| Green Tree Python caresheet |
| Species introduction | Morelia viridis, more commonly known as the Green tree python, is an arboreal species of snake originating from Northern parts of Australia, Indonesia and the surrounding islands. This species is nocturnal and considered a snake for advanced keepers. |
| Food | Feeding your GTP( a common acronym for Green Tree Python) is fairly simple if you have kept snakes before. Personally I prefer to feed frozen and then thawed mice/ small rats. You will want to hang the mouse/rat by the tail with a pair of hemostats/tongs in front of the snake til it takes it. I would reccomend not using your hand as the GTP has heat pits along the front of its mouth and could very easily mistake your hand for food. A bite from a GTP won't kill you but they will make you bleed. |
| Water | GTPs require a certain amount of humidity coming from a tropical region. From my own experience a good misting once a day will usually suffice. While this may not hold true for more arid regions, you should be able to tell if you are misting it enough by how well the shed cycle goes. If you see peeling and the shed is not complete then you may want to increase the amount of misting. This will also provide them with drinking water. Many may tell you that GTPs will not drink from a water bowl and that you MUST mist them but I have seen my GTPs and others drink from their bowls as well. |
| Heating | GTPs require a warm environment, keeping a range from the mid 80s down to the low 70s at night should suffice. There are many possibilities for heating your enclosure including flexwatt tape, heat mats, heat lamps, etc. but most proffesional GTP keepers use radiant heat panels. |
| Lightng | GTPs are nocturnal as previously stated and do not require any special lighting. While UVB is not required it will bring out brighter colors in your snake. |
| Housing | Hatchling GTPs are usually comfortable in a shoebox sized enclosure, while adults will prefer more room at least 24x24x24in. measurements but the more room the better. Any GTP enclosure should have perches as the snake likes to be at the highest point of the cage. For substrate i prefer either paper towels or peat moss depending on your preference. |
Size and life expectancy | GTPs are a medium sized snake attaining lengths of 5-6ft. One particular GTP at the Houston zoo was known to live about 30 years. |