Why aren't Common Tree Snakes that popular?

[Drak_]

I've only recently looked into the common tree snakes and they are quite the beautiful specimens which don't seem to get much attention or recognition. I'm just wondering if there was a specific reason for that?

Are their care requirements too difficult? Or are they not handleable? I'm honestly quite interested why this particular snake that on paper would seem to be a great animal to keep is rarely seen on things such as this forum.

 

[PythonLegs]

They’re very desirable and tend to sell as soon as they’re available. However- not many people seem to be breeding them, for whatever reason.
They are handleable and easy to keep, if you have access to live fish.

 

[Drak_]

They’re very desirable and tend to sell as soon as they’re available. However- not many people seem to be breeding them, for whatever reason.
They are handleable and easy to keep, if you have access to live fish.

That's interesting to hear, I assumed they weren't popular because there honestly isn't much information or recent discussion about them that I could find. It would be interesting to find a breeder honestly and see their side of the story but as you said it doesn't seem to be a popular species to breed.

 

[Stuart]

Because they are too "Common".....

Hehe

 

[Kyle Hamilton]

DRAK said " That's interesting to hear, I assumed they weren't popular because there honestly isn't much information or recent discussion about them that I could find. It would be interesting to find a breeder honestly and see their side of the story but as you said it doesn't seem to be a popular species to breed. "
Ive known two people that bred them and they put in allot of time. The eggs hatch at a lower temperature around 28C, then there is the feeding problems as most eat fish and frogs . The feeder fish run up a big bill unless you have the rare adults that take rodents. Lots of work goes into getting the hatchlings onto pink mice ,real pain in the butt stuff. They are on class 1 LOL so buyers constantly carry on about the high price tag ,stick the young ones in big cages ,having them not eat and escape etc .

 

[Pythonguy1]

They're one of the species that I'm looking to get one day. A blue phase would be nice.

Unfortunately I only know of one person who keeps them. But I'm not sure if he breeds them.
I get them at my place all the time. You can pick them up and they don't even try to bite. Actually, another species of colubrid that I'd like to see more in captivity is the keelback. I'd love to find someone who breeds them.

 

[Bluetongue1]

It’s interesting that you mention keelbacks. I kept both a green tree and a keelback many decades ago. Back then all you had available to feed them was live frogs. However the keelback would also take tadpoles, which were much easier to come by. The green tree was a very active snake and a master escape artist. As I recall it used to like to defecate from a height and pretty much spray faeces around, which was a pain to clean up. I was also not fond of listening to frogs screaming as they were being swallowed alive, bum first. Third time it got out, I found it again in the yard and decided to leave it be. Back in those days (in outer suburban Sydney) there were plenty of trees and bush nearby and you had green tree frogs in people’s backyards. So it had a pretty fair chance of surviving.

I cannot recall what became of the keelback. I have a feeling I eventually swapped it for some lizards as I wasn’t happy with the water body I could provide. The cage I had it in had a length of roof guttering, sealed at both ends, to provide water to put the tadpoles in and for any frogs that were added. From memory, the keelback spent a fair bit of time in the water, actively chasing its tucker. I actually found it a more interesting snake to keep than the tree snake.

As a youth, my mate and I got to know John and George Cann, the sons of George snr, who used to run the snake shows at La Perouse. We got invited back to both their houses on numerous occasions, but John’s place was preferred as he held most of their reptiles in his backyard. I recall one particular Sunday afternoon where John’s asked me if I was interested in viewing his near complete new internal turtle pond for keeping of tropical species. Of course I said yes. The pond was fashioned out of fibreglass and he was just waiting for the volatile chemicals to dissipate. In the same shed he had a blue phase CTS, similar to the above photo, in a glass fronted enclosure at head height. What an amazing sight that was! And that was half a century ago now. He also had a Macleay’s water snake in an aquarium. That was also a totally awesome critter, but for different reasons. Have always wanted to keep one since then but found myself living in the wrong state. Oh well… such is life.

 

[dragonlover1]

Back in those days (in outer suburban Sydney) there were plenty of trees and bush nearby and you had green tree frogs in people’s backyards. So it had a pretty fair chance of surviving.

