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Q:
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Does anyone hold their Chondro?
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In Relation To:
Sundrop
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Ok... I am new at the Chondro thing but I am one who wants to hold my animals. Terry and our friend Mel think that Sundrop is 2-2 .5 yrs old. Terry said that he is very nippy. Is there a way to break them of this? and I know its probably hold them more... Which leads to my next question... How do you get them off their perch sucessfuly without getting attacked? Because everytime i reach in the cage and touch him he hikes back and hisses LOUD at me and I look at him and am like all i want to do is hold you... So how hard can it possibly be? If anyone out there can give me some tips on this holding of a chondro and getting it out without be attacked would be nice.
Thanks Michael
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 8:56:00 PM
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Chris Behof
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good question.....i've wondered this too myself. hopefully you get some good replies
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 9:34:31 PM
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aalomon
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Biggest thing is you need a removable perch. Take him out on the perch without touching him at all. When you can do this and he is completely calm you can start touching. Eventually youll get the point where he will choose to crawl off on his own. You should never force them off the perch unless it is an absolute emergency. Oh, and you will get bit at some point and probably more than once but just go slow and youll get there.
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 10:19:14 PM
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Kaiyudsai
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I imagine they have pretty nice dentition
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 11:00:54 PM
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FyreFocks
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I remember trying to hold one once....Ahhh, how young and stupid i was. I know better now.
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 11:48:46 PM
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NCherper
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Their dentition isn't all that impressive actually. It isn't anywhere near as scary as an ETB. A carpet python has longer teeth than a chondro. The long teeth notion is one that isn't really true. As far as holding your animal; It looks like you have a removable perch (from your pictures on Sundrop's page). However, there are several things you may want to consider: giving him some heavy foliage within his cage via plastic or live plants (clear cages can be extremely stressful on GTPs). This could help his general mood a bit. The advice given by Brittany is what I did with mine once they were yearlings. A hand underneath their coils will usually coax them to loosen up and then look around. This is usually followed by them tentatively gliding onto your hand.
I can hold all of my chondros except for one. Which brings the most important point I think: Not all GTP's can be held. Some are laid back and handleable. Others will waste no time tagging you. No amount of handling will change this fact. Judging by the size and age (some mellow down as they age) of your animal, he might be one of the latter. When you were told he was nippy, that was a dead giveaway he was a biter. A lot of green trees will just tuck their heads in their coils when you open their cage. However, the ones that get extremely defensive, especially at 2 years old, I would wager are going to stay that way. That is just the way it goes. Sometimes I am happy when I can just remove the perch with Trix (My little Biting GTP), without getting tagged. I have accepted that it will always be a biter.
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Accepted Answer
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10/20/2008 11:58:22 PM
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aaron
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Heh, I don't mean to sound smug, but holding awful chondros is one thing that I've got down.
There's really an art to holding a chondo and not getting bit. Kim sent me a chondro who she said will bite your face off, and was the meanest chondro she had. The next day, I sent her a photo of me with the snake wrapped around my neck. I have yet to find a chondro that I can't ultimately free handle without getting bit (it may take a few tries :P)
Key is being able to read the chondro. With the nasty ones, you have to approach them the right way. Sometimes, this is a slow approach, others, it is a fast approach which will intimidate them and confuse them. All depends on the chondro. Regardless, remove them with their branch. Once you get the branch out, the fun starts.
Touch them from the BOTTOM of their bodies, under the area they are wrapped. You'll have to position and reposition the branch around, to keep their face and head from you. Never, ever, EVER grab, or even touch them, around the first 1/3rd of their bodies. This is the panic zone that most breeders use when trying to get these jerks to feed as babies... it's sensitive to them anyway, but I think we exacerbate that. Grab from the bottom. Also, beware of the tail past the vent, that's also a reaction zone.
Once you touch them, the rest is finagling them around to come off the perch. I've noticed with my two horrible, evil, murderous biaks, that the more motion I keep going, the less they are likely to strike. Then again, some days, they are just not even worth attempting, and I put them back at that point. But the constant movement of the branch for these two seems to be enough that they are wary, confused, and less confident in their position of defense. However, you touch that first 1/3rd of their body, you're going to get tagged.
Once you get them moving around, let them start up your arm, and brace for a bite. Sometimes they will, most of the time, if they are approaching your skin, your scent, they aren't going to nail you unless they get spooked. Make sure other people in the room aren't doing the Jig or Watuzzi, I nearly got tagged last time when there was too much movement (not mine)... once they start crawling up your arm, you should be home free... gently work the perch around, and support their body ... and hold your breath.
Make sure when they crawl up your arm, you have clearance for your face -- they will get mobile, and if your arm is shorter than their body, you could be in trouble.
