Retic handling and why I have to change clothes...

[thedarkwolf25]

Just curious, does anyone else have their retic use them as a toilet when being handled. I have no idea why but lately my girl has taken to just unloading on me whenever I take her out for longer than 5 minutes. I think this is her way of trying to get me to put her back, but is there anything I can do to curb this? Thanks in advance guys

[catzeye21138]

You're exactly right. She wants you to put her back, it's behavior seen across all species of snakes. The best thing you can do is not freak out and put her back immediately. Hold her for a while longer and eventually she should get the idea that peeing on you is not a ticket back to her cage.

[reptileexperts]

Eh, it could also be you're handling her at the wrong time - either after a large meal that she has sausage butt from, or whenever she just feels swelled and needs to urinate. Out of my 10 retics, most will urinate every couple of days, leaving the cage pretty stout, just watch the tail end of the snake before you pull her out and make sure its not swollen, if it is, and you need to handle her, let her soak in a little bit of warm (82-86 degrees) water, and she should release the urine before your handling session begins. I've been covered in feces a couple different times, and they've had sausage butt on all occassions, but I've needed to change substrate due to floods of urine. . . each time could've been avoided had I just placed them in a holding tub, or shower while I did the cleaning. Either way, I'm usualy happy when its on me and not in the cage and I can simply change and wash my clothes versus recleaning a cage ;-)

As far as it being a defense - while this is VERY true when dealing with smaller colubrids, and even some vipers (more musking in cases of Agkistrodon) it is not likely the case with many python species. Retics, simply put, pee a lot . . . its part of their game and its just something you will encounter as they eat more and grow more.

Cheers,

[grcforce327]

Just curious, does anyone else have their retic use them as a toilet when being handled.

At least yours uses the toilet! One of mine just squirts all over! By the way,how did you train her to use the toilet?

[zeion97]

I've trained my Lavander Albino male to use the ACTUAL toilet...lol. Whenever we take him out we rush to the bathroom put him over the toilet and most of the time hell go right in there.