Dwarf vs. Regular Retics

think somethin should be cleared up real quick between the diffrent retics, while all can become calm mainlands are gonna be the calmest from the egg. with regular handlin most will become calm but super dwarfs are much more skittish and nervous and fast, while jamps/dwarfs are almost a middle ground to the mainlands who are just chill..

and as a poster before me said if your getting into a sd or dwarf get from a good breeder, these probably wouldent be something id pick up from a show simply because of the 70% dwarf" nd so on, u just cant be sure untill it breeds so id get one from someone who u can trace the parents back.

and as for the ops intelligence question from everything iv read they are just as smart as mainlands, iv never owned a dwarf but id worked and handled a few sds and they are fun little boogers to play with alot like a carpet python just goes and goes as opposed to my mainland who just perches on my shoulders or around my bicep and rides around while i do chores or whatever im doing

:D Thanks for all the information, everyone! I know I've seen them at shows before, and the first place I had heard of them was on that constrictors unlimited site, so the question had just been sitting in my mind for a while! I'm nowhere near ready for the big animals, my boyfriend is especially against having the biggest at least for now--but someday with enough experience I might want a SD because of their beautiful patterns! I am ok with it being a 'look don't touch' animal!


Of course this is all still years away from happening..I have a few more snakes on my wishlist I think should come before a snake like this!(Hognose, kenyan sand boa, Brazilian rainbow boa, blood python, and of course some ball python morphs) but hey, any knowledge I have leaves me better prepared for the future :gj: Thanks guys!

They are very smart and inquisitive. Just like mainlands. They are also very flighty and fast. If they are handled often they are fine. I have a female super dwarf that won't bite once out of her enclosure no matter what. My male was an import and he simply refuses to be tamed but he isn't bity.

Super dwarf retics should be very small. 6-7 ft as adults and very slender. Like a rat snake.

It can be like handling a live whip but if they are CB and raised correctly with the handling and respect you'd give a mainland retic, they are very enjoyable to have. It's best to get one from a breeder who has had the parents for awhile and can guarantee they will not exceed a certain size. With the dwarf retics you really can't guarantee they will stay under a certain size but 12-15 ft seems the norm.

I would definitely hook up with someone who owns retics of any kind and get experience with them before deciding to buy. They are very smart and are known to hold a grudge. It's helpful to know how to handle them and the calming techniques that work best for them (like gently placing your hand over their head) before investing in one.

I currently keep mainlands, dwarf, and supers. My smaller retics are a bit more skittish, but they calm down in time. That said, I have a WC dwarf female that hates me. Luckily she seems to have topped out at under 11 feet so she's still manageable. My oldest retic is an import adult male that has topped out around 7 foot. He's smaller than my 2 year old Jamps. He was nippy when first imported, but he's since calmed down and is quite docile....outside the breeding season. Males can get a bit moody at that time. Dwarf lines are getting pretty muddy now with many trying to get smaller morphs. The end result are snakes labeled dwarf even though they're a mix between mainland and dwarf variants. If you decide to venture into retics, don't go off the name alone. Be sure to inquire the percentage of dwarf blood.

Jampeas were listed as a subspecies, but whether this will hold is debatable. The others are all seen as the same species currently. Jampeas also aren't all that "dwarf." They don't get as large as some of the other localities on average, but 16+ foot jamps are around.