Feeding Green Tree Snakes??

[Adam]

I was sold a Green Tree Snake that was supposedly eating pinky rats. I have had her for some time now and all I can get her to eat is frogs that I catch or Lizards such as garden skinks or water skinks from the creeks near home.I really want her to eat more readily available and healthier meals. I have tried goldfish in her water bowl to no avail I also tried force feeding goldfish once a fortnight but after 3 months of that the male up and died trying to regurge the fish so now I DON'T use goldfish. PLEASE HELP ME AND MY G.T.S !!!!!??????!!!!!

 

[sxereturn]

Have you tried scenting the pinkies with skinks/fish?

 

[adullthud]

This is the method I use and it works pretty well for me.
I place bowl in the cage and the gts is fed from this. The food item is always placed in the bowl. This to start with is usually a skink. I do this a few times then just use skink tails. The idea is that the snake associates the bowl with meal time and you will often find it sitting on a perch above the bowl. Then I introduce a defrosted pinky with a skink tailprtruding from its mouth. Do this a few times if necessary. Then its just plain pinkiesfrom then. Eventually you can lose the bowl.

 

[Adam]

Thanx adullthud I will give that a go , it sounds like the best option I have been given.

 

[cwarren72]

There is another option and that is to go your local pet shop and buy yourself a finch and put in with it. I had a brown tree snake and that is all it would eat. Skinks and frogs are ok but in some instances can carry mites or worms. Anyway good luck with her

 

[ackie]

a green tree snake is not goin to touch a finch. ther feeding habits are totally different to brown tree snakes.

 

[cwarren72]

Really? Well I will have to let the breeder I got him off know that greens won't take finches, which means that all the ones he had been feeding his greens must have been eaten by something else. He kept a wide variety of herps including browns and greens. Even though greens prodominately and preferably eat frogs and lizards they are like a lot of reptiles in that they are opportunistic and will prey on animals outside their normal diets from time to time, and I think that for that cost of a finch it would be worth a go.

 

[adullthud]

Mine dont take birds or fish but I have never tried to wean them onto them. Their response to mice was the same when tried without attempting to changing their eating habits.

 

[stockeh]

Adam i had a few troubles getting one of my snakes to eat pinkies too and wattso came up with the answer, i defrosted the pinkie in a bucket of water as usuall and then when it was thawed i pierced the back of the head with a pin so that a little blood and some brain came out... once it was in the cage it was gone within half an hour... may be worth a shot

good luck

 

[Greebo]

GTS are a bit different Stockeh.
The one I have will only eat goldfish, it just wont take mice.
Adam, try feeding her some neons, they are smaller and she might just take them.

 

[BROWNS]

Is it legal or illegal to take guppies or rainbows etc from a nearby creek to try feeding them to the gts :?:

 

[stockeh]

sorry greebo just thought it may be worth a shot thats all its good to have options

 

[adullthud]

I should point out that my method takes more than a few days.

 

[cwarren72]

As far as I am aware it is ok to take guppies and things of the similar nature from creeks. I know of an Aquarium shop nearby that does it for feeders from time to time when they can't get other stock in. That's here in QLD

 

[luke]

be carful with food not bread in captivity they carry a variety of diseases and nasty unwanted criters :? !!!!

 

[ackie]

hey cwarren....hav u ever kept gts? if not u will not no how fussy gts r.

 

[Springherp]

you could probably start your own feeder fish colony with mosquito fish, they are ferals and considered pests in oz so i dont think you should have any problems with wild catching. they also breed extremely rapidly. they grow to about 3-4mm.
http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/hab/broc/inland/fsfw04.html

 

[Springherp]

sorry 3-4cm

 

[FrOnToSa_FrEaK]

Springherp is there a link to introduced species in NSW?

 

[Fuscus]

It is illeagal in both Queensland and Victoria to transport gambesia (mosquito fish) and/or introduce them into any waterway. I wouldn't be surprised if the laws are the same in other states.