Green Tree Python

Latin name: Morelia viridis

Sexing and Characteristics:

There are several ways of sexing a snake but the main ones are popping & probing, both of these ways are reliable with probing being the most accurate. (GTP's should not be popped due to their delicate spines). If you need your snake sexed, make sure this gets done by a professional.

Green Tree Pythons should not be handled or sexed until a minimum of one year of age as they have very delicate spines which can be easily kinked.

Green Tree Pythons are arboreal & will often be found coiled around a branch with their head in the middle of their coil a lot of the time.

There are several localities of Green Tree Pythons available ranging in a variety of colours & size such as Aru, Sarong, Biak etc. I personally kept a Merauke GTP due to her intense green colouring, with white flecking & powder blue hues.

Size:

Generally Green Tree Pythons reach between 4-6 ft, with the females being bigger reaching around 6ft.

The size of GTP varies from Locality, with Aru being one of the smaller & more docile species.

Substrate and Water Needs:
For bedding you can use a variety of things, Pine & Cedar are to be avoided as these are toxic to reptiles. You can use newspaper or paper towel which are cheap but not very appealing. Orchid Bark or coco fibre are your best bet, they are great at holding humidity & are not too expensive and they look good.
You will need a fair sized water bowl, one the snake can submerse its body in.

Lighting and UVB:
GTP have no special lighting requirements but if you do use a bulb, please ensure the light has a bulb guard to avoid your snake from being burnt.

Temperatures & Humidity:

Your GTP should be kept at temperatures between 28 - 30’C.

To achieve these temperatures several heating devices can be used such as:

Ÿ  Heatmats (Not recommended as these snakes mainly stay perched)

Ÿ  Basking/Infrared Bulbs

Ÿ  AHS heaters

Ÿ  Ceramic bulbs

These are down to personal preference & all should be used with the appropriate Thermostats to control the temperature & avoid overheating.

A GTP's humidity should be around 70-80% with an increase whilst shedding.

GTP's do not need constant high humidity 24 hours a day, they benefit more with a drying out period, spray your snake in the morning ensuring the glass condensates for a few hours.

If help is needed choosing heating/thermostat options, please do not hesitate to contact us & we will guide you in the right direction.

Housing:
An adult GTP can be housed in a 3ft x 2ft x 2ft vivarium.

Young GTP's are best kept in small tubs, with secure hides as they may go off feeding if they feel insecure.

Provide them with appropriate sized perches & plants for hiding, one perch in the hot end & one in the cool end, an appropriately sized water bowl should also be provided.

Older GTP's can be housing housed in 60x45x60 Exo Terra Glass Vivs or similar.

Diet:
Carnivorous 

Description of Diet:

Young GTP’s are able to take pinkies on their first feed.
You should be able to start feeding your snake on pinkies, if they are on the smaller side, then very small pinkies, you may feed them every 7-10 days at this point.

As the snakes grows it will need larger prey items.

Older snakes should be fed on an appropriately sized meal every 2-3 weeks to avoid becoming overweight.

GTP’s have slow metabolisms so be careful not to overfeed.

Supplements, Nutrition and Usage:
Generally supplementations are not needed but I feel that calcium should be used for breeding females to help the production of eggs, to replace the females calcium levels & prevent them from becoming egg bound.

Maintenance:
They are not ideal for beginners as they are not very forgiving if husbandry mistakes are made, so should be left to the more experienced keeper.

I would recommend changing their water every 1-2 days, spot clean every few days, and clean them out properly every 1-2 months, using an appropriate disinfectant.

GTP's are best not handled due to stress & injury although it can be done they do best as a display animal.

Some Words on this Species:

They are very pretty Pythons that make great display snakes & if given the right set-up, make an great eye catching display.

If you have the experience/knowledge they can be very manageable & as with most snakes can have long life spans, so be prepared to take care for an animal for the rest of its life.

I would say they make a lovely display animal but are not the pet to be held but their attractiveness makes up for that.

We used to own a Merauke female (pictured below).