Jessie the Green Tree



Jessie checking out the fireplace mantle

Jessie was our second snake. With only a western hognose under our belt, we hardly thought ourselves prepared for a green tree python. However, Jessie came to our local pet store as a surrender, we were told, from a breeder who kept “him” as a pet. He was, we were told, the gentlest, most mild green tree python we would ever meet. We loved him. We took him home and named him Jake in January 2017 at an estimated 6 years of age.

Jessie hanging out on the kitchenware

In June of 2017, “Jake” turned blue. It was a phenomenon we’d never heard of in a male green tree python. We reached out to numerous breeders and keepers, and they could not find any precedent for us. In December of 2017, being no closer to any answers, we put “him” together with our other “female,” Jasper—at the time, Jasmine (still keeping up?).

Jessie and Jasper

The pair mated…but “Jake” was not playing the role of male. Our pixel-colored “Jasmine,” long thought a female, immediately attempted to woo “him”. There was some redesignation of names and genders, and we renamed our green trees Jessie and Jasper, as we know them today. And, in May of 2018, our Jessie, our first green tree python, laid a clutch of eggs.

Jessie nesting

The shopkeeper was right about one thing—Jessie was one of the gentlest, most wonderful green tree pythons we’ve ever met. Her previous owner took good care of her. However, she hasn’t been the only one. She started us on our green tree python adventure and opened our eyes to how wonderful and friendly green trees can be. With proper care, husbandry, feeding practices and handling, we have found that green tree pythons are, at their heart, gentle creatures. With Jessie, we had the chance to help other people see it too.

Jessie, pretty in blue

Jessie went on to be the mother of a second clutch of eggs in 2021, although most of the eggs were not fertilized or did not survive. With only two baby survivors, and signs of a respiratory infection from mom, we took Jessie to the vet and found that she had a lesion on her heart. With antibiotics, she survived and was healthy once more.

In late 2021, we tested Jessie and the rest of our collection for nidovirus. Jessie came back positive. She remained healthy in spite of this, but we were no longer able to take her to meet people out at public events. With her previous heart trouble, we wouldn't have planned to breed her again, but we were devastated by the need to isolate her. The positive diagnosis didn't stop her from wanting to interact with people.

Jessie_drinking

In 2025, with the intention of moving to a colder climate, we gave up Jessie and our other nidovirus-positive green tree pythons to a person affiliated with Fishhead Diagnostics to be enrolled in a study that would hopefully cure her nidovirus and pave a pathway to a cure for the disease for other green trees. Thereafter, Jessie and the others, including her son Max, were to be adopted by our person and live comfortably, with love and more regular handling time.

Jessie and her son Max did not survive the study. We don't know how old Jessie was, but we expect she was at least 14 years old. Not a day goes by that we don't wish she had lived a healthy life with us until she was ready to go on her own terms. This passing hit us hard. We can only hope that the data gathered by Fishhead will help other green trees in the future with nidovirus. We don't know how she went so many years living a healthy life with us. We're grateful for the massive compliment she gave us, living so well in the home we provided her.

Jessie_hat