I'm not sure how much some of them can be tamed down, I've personally never tried. They do become more tolerant, but many of these animals are cage defensive, and always will be. Getting them out, and getting them in motion is the toughest part, once you have them out, you can handle them if you avoid the hot spots. It's a snake you really have to "work" and get bit enough that you know what not to do to elicit a strike.
I'm still looking for the completely unhandleable chondro. :) :) :) I personally think they can all be handled, you just gotta be careful, and stupid.
And it all makes sense. :P
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Member Comment
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10/20/2008 11:59:42 PM
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aaron
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>> Not all GTP's can be held
Heh, didn't mean to disagree with you Stephen... I was typing as you were. :)
Send the bastard my way. :)
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 12:06:21 AM
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NCherper
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I will...I need the powers of the chondro whisperer I guess. Not to mention I have short arms :(....
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 12:09:44 AM
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aalomon
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I did also want to add that from the pics it looks like the cage is in your kitchen, is there another part of the house with less going on in it? If you were locked in a clear cage with huge giants walking past you, you might get a little freaked out.
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 12:20:56 AM
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aaron
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Addendum: Never underestimate the sheer mystical power of a hand-spray bottle. No chondro is a match for it.
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 12:26:46 AM
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aalomon
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Vialy will sure try, from the day I got her she declared war on it. The slightest spray sends her into a sequence of strikes.....
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 8:54:53 AM
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Sparkle
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Believe it or not, after all this discussion I'm now more open to actually getting a GTP some day. I was under the impression that you were never ever EVER to handle a GTP, they were more "living art" that you just look at and feed and clean up after. This makes it a bit more of a challenge. So far I've yet to get tagged, although my husband did last week, he moves too jerky.
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 9:03:57 AM
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bwaffa
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Sparkle, you should save your marital issues for the blogs ;-)
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 10:08:48 AM
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 3:10:46 PM
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Mel4short
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Mikey, Mikey, Mikey!! Did you not get my last message? I told you about removing the perch 1st. One of the drawbacks to the suction cups is they don't come off easily. I still think he needs a bigger cage. And yes, move him to an area where he won't see so much traffic! He doesn't seem nippy to me. You saw how calm he was when I held him. Aaron's right, you gotta learn to read them. Just be patient! You just brought him home!! I'll help you get him set up in a bigger cage and we'll add more greenery, put him in a quiet spot, feed him, and see what happens! I think you got a sweet beauty on your hands. Most of them are better out of their cages, like everyone said. Adolescence also seems to be the worst stage of a Chondro, in my meager experience that is. All of mine can be handled once they are out of their cage, even my wicked Medusa! Only exception...Blaze the Biting Bas@#*&! He's about a year and a half! You can't manuever the perch enough! Take your time and go hold that Redtail instead!!!
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 6:43:27 PM
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Ohhwataloser
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i picked mine up as a rescue around 4 years old and she used to tag me every chance she got, she started to grow out of it with consistant handling, alot of blood was shed, even once from my face, but over time she got way better, now shes so tame i can grab her head and give her a big kiss without her doing more then bitching (she does this really heavy sigh, think it how she bitches at me, does the same thing when i spray her). havn't been bit in quite a while and i handle her atleast 4-5 times a week.
shes my only gtp so thats all the experience i can share.
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Member Comment
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10/21/2008 11:09:42 PM
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Riain
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Lmao, While I don't have a GTP, I do have Rain, my little Amazon Tree Boa, And I'll have to say, for a snake that was sold to me as "One unhandleable little B!tch" I sure do walk her around my house quite alot, Granted, I think getting her out of her enclosure takes a bit of ...art? Science? (especialy twisting my arms through all the plants and branches...) But once I have her Out I have yet to be bit by her.. Once I have her out...
She even let me Measure her length some nights back (well, I would'nt say let me, she was'nt very cooperative, but hey I did'nt get bit...
All of this talk makes me really want a Chondro... The animals with attitude always end up so much more rewarding later down the road when your walking around with them hanging out around your neck.
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Member Comment
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10/22/2008 1:50:35 AM
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NCherper
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I will say that out of the numerous chondro collections I have seen, and the animals that I own, the vast majority of CB animals are perfectly handleable. Of course there are an occasional nasty animals. A lot of the nasty attitude rumors stem from justifiably angry imported animals.
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Member Comment
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10/22/2008 1:22:34 PM
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Rocky Gravley
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I hold mine all the time. I do pretty much the same thing Aaron says above. Good luck
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Member Comment
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10/5/2009 9:06:41 PM
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bwaffa
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This question has had no activity for 14 days and will be closed by an administrator unless the original poster takes action.
Recommended Action: Points awarded
An administrator will select responses and assign points at their discretion.
Original poster, please close this question out and assign points. If you have any further information in the resolution of your problem, please post it here so that others may learn from it.
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Member Comment
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10/25/2009 9:52:13 PM
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zachrfields
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I have a very docile chondro, its a sorong from Will Bird, he has the tamest chondros ive seen
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