Housing

Shortly after birth, all babies are housed individually in large glass jars, with a twig and a little artificial foliage.

The jars are capped and fitted with a plastic mesh, to provide the adequate ventilation. A small amount of water is placed in the jars, too much water and the snake may drown, this has been known to happen to young Emeralds. Humidity of 70% is achieved by this small amount of water. When needed the humidity can be further increased by partly covering the mesh cap with a paper food bowl.

These bottles are then placed in a large vivarium, heated with underground heating cables as used in greenhouses. These can be seen as the yellow cables fixed to the bamboo stilts in the above picture. The temperature is maintained at a maximum of 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Centigrade), both day and night. Neonate Emerald tree boas are susceptible to high and low temperatures and for this reason, this temperature is strictly enforced.

Cleanliness is of great importance, so keeping the jars clean and the water fresh is of primary concern.

Feeding

Within 11 to 16 days, all the neonates will have shed their skins for the first time. No feeding is attempted prior to this shed.

For feeding purposes, each individual neonate is moved to specially prepared small vivariums. There is no heating in the vivarium, which then helps the snake concentrate on the offered food item rather than strike out at a hot heat source. Also physically moving the snake provides enough annoyance to promote the animal to strike. It helps to have the animal moving and alert before offering any food. Another reason that I move them out of the jars is because the first few attempts at feeding usually result in the snake dropping the food, which then ends up in the water and has to be fished out and dried. Once feeding well, they can then be offered food whilst still in their jars.

Emerald tree boa neonates have a preference for 2-3 week old mice that are fully furred and are almost at the stage of being hoppers, rather than furries. This tends to be about the time that the mouse starts to open its eyes. I mostly feed my neonates defrosted food that has been well warmed up with a heat lamp. Emeralds have a strong preference for hot dinners. Not quite hot enough and your fingers could be targeted.

To entice feeding, the neonate is gently tapped on the nose with the prey item, in order to elicit a strike. It is not uncommon for the snake to strike repeatedly and attempt to coil around the prey and then drop it. A little patience is required with each individual until such time they strike, coil and eat the food successfully. This method of feeding has been very successful for me with very few individuals refusing to feed for very long. Having said that, there is always the odd one that is stubborn.

The neonates are fed every 7-8 days, and this will result in them shedding their skins consistently every two months. In a period of 18 months, they will have doubled their body length and weight 6 times their birth weight.

Problem Feeders

Over the years I have tried all sorts of different feeding methods and prey in order to get the solitary stubborn feeder to eat.

The first and obvious step is to offer freshly killed rodents, followed by placing a live hopper (eyes still shut) in the vivarium overnight. For this the Emerald is moved from the cold feeding enclosure into a heated vivarium.

Method and food items tried :-

The above food items were offered as it was believed that neonate Emeralds fed primarily on small lizards, frogs and birds.

In my experience none of the above feeding methods have worked and I have always come back to the defrosted or freshly killed hopper to eventually successfully feed the snake for the first time. Successive feeds can also be problematical for some individuals, but all soon learn to feed regularly.

New born Emeralds tend to be fairly plump and well nourished from absorbing their yolk sacks. They can last several months (3 or more) without having to be fed. So there is no need to panic if the snake doesn't feed right away, but as time goes on, feeding for the first time may prove to be increasingly difficult.

As a final solution, assist feeding may become necessary. This is where the food item is gently pushed up to the mouth of the snake, until such time he opens it. Nine times out of ten, the snake will open its mouth and start chewing on the food item. If the mouse is held there, the snake will begin to swallow the food. At this point the snake should be left alone to continue swallowing the food. Since Emeralds readily take food that is pushed up to their mouths, it is not necessary to ever have to force feed them.

Assist feeding may need to be repeated, before the snake will feed for itself. To date I have only had to resort to this method of feeding for one individual, which soon began to feed for itself.

The Way to Feed

The most successful method of feeding an Emerald tree boa neonate for the first time in my experience is as follows. Most Emeralds tend to shed for the first time at about 10 days onwards. This is the time to be watchful and note the ones that are about to shed.

On the night the snake sheds its skin (usually at around dusk or soon afterwards, so it wont be that late), once finished shedding, immediately move the snake to the unheated vivarium and offer a well warmed hopper. The snake is fully alert and active at this stage and will almost always strike out and take the food.

I have found this method has never failed to first feed an Emerald baby, with the longest to resist being 5 minutes.

The First Few Months

The babies are kept in their jars for the first two months and then transferred individually into 12"x15"x15" vivaria. Here the temperature remains at a constant 83 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Centigrade) day and night. The humidity is maintained at a minimum of 75%.

At one year of age, I introduce a night time drop of a few degrees, for the first time. These conditions are maintained from this point onwards. As the snake outgrows its enclosure it is moved to increasingly bigger vivaria. All snakes are kept individually at all time.

Sexing

Sexing of neonates can be quite difficult and physical examinations tend to be more of an educated guess rather than a certainty. I do not probe any snakes until they are at least six months old. This reduces the risk of causing any physical damage when handling and probing the snake.

Ontogenetic Colour Change

During the first year, the young go through an ontogenetic colour change from their juvenile colours to the adult green.

Most Emeralds tend to be brick red at birth, sometimes orange and brown individuals occur. Yellow ones are quite rare with Guyana Shield Emeralds.
Brick red Emerald neonate
Orange Emerald neonate
Brown Emerald neonate

With progressive sheds the green blotches spread and the red fades. At 5-6 months the snakes scales take on a golden yellow tint, obscuring patterns and colours beneath. By the time they are 8 months old, most of the scales have turned a lime green with just the neck and head remaining mostly red.
2 month old juvenile, green blotches are beginning to appear
4 month old juvenile, greater spread of lime green colouration
6 month old juvenile, the golden tint is clearly visible
8 month old juvenile, just the head and neck remain mostly red
1 year old juvenile, now totally green
1 year old juvenile, also totally green

The last scales to turn green are the ones on the head and by the time the snake has reached 1 year of age, they are almost completely green. Thereafter, the snake steadily continues to turn a deeper shade of green throughout its lifetime.