General care on retics and experiences with these amazing animals

[William Snakespeare]

Hi everyone

For interest sake, how hard is it to take care of a retic?

How often would you feed it from baby to adult?

Well tempered or not? Very intelligent so i am guessing quite moody at times

What makes them so intelligent?

On average how long and what sized girth do they get to?

And finally what are your experiences with retics?

I know they are very fast, intelligent, well tempered when handled correctly, they can remember bad experiences with their owner.

I am asking so many questions as i am very fascinated with these stunning animals.

All pictures, videos and comments welcome!

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[o.r hill]

I am no expert from from what I have found: Harder to take care of than a ball python or cat but easier than a dog. Others have described them as studying things and owners”. And one of mine certainly does. He likes stimuli and activity. He also seems to remember things. The other is harder to read because she is nervous. They are hands down my favorite species in looks and activity levels but I am glad I have dwarfs. I have heard stories of personality changes but am not sure how often that occurs and if it occurs in snakes that get a lot of handling.

[William Snakespeare]

Seems like they are pretty intelligent, would they look you in the eye or something. Oh and they also have huge eyes which may show a sign of intelligence

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[jmcrook]

I as well wouldn't consider myself expert either, and also work only with SD and SD crosses. Definitely way more work than a ball python in terms of cleaning and such. My male is very squirrelly and nervous coming out of the cage but never has offered a strike at me. My female pure SD is quick to charge the door when it opens but immediately changes her tune when she gets a light tap with her hook. She seems to enjoy interaction and outside of the cage time more than the other. Very inquisitive, they definitely look you right in the eyes when working with them


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[William Snakespeare]

Are there any other giant python owners out there or not really?

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[AbsoluteApril]

I can't speak directly as I only have limited experience at this time but my bf and his dad have been keeping retics for years (and bred for the last few years).

For interest sake, how hard is it to take care of a retic?

They are more challenging than some other snakes mainly due to the size and their fast metabolisms (got to clean more often).

How often would you feed it from baby to adult?

Pretty much same as any snake, every 7-10 days or so as babies and as they age, depending on the size of the food, every 1-3 weeks or so.

Well tempered or not? Very intelligent so i am guessing quite moody at times

Depends. It really depends on the animal and their mood. Some are just snappy jerks, some are so laid back they don't care if you squeeze their face. Depends if the snake *wants* to be bothered or was startled and woken up. Some laid back snakes can have an off day or males may be in breeding mode. I will say that retics can be determined. If a retic wants to go somewhere, they can be very single-minded about that goal lol

What makes them so intelligent?

Good question, I wish I could answer that.

On average how long and what sized girth do they get to?

That really depends if it's a mainland or has any dwarf or super dwarf and what percentage, etc.

All pictures, videos and comments welcome!

posted a bunch here: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...dom-Retic-Pics

[KevinK]

What makes them so intelligent?

Reticulated pythons known to play chess, read philosophy books, and enjoy fine glasses of Port when left alone....

[InherentResolve]

So I am in no way even close to an expert, I just got my first retic not too long ago, and am still working with her. After she gets rubbed with the hook I can go in and pick her up with no issue. She is usually pretty laid back, and loves to just cruise around up and down my arms, over my head and just smell things. One thing i have noticed is a distinct change when food is around and even after shes eaten she turns into a hormonal teenager, all intelligence goes out the window and she just wants food haha. My burm is very very laid back, I have no need for a hook with him at all, and as soon as hes eaten hes back to his chill self almost as soon as the rat goes down the hatch. whereas the retic is still hunting and flying around looking for more food. Hope this helps

[Sauzo]

I dont use a hook for any of my snakes. I can just reach in and pick them up with no issues. Now if food is around, all bets are off. I wouldnt get near the bitey end. And all my snakes stay in 'food' mode for about an hour.

Also baby retics are hungry 24/7. Caesar was a terror for food until he hit about a year old. Now he's 18 months old and doesnt go into 'food' mode until you dangle a rat or guinea pig in the cage.

[InherentResolve]

I dont use a hook for any of my snakes. I can just reach in and pick them up with no issues. Now if food is around, all bets are off. I wouldnt get near the bitey end. And all my snakes stay in 'food' mode for about an hour.

Also baby retics are hungry 24/7. Caesar was a terror for food until he hit about a year old. Now he's 18 months old and doesnt go into 'food' mode until you dangle a rat or guinea pig in the cage.

This is where Id like to get to with my retic. Just to reach in and pick her up with my hand and not get bit. i havent tried since she did it to me when I got her. Id sure like to though. i can with all my other snakes