Python Reticulatus Wallace Progression!

Well, Monday night didn't go my way.

After feeding Wallace earlier in the evening, I decided to change his water due to the amount of kicked up debris/substrate that landed his bowl post strike.

He was quite fired up when I opened his door but I expected that. I tapped him with the hook and he stopped moving and tracking me. I should have know better and made sure he was going the other direction before reaching in.

As I got my right hand on the bowl, he refocused on me and tagged my left hand while it was on the way in.

He's not a "baby" any more and is 8.5 to 9 feet long these days.

Here's the damage.
https://i.imgur.com/LjX3PAR.jpg

Wiped up and treated picture.

https://i.imgur.com/Vj0YgZK.jpg


It did smart a bit but it was nothing like it could have been. He released immediately and I was thankful he did. If he'd decided to bite and wrap, I'd have worse looking wounds.

He did get me in the knuckle bone, and there was a fair amount of bruising.

After 2 days, I only notice mild irritation.

You can see he's got a decent sized mouth. He got my index finger, knuckles and made it to the ring finger.

I wasn't too bothered by the incident but certainly don't want it to happen again.

I had him out today and he was great.

Ouch! Glad it wasn’t more serious...there’s so many veins in your hands that bites by the big guys can get ugly.

Did you bite him back? JK.

Never let your guard down. These guys can get in all kinds of trouble for sure.

So glad it wasn't worse Gio. Next time let the water wait til morning please. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Did you bite him back? JK.

Never let your guard down. These guys can get in all kinds of trouble for sure.

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Nah,

He was just hungry is all. He instantly dropped the association between my hand and food when he tagged me.

The key with Wallace is to have him moving in the opposite direction after you hook tap prior to reaching in.

I don't typically meddle with him or items in his cage right after he's eaten however on this day his water needed attention.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Nah,

He was just hungry is all. He instantly dropped the association between my hand and food when he tagged me.

The key with Wallace is to have him moving in the opposite direction after you hook tap prior to reaching in.

I don't typically meddle with him or items in his cage right after he's eaten however on this day his water needed attention.

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Got to love retics! Nothing small about them. I am lucky mine are easy for the most part. The male being slightly a jerk from time to time. Just always hungry.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Got to love retics! Nothing small about them. I am lucky mine are easy for the most part. The male being slightly a jerk from time to time. Just always hungry.

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I agree,

The males can be a bit more testy. Add in some SD blood and dwarf blood and they tend to be a bit more busy.

Wallace handles well although busy, and I like that he calms down out of the cage.

I've never been able to measure him due to his constant motion but he's on the larger end for a SD X Dwarf I believe.

He'll be 3 in June.

Hope your critters are well. The new one is beautiful.

Haha. I took a feeding bite from Caesar a few weeks ago. Luckily he let go quick also. Amazing quick their brains go from friend to food lol. And yes I see teeth marks all over but that is a single bite.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8155a5a6aa.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...eae8cf186d.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

I agree,

The males can be a bit more testy. Add in some SD blood and dwarf blood and they tend to be a bit more busy.

Wallace handles well although busy, and I like that he calms down out of the cage.

I've never been able to measure him due to his constant motion but he's on the larger end for a SD X Dwarf I believe.

He'll be 3 in June.

Hope your critters are well. The new one is beautiful.

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Thanks. She is a prise for sure. Super mellow to boot.

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Glad you're OK Gio.
Is this your first bite?

Glad you and Wallace are both doing well! Considering his size that could’ve been much worse. Thanks for the pictures!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Glad you and Wallace are both doing well! Considering his size that could’ve been much worse. Thanks for the pictures!!

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I think a true feeding response with a wrap would have been pretty nasty but not a day breaker. Even at 8.5 - 9 feet (estimate) he's fairly light bodied compared to a mainland.

Sauzo has a male about the same age and size as Wallace. Actually his boy is from the same breeder.

Most bites are not that bad, but some are.

