My new green tree snake

[wildflower]

I have just gotten my first snake, a green tree snake as a gift. I love him so much and as a tiny hatchling handled him a few times and shifted him when cleaning out the tank ect. I have just upgraded his tank and successfully gotten him to feed

. Sadly as much as I love him, I am terrified of him, I have always had a phobia of snakes and have tried very hard over the years to over come it. doing wildlife caring for 5 years now, I have come into contact with many species of snakes and have a real love for them. I am not scared of being bitten as I know he cant hurt me (the squirrel gliders I have rescued are far more dangerous) its more that I may hurt or frighten him. I really want my snake to be calm and happy, please any advise or personal stories of getting to know and bonding with your snake are very welcome.

 

[nintendont]

I have just gotten my first snake, a green tree snake as a gift. I love him so much and as a tiny hatchling handled him a few times and shifted him when cleaning out the tank ect. I have just upgraded his tank and successfully gotten him to feed

. Sadly as much as I love him, I am terrified of him, I have always had a phobia of snakes and have tried very hard over the years to over come it. doing wildlife caring for 5 years now, I have come into contact with many species of snakes and have a real love for them. I am not scared of being bitten as I know he cant hurt me (the squirrel gliders I have rescued are far more dangerous) its more that I may hurt or frighten him. I really want my snake to be calm and happy, please any advise or personal stories of getting to know and bonding with your snake are very welcome.

is this a gee up? i thought green tree snakes were mildly venomous? interesting choice for a first snake.

 

[sharky]

Just putting this out there Green Tree snakes aren't one of the ideal starter snakes...

Maybe you could get some one experienced in your area to show you how to safely and happily hold him without stressing/hurting him. Most people are more then happy to show new comers of the hobby how to handle their reps and care for them!

 

[sharky]

They are harmless, just release a foul smelling odur. It is the Brown tree snakes that are mildly venomous

 

[nintendont]

They are harmless, just release a foul smelling odur. It is the Brown tree snakes that are mildly venomous

ahhh k. i know little on pythons but even less on colubrids

 

[montysrainbow]

im still a bit scared of my coastal lol im just waiting for him to giv me a love bite on the bright side your new fella is only small....a bite or tag wont hurt. I would suggest maybe using a pillow case over each hand when getting him out it will make you and him feel more secure. Just remember that calm and gentle handling will not hurt him so dont stress about that, and you dont have to handle him alot.
Oh and if you dont mind me asking why would someone gift you a pet snake if you have a phobia of them :? seems a bit odd.

 

[Dendrobates]

There is nothing wrong with having a Green Tree Snake as a first snake, they are no more difficult to keep than pythons except for their dietary requirements (e.g. being mostly frog and fish eaters). People make them sound a lot harder than what they actually are.

 

[PythonLegs]

Theyre not a beginner snake. Sorry skinks. Can be very tricky feeders, fragile and jumpy when small and Way quicker than you expect...plus the fact their metabolism is quicker than a python and they dump every few days..an always seem to go through it, then all over the enclosure.

Still, if you're not keen on handling, and more into watching, then you should be ok. Its not really a 'calm and happy' species, though..

 

[Dendrobates]

Have you ever kept them Pythonlegs? They are very simple feeders if you give them the right diet, not all of them are jumpy and they usually settle down to be calm adults - many pythons can be much more jumpy. Their metabolism may be quicker, but it's not exactly hard to clean up some extra crap every few days - try keeping elapids, they crap a hell of a lot more than what CTS's do.
They aren't a difficult species to keep.

 

[PythonLegs]

View attachment 285565

Dont remember saying they were difficult. Theyre not a beginners snake.

 

[montysrainbow]

Dendrelaphis punctulata - Aussie Pythons & Snakes incase you want to know more. 8)

 

[jairusthevirus21]

you mean common tree snake?... or green tree python? not green tree snake... :/

 

[Barrett]

you mean common tree snake?... or green tree python? not green tree snake... :/

Common names for Dendrelaphis punctulata are common tree snake, green tree snake & Australian tree snake.

 

[GeckoJosh]

Have you ever kept them Pythonlegs? They are very simple feeders if you give them the right diet, not all of them are jumpy and they usually settle down to be calm adults - many pythons can be much more jumpy. Their metabolism may be quicker, but it's not exactly hard to clean up some extra crap every few days - try keeping elapids, they crap a hell of a lot more than what CTS's do.
They aren't a difficult species to keep.

CTS are flighty snakes in general, and yes I have owned 5 of them

 

[Dendrobates]

You still can't judge a species off a few individuals, all as I'm saying is that they aren't hard to keep. I've had a lot to do with them... get their diet right and learn how they operate and they are simple.

 

[GeckoJosh]

You still can't judge a species off a few individuals, all as I'm saying is that they aren't hard to keep. I've had a lot to do with them... get their diet right and learn how they operate and they are simple.

Yeah I agree, they are easy, but you have to remember most "beginners" cannot grasp simple concepts such as over-handling and temperature gradients, a quick look through noob threads will show that straight away.
My tree snakes are the only snakes I have that stress easily when handled and get spooked by me just opening their enclosure, my carpets and Womas do not even flinch.

 

[wildflower]

Thank you everyone for replying. He is a Australian green tree snake, or as he was sold as. My friend knew I had been researching and wanting a snake, she simple thought this species would be better as I would enjoy watching more than handling. Pythons she believed aren't as active as this one. He is an awesome little snake and I have love the extra challenge of diet and creating a suitable enclosure for him. I was unsure that a pillow case or something over my hands would scare him??? I would be so upset if I dropped him and lost him I guess that is my biggest concern, my friend keeps telling me that it is best to handle the snake while he is so young if I want to be able to handle him as an adult. ohhh I must agree that he is FAST, he can certainly move quickly and without notice. When he is held he just moves around and when he has started to move to fast, just placed back in his tree. He spends the best part of the day wide awake and alert watching my movement around the room. He holds his head up and watches everything, he is not jumping when I touch the glass or move things around inside. He just watches and moves if he is in my way, he has tried to stand right up on his tale and escape once..... I have never moved so fast in my life, after I picked him up and he was fine. (it took me an hour pacing the room to get the courage). I truly love him and have spend a small fortune on him and creating enrichments for him daily with new rocks and vines to keep him entertained. However I am worried if my confidence doesn't build soon I may have to find a more confident owner for him. I cant have a snake that I cannot move or transfer to another tank to clean ect.

 

[wildflower]

Gecko Josh - I don't want to carry him around with me or play with him, I just want to be confident in picking him up so I can clean after feeding and keep hm safe from escaping when changing water ect. he loves to swim so has 2 larger bowl and a small drinking bowl.

 

[wildflower]

Thank-you stinks. I was also told he would be a difficult feeder but no dramas yet

 

[Marzzy]

They feel like whips there a bit rushy when you first get them out but the settle down soon after. Defiantly feel different to a python