Ouch...

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

I love my snakes dearly and I respect their wild tendencies but if I got tagged with a bite like that it would certainly be the end of that snake. I'm jus sayin.

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Exactly the same thing I was thinking.

Oh jeeze, you guys, seriously i was just checking the forum to post about how i think i'm getting closer to actually getting a retic...:O :tears: :puke:

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Originally Posted by dkatz4

Oh jeeze, you guys, seriously i was just checking the forum to post about how i think i'm getting closer to actually getting a retic...:O :tears: :puke:

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Fear not !

I shared the very same concerns so I bought a Super Dwarf Purple Albino Retic that should top out at 6 to 7 foot max :)
Lovely and placid but with all the other Retic traits like their inquisitiveness and feeding response ...

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...1bbcc29f82.jpg

I personally wouldn't let that keep you from getting a retic. Caesar is awesome and has never tried to bite me ever. The only time he has showed any aggression except when he smells dinner lol is when i tried to hook train him. He absolutely hated the hook and hissed and opened his mouth. Other than that, he is weird in the sense that if i boop his head, he will lay down on the floor and just sit there. I accidently hit him in the head while removing his hide and he was on the other side seeing whats happening. When i hit him, he immediately laid down on the floor of the cage. I felt so bad. I pet him and he seemed ok and then started looking around again.

I was just showing what they are capable of and they need respect. Heck any large animal can do damage. Look at some dog bites. They are as bad if not worse.

And how could you resist a cute little face like this!!??
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...01a61bac_h.jpg

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I personally wouldn't let that keep you from getting a retic. Caesar is awesome and has never tried to bite me ever. The only time he has showed any aggression except when he smells dinner lol is when i tried to hook train him. He absolutely hated the hook and hissed and opened his mouth. Other than that, he is weird in the sense that if i boop his head, he will lay down on the floor and just sit there. I accidently hit him in the head while removing his hide and he was on the other side seeing whats happening. When i hit him, he immediately laid down on the floor of the cage. I felt so bad. I pet him and he seemed ok and then started looking around again.

I was just showing what they are capable of and they need respect. Heck any large animal can do damage. Look at some dog bites. They are as bad if not worse.

And how could you resist a cute little face like this!!??
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...01a61bac_h.jpg

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Glad we took the Dwarf x SD route.

I agree, the species is wonderful, I just have no desire to care for a big one. I was told 7-8 feet and will accept 9-11 feet if the girth is not overwhelming.

I don't see or hear from a lot of long time retic keepers.

I'd like to see a SD or dwarf that is 15 years old or more with a happy keeper.

That's guna leave a mark

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Originally Posted by Gio

Glad we took the Dwarf x SD route.

I agree, the species is wonderful, I just have no desire to care for a big one. I was told 7-8 feet and will accept 9-11 feet if the girth is not overwhelming.

I don't see or hear from a lot of long time retic keepers.

I'd like to see a SD or dwarf that is 15 years old or more with a happy keeper.

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That's a stunner !!

Here's my SD Purple Albino :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...02443541db.jpg

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

That's a stunner !!

Here's my SD Purple Albino :)

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...02443541db.jpg

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I think we are all mostly reasonable here and are only in this for the love of the animals.

I have no desire to have the biggest, baddest, anything. I have no self esteem issues and no interest in what anybody else thinks of what I have. Although I do like what my friends here say about my beloved animals and I like what we all share here. Admittedly we have a somewhat "off the wall" hobby to of the general population. All of us as keepers, new or old have the responsibility to portray snakes and other reptiles in a positive light.

Zincubus, that SD purple is beautiful! As is Sauzo's Caesar, and JM's Phylis and Gerald and Stearn's Gene and the list goes on.

I enjoy people enjoying their snakes and I like the diversity we have here.

BIG, BIG stuff isn't my bag, but if it is your bag, I like it, and I want to absorb what you have to say and what you experience if it is responsibly taken care of.

Seeing a post like this, with a bite like that doesn't sit well with anybody sane. An injury like that in this hobby hurts us all believe it or not, and it educates us all a little more.

It can happen to the best of us. Nobody gets up in the morning thinking their snake is going to bite them. I'll admit I was relieved each time I was bitten by the 3 of our 4 snakes here over the years. They were all juvenile and the damage was minimal. I have ZERO interest in being a "mistake" for any adult here. Nothing I own will be as large as the snake in the first picture post. I've taken a brutal dog bite way back when I protection trained working dogs and it was not fun.

Out of all the snake boards going right now, this particular board has the most diverse population of keepers that continually contribute with their various species of boas, pythons, colubrids and more. I value REAL research and experience.

I seemed to have gone a bit off course but the message here is clear from that first picture.

If you are not well researched, not responsible and don't value the advice of knowledgeable keepers that are here to help you, you can end up in a jam.

I sent Cody "Reptile Experts" (board member here) several private messages before I bought my retic. I ran my purchase idea passed some other friends who have "been there, done that" before taking the plunge. I hope any and every potential new retic keeper looks into the different species/subspecies and asks for help/advice from other keepers before jumping into the big stuff.

I apologize if this is a rant, I served cocktails and cooked dinner over the course of this post so it was probably dragged out for an hour and a half or more. I hope it all makes sense!

Be responsible and be safe!

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

I always had heard over the years that retics were more of a slashing bite in general instead of the 'punch with an open mouth' that most boids do.
Hopefully none of ours ever lash out like that *knock on every wood surface I can find*

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I've not noticed that behavior with mine, though so far the only ones to tag me are babies in the defensive nippy phase. They all just left puncture wounds, no slashes. Maybe it's different with adults.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I've not noticed that behavior with mine, though so far the only ones to tag me are babies in the defensive nippy phase. They all just left puncture wounds, no slashes. Maybe it's different with adults.

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I'm going to have to look further into this when I have time. I heard males specifically, had a different couple of teeth for male/male combat that were shaped more for damage.
I also read more than one account of males being more aggressive, mostly due to breeding than the larger, but more mellow females.

All in all a good topic if we learn something from it.