I'm hoping this was my last bite.

Time for an update.

He's close to topping off and has his 3rd Bday June 1st. He's never been measured but I'd guess between 8-9 feet.

Wallace took a F/T LG rat today.

https://i.imgur.com/1Cmq86J.jpg

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of feeding pictures. Unfortunately its the easiest way I can get good pictures of him inside the cage.

I will get some sunny weather pictures of him this year.

https://i.imgur.com/pjI63pY.jpg

For now these must suffice.
https://i.imgur.com/MMJZqyG.jpg


His morph colors are starting to pop. Raspberry/Lime Ice Crystal is the gene I believe. :rofl: Gotta love LED lights!
https://i.imgur.com/qgAaeLF.jpg

I cleaned the room up a bit and made some in cage adjustments to the boa cage. I must say, I think it looks pretty nice in the man cave.
https://i.imgur.com/J4pdgbw.jpg

Nice, lean, sturdy lookin critter! As always, I dig your set ups too, man. Someday I’ll deck mine out once the boas are in their forever cages. Just don’t feel like investing a bunch of money in cool backgrounds for small enclosures they’ll grow out of.
Cheers dude!


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Wallace is looking as handsome as ever Gio. Every time I see him a little piece of me kinda regrets not getting a retic in my last trio of critters :). Your enclosures are awesome too bro!

Thanks guys,

JM, the boas love climbing so make sure you have perches in the final cages.

Zig,

I love this guy, but 1 is enough. My experience has been good compared to JM's but if I were to only have the opportunity to get 2 species, I'd gladly take boas and carpets.

That said, Wallace is awesome in many ways.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Thanks guys,

JM, the boas love climbing so make sure you have perches in the final cages.

Zig,

I love this guy, but 1 is enough. My experience has been good compared to JM's but if I were to only have the opportunity to get 2 species, I'd gladly take boas and carpets.

That said, Wallace is awesome in many ways.

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I’m hoping my boas grow into the climbing habit. Dare I say, Leonard is more of a pet rock than my ball python, Geoffrey lol! Mirabelle cruises the cage pretty regularly but doesn’t venture too high on her grapevine. Either way they will definitely be afforded the option as their grow out/final homes are already equipped with perch mounts and shelves and such.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

I’m hoping my boas grow into the climbing habit. Dare I say, Leonard is more of a pet rock than my ball python, Geoffrey lol! Mirabelle cruises the cage pretty regularly but doesn’t venture too high on her grapevine. Either way they will definitely be afforded the option as their grow out/final homes are already equipped with perch mounts and shelves and such.


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I'll get some Sniper climbing pictures up this summer.

I will say Wallace is the most arboreal creature I have.

The semi arboreal part of this hobby is something I love. Also the activity, which is why Wallace is pretty cool!

Looking great!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

Looking great!


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This post is like Graceland!

You are, IMO THE authority on the species here!

And yes folks, somebody that actually does have a biology major with the focus on animals.

Cody, I'd love to see more from you in regards to this species, but I know your venomous collection is time consuming.

I'm actually flattered you posted in this thread.

Thank you, and great to see you here!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

This post is like Graceland!

You are, IMO THE authority on the species here!

And yes folks, somebody that actually does have a biology major with the focus on animals.

Cody, I'd love to see more from you in regards to this species, but I know your venomous collection is time consuming.

I'm actually flattered you posted in this thread.

Thank you, and great to see you here!

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I just posted a small update showing the ones we still keep. I still love our giants and they play a massive role in our education events. The bigger hiccup was moving and changing my reptile room up so it’s hard to get in there and shoot videos or even some newer photos. So I utilize when I have them tubbed to get photo updates for my own records and of course to share. You’re doing good with yours. Keep it up!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

I just posted a small update showing the ones we still keep. I still love our giants and they play a massive role in our education events. The bigger hiccup was moving and changing my reptile room up so it’s hard to get in there and shoot videos or even some newer photos. So I utilize when I have them tubbed to get photo updates for my own records and of course to share. You’re doing good with yours. Keep it up!


