Aqua-Terra-Vita Care Sheet
Caring for your Green Tree Pythons
Morelia viridis
Latin Name: Morelia viridis.
Adult Size: Up to 2 meters.
Average Life Span: Longevity is unknown at this time; however, wild caught animals have lived for over 20 years in captivity.
Native Distribution: Aru Islands, Salawati, Misool, Papua, Biak, Supiori, Numfor, Yapen, Papua New Guinea (including Normanby) and Australia (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland).
Physical Description: A small 1.5m to 2m tree dwelling python. Basic body color is lime green with a yellow to white belly. Through selective breeding many new color variations, ranging from blue to yellow, with varying amounts of green have been developed.
Temperament: A predatory nocturnal carnivore.
Status in the Wild: CITES II.
Native Habitat: Warm, humid, tropical rain forests.
Ambient Temperature: 26C to 34C.
Basking Temperature: Needs a basking spot with a temperature between 32C and 38C.
Humidity Range: 60% to 100%.
Lighting: Full spectrum fluorescent.
Terrarium Size: Adults are best kept on their own. Minimum terrarium dimensions: 60cm X 60cm X 60cm.
Terrarium Decor: Tropical rain forest motif with perches for hunting, basking, and sleeping.
Terrarium Substrate: Damp sphagnum moss mixed with fir bark chips.
Terrarium Containment: A top is necessary for containment and to regulate humidity.
Hygiene: Clean water bowl and spot clean as necessary. Daily misting is beneficial to maintain humidity, however, any condensation on the glass should be allowed to dry out over night.
Feeding: Feed adult snakes several adult mice or one medium rat every 10 to 14 days.
Handling: Handling is tolerated but may be stressful to the snake.
Terrarium Compatibility: Best kept on their own.
Maturity: Sexual maturity is reached around 3 years of age.
Sexing: Probing after young are over 1 year old to avoid fracturing tail vertebrae.
Conditioning: Keep adults well fed on mice and / or rats.
Cycling: Breeding may occur year round after cycling, but usually occurs between December and March. Reduce feeding and temperature for 6 weeks; e.g. daytime high temperature 28C; nighttime low 20C. See Green Tree Pythons mating photograph.
Sex Ratio: Breed in M/F pairs. Males will fight if put together.
Egg Laying: Gestation is around 100 days. The female will lay between 10 and 30 eggs 15 to 21 days after her pre-egg laying shed.
Incubation Temperature: If given a nesting box, most female Green Tree Pythons will incubate their own eggs by coiling around them in a beehive fashion. If using maternal incubation the ambient temperature should be between 28C and 29C. If using artificial incubation, keep the temperature at 30.5C for the first week, 31.5C for the next five weeks, then 29.5C for the last week.
Incubation / Gestation Time: 7 to 8 weeks. Most breeders pip the eggs after 49 days.
Size at Birth: 10 to 15 grams.
Hatchling Sex Ratio: Not temperature dependant.
Feeding: 1 pinky mouse every 7 to 10 days. Tease feeding is often necessary for young that are reluctant, at first, to feed on pinky mice.
Housing: Young are best raised seperately.
Upper Respiratory Infection: Increase temperature to 32C and administer Cyprofloxacin Hydrochloride at a dosage of 11mg/kg orally every 48 to 72 hours until all symptoms disappear.
Blister Disease: This condition is caused by excessive moisture and poor ventilation. Correcting the problem will usually bring about a cure.
Prolapse: Keep the prolapsed area moist and apply a sugar / water paste to the exposed tissue to cause it to shrink back into place. If this does not happen within 24 hours, see a veterinarian.
*Any course of treatment should be preceded by a thorough examination from a qualified professional. All remedies for ailments given above are for reference purposes only.
If you have questions, comments, or to learn more about Green Tree Pythons, you are welcomed to become a member of ATVIIR Forums and join the "Snakes of the Genus Morelia" forum.
