Green bush rat snake (Gonyosoma prasinum)

Short answers

Green bush rat snake: How big does the enclosure need to be?

120×60×120 cm.

Green bush rat snake: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 22–27 °C, basking spot 28 °C, at night 18–22 °C.

Green bush rat snake: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Weak UVB recommended.

Green bush rat snake: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 12–15 years.

Green bush rat snake: Is it suitable for beginners?

No – better suited to experienced keepers (difficulty: Expert).

Climate

Daytime temperature

22–27 °C

Night temperature

18–22 °C

Basking spot

28 °C

Humidity

60–80 %

UVB

Weak UVB recommended

Enclosure

Minimum size

120×60×120 cm

Substrate

Coco humus or peat, slightly damp in places; dense planting and plenty of thin climbing branches

Feeding

Food

Frozen mice (small)

Feeding interval

adults every 7–14 days

Key facts

Adult size

90–120 cm, rarely up to 150 cm

Life expectancy

12–15 years

Origin

North-east India, Bhutan, northern Myanmar, western Malaysia, southern China (Yunnan) – montane forest, 900–2500 m

Protection status

Not listed under CITES

Brumation

Cooler period of 4–7 weeks at around 16 °C

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Snakes are solitary and do not seek company — a shared hide is competition for the best spot, not social behaviour. The concrete reason is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same food item, one can swallow the other along with it. On top of that, once they are kept together you can no longer tell which animal has eaten and which is losing weight. For breeding, put them together under supervision and separate them again afterwards.

Notes

A slender, day-active tree snake from montane forest. It is sensitive to stress and a fussy feeder — sustained temperatures above 29 °C and too little cover are the most common mistakes. Watch out when buying: animals sold as Gonyosoma prasinum are often G. coeruleum, as the populations from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and much of China have been treated as a separate species since 2021. For breeding that matters. Captive-bred animals are clearly preferable to wild-caught ones.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Rhinoceros rat snake (Gonyosoma boulengeri) – Intermediate
• Red-tailed green rat snake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) – Intermediate
• Russian rat snake (Elaphe schrenckii) – Beginner
• Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) – Intermediate
• Baird's rat snake (Pantherophis bairdi) – Beginner
• Red bamboo rat snake (Oreocryptophis porphyraceus) – Intermediate
• Twin-spotted ratsnake (Elaphe bimaculata) – Beginner
• Western fox snake (Pantherophis vulpinus) – Beginner

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Green bush rat snake (Gonyosoma prasinum) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (120×60×120 cm), substrate (Coco humus or peat, slightly damp in places; dense planting and plenty of thin climbing branches), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.