Dwarf/Super Dwarf Retic Questions!

Personally, I don't think biting back would be a good way to get a snake off. I imagine that sometimes (especially if they're fed live) their prey may land a decent bite on them every now and then. Their skin is tough, and it seems like our weak jaws paired with our flat teeth would only agitate the snake more and encourage it to hold on more/grip tighter.

I plan on using tongs with all of my snakes for feeding (I've been nailed a few times from my past snakes missing their food), and I intend on getting a snake hook for any boas and large snakes so I can at least let them know I'm there before I go in to grab them. That way I can 1) Let the snake know I'm there, and 2) Get an idea of what mood the snake is in before attempting to handle it.

On a side note, I e-mailed a few stores, and one of them got back to me. They said that they don't have retics, but one of their employees does and he would be willing to talk to me and would more than likely be willing to let me come down and see them, if not interact/handle them. :)

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Originally Posted by Konotashi

Personally, I don't think biting back would be a good way to get a snake off. I imagine that sometimes (especially if they're fed live) their prey may land a decent bite on them every now and then. Their skin is tough, and it seems like our weak jaws paired with our flat teeth would only agitate the snake more and encourage it to hold on more/grip tighter.

I plan on using tongs with all of my snakes for feeding (I've been nailed a few times from my past snakes missing their food), and I intend on getting a snake hook for any boas and large snakes so I can at least let them know I'm there before I go in to grab them. That way I can 1) Let the snake know I'm there, and 2) Get an idea of what mood the snake is in before attempting to handle it.

On a side note, I e-mailed a few stores, and one of them got back to me. They said that they don't have retics, but one of their employees does and he would be willing to talk to me and would more than likely be willing to let me come down and see them, if not interact/handle them. :)

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Make sure to get the longest tongs you can. I was using 18" tongs and my 50% sd girl shot right past the rat and grabbed my finger, and she was only about 4ft then. I use 30" tongs now and I have still had a couple close calls.

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

In order to keep this family friendly I will refrain from pointing out what you just put together . . . regarding biting and going for the junk . . .

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Before i even said that, i was talking about biting snakes. In my mind, the conversation was already at that point. There's a fine line between not biting hard enough and biting hard enough, i approve of the crossing of that line. There's the rubicon, go for it caesar! ;)

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Originally Posted by Wes

Make sure to get the longest tongs you can. I was using 18" tongs and my 50% sd girl shot right past the rat and grabbed my finger, and she was only about 4ft then. I use 30" tongs now and I have still had a couple close calls.

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Will do! Thanks for the tip! ;)

Kind of a random question, but are mini rexes and/or Holland lops okay to feed to retics? I imagine mini rexes would be fine, since they're just a smaller version of rex rabbits (which are meat rabbits) but not sure about Holland lops, due to how much fur they have. I ask, since these are the two breeds I plan on breeding in the future.

I figure since my questions are all related to the same snake, I'd keep them all here instead of making a bajillion different threads. :)

most breeds of rabbits - including meat rabbits - do just fine. New Zealands are probably the most common that I receive when I order frozen rabbits for my tics. Do not believe longer furred rabbits will be an issue as most of the fur is digested, with little bits sometimes coming out in the feces, but not too often.