete Chondro is a pretty good book that's worth the money. It's an interesting read to those who are starting out with nice pictures but some keepers will tell you that they'd rather use it as cage substrate than an information extraction pool. Some of these people have more credentials than Greg Maxwell. Maxwell just happened to be a guy who wrote the book, he is just famous for the commodification of 'high-end designer' chondros. He is comparable to BP breeders who breed for colour, and if you go on his website and take a look at the recent breeding updates you will see what I mean.
I researched chondros for 4 years before I brought one home. Now, this had a lot to do with college/funding/timing issues but I am very glad that I did my homework. The last thing you want is to get one of these from a show on a whim, get stuck with a nice unstable WC that will drop dead on you the next week.
Read as much as you can, find a breeder in your area and bombard them with questions. If they are worthy of your time and money, they will be delighted to talk to you.
THIS!
Ceramic heat emitters dry the air too much, imho.
Also, gtps might perch on them when they areoff and will not leave quick enough when they are on. Believe me.