I lived in Liverpool as a child and the bush was 100 yards (metres to you young people) away and we had green tree frogs in the yard every time it rained. I returned to the same house 30 years later, the bush has become industrial and the creek has disappeared. In the 12 years I have been back I have seen 1 tiny grey frog (identity unknown) but sadly not 1 single GTF

 

[Pythonguy1]

This guy was getting mistreated by the cats one night, so I brought him inside for a bit before releasing him out of harms way.



I also discovered that they like to eat geckos. We get tons of Asian house geckos out here. Probably why these things are thriving.

 

[Sdaji]

They don't handle well, which for many keepers is a big part of the appeal of keeping snakes. Sure, they don't bite, but they're flighty and move like greased lightning, especially compared to a python. Even just taking it out into the yard for a picture leaves you at pretty high risk of it getting away. They're long, slender and more likely to escape than a python.

They're pains to feed. They'll eat fish... generally... which means you need to constantly buy live fish, which is expensive, a hassle, and they don't always eat them well. You can feed them frogs which is legally and ethically questionable as well as potentially risky with parasites etc. Lizards are the other option (when I've kept them I've mostly used the Asian Pest Gecko). Many people are uncomfortable giving them live feed, and it's always less convenient than something which enthusiastically takes from tongs something you can buy from a shop and store without maintenance.

They're not as easy to house as pythons.

They have much higher metabolisms than pythons and if anything is wrong or if they're not fed frequently, they'll rapidly lose condition.

They're generally more sensitive than pythons.

They're not as easy to breed as pythons.

Despite all this, a lot of people continually insist that it's a bit of a mystery as to why they're so rarely kept, and despite being obviously true, a lot of the above is disputed by many people.

They're definitely super cool animals, they're very active, perhaps the most active Australian snake, and make great display animals. They come in many colour forms, some extremely striking and beautiful, many people try to work with them but almost everyone stops bothering before long.

 

[Drak_]

They don't handle well, which for many keepers is a big part of the appeal of keeping snakes. Sure, they don't bite, but they're flighty and move like greased lightning, especially compared to a python. Even just taking it out into the yard for a picture leaves you at pretty high risk of it getting away. They're long, slender and more likely to escape than a python.

They're pains to feed. They'll eat fish... generally... which means you need to constantly buy live fish, which is expensive, a hassle, and they don't always eat them well. You can feed them frogs which is legally and ethically questionable as well as potentially risky with parasites etc. Lizards are the other option (when I've kept them I've mostly used the Asian Pest Gecko). Many people are uncomfortable giving them live feed, and it's always less convenient than something which enthusiastically takes from tongs something you can buy from a shop and store without maintenance.

They're not as easy to house as pythons.

They have much higher metabolisms than pythons and if anything is wrong or if they're not fed frequently, they'll rapidly lose condition.

They're generally more sensitive than pythons.

They're not as easy to breed as pythons.

Despite all this, a lot of people continually insist that it's a bit of a mystery as to why they're so rarely kept, and despite being obviously true, a lot of the above is disputed by many people.

They're definitely super cool animals, they're very active, perhaps the most active Australian snake, and make great display animals. They come in many colour forms, some extremely striking and beautiful, many people try to work with them but almost everyone stops bothering before long.

That's quite a list of reasons! Honestly it seems that beacuse they are rarely kept, this type of information doesnt really get around, meaning that people will see this snake with an air of mystery to it and not understand why that is. Their usually high price doesn't help the matter of making them accessible which would just add to the mystery.

But their beauty will constantly bring people in and have them asking these questions. I don't blame them though, they're really stunning and may arguably be worth the effort

 

[Sdaji]

That's quite a list of reasons! Honestly it seems that beacuse they are rarely kept, this type of information doesnt really get around, meaning that people will see this snake with an air of mystery to it and not understand why that is. Their usually high price doesn't help the matter of making them accessible which would just add to the mystery.

But their beauty will constantly bring people in and have them asking these questions. I don't blame them though, they're really stunning and may arguably be worth the effort

If you know what you're doing, have the time and a ready supply of feed, then yeah, they can be worth it. If you know what you're doing they're not really difficult, just a lot more work. Honestly, I doubt I'd ever be tempted to keep them again; the high maintenance bit is a real deterrent for me. There are only so many hours in each day.

 

[Licespray]

About the frog thing - I wonder if they’d take cane toad legs? No toxin down that end, heck people eat them.