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I'm glad you haven't abandoned the board. I'd love to see another educational and informative update on these SD X Dwarf retics.

I think Wallace is close to being topped off at 8-9 feet. I do not feed weekly, actually every 2-4 weeks seems about perfect.

This board, and particularly the Giant Python forum has been lacking without your participation.

You made my day by posting here!

Looking really great gio, I really do love them vivs , there like a piece of art


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Looking really great gio, I really do love them vivs , there like a piece of art


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I like setting up the vivs almost as much as getting new animals.

Glad you enjoy them.

I feel like when family members and friends go down to that room they can really enjoy it because of the zoo like feel.

I absolutely love your setups! They look phenomenal. I tried zooming in to see how you have the perches/climbing dowels attached but am still not sure. Would you be able to do a quick run down on how you installed them and what you used? (Or if you've already done so in a different thread, point me in the right direction?) I don't have any shelves in our PVC enclosures and am trying to think of ways to better utilize the space.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

I absolutely love your setups! They look phenomenal. I tried zooming in to see how you have the perches/climbing dowels attached but am still not sure. Would you be able to do a quick run down on how you installed them and what you used? (Or if you've already done so in a different thread, point me in the right direction?) I don't have any shelves in our PVC enclosures and am trying to think of ways to better utilize the space.

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Page 6 of the Caging forum has the information you want.

The post is called New Kingdom 👍🐍

He's been pretty good since this meal.
No flash.
https://i.imgur.com/oyVCOtA.jpg
Flash
https://i.imgur.com/JwgK9z6.jpg

That stripe really is so cool

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

That stripe really is so cool

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I love the tiger pattern and love the white stripes too.

I do tend to like the tiger patterns that have a more blacks on the sides. Wallace doesn't have the real contrasty look, but still he's beautiful.

Thanks for the nice comment.

What dramatic changes in the last few years.

A young Wallace, right out of the bag. (2016)
https://i.imgur.com/EeNl8QG.jpg

Well behaved as a little guy.
https://i.imgur.com/lzSWpNP.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/tNoAixx.jpg

He grew quickly.
https://i.imgur.com/qYPt55A.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/2lGDbis.jpg

The length came, but he did stay slender and fit.
https://i.imgur.com/lP2zx3K.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/nWJTIGG.jpg?1

No more one handed handling.
https://i.imgur.com/vSRgxuc.jpg?1

And here he is in 2019.
https://i.imgur.com/EFvRIie.jpg

He's about perfect in size, maybe slightly larger than I was hoping for, but he's not huge. I'm hoping he doesn't change much in the next year.

https://i.imgur.com/v1X7AYW.jpg

3 years old.
https://i.imgur.com/lbKSTOk.jpg

A lot of repeat photos, actually they all are however I needed to update the "progression" thread.
Now you can see where he started and what he looks like this week.
https://i.imgur.com/TwoaTif.jpg

His markings have got so much better with age, just love them white lines on him, he's stunning gio

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Hard to believe that he was so small. He sure got more handsome as he aged.

Is he still fairly easy to handle most of the time?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Is he still fairly easy to handle most of the time?

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Thanks Richard and Reinz!

Sky,

Yes and no to that question. He's so busy and quick that he's semi difficult to handle. On the other side of that, he's light and not overly long.

A friend of mine who sticks with mainland retics feels they are more mellow and even though the size is much larger, they handle better. That's a generalization of course.

I know a 10 foot, 60 pound boa constrictor would present less of a challenge than Wallace.

The beauty of the SD X Dwarf stuff, at least in my case, is the excitement they bring to the display cage.

He's always doing something whether it be roaming the cage floor, climbing the perches or waiting at the door for food, he's very, very active.

This is the reward for putting up with the irritation of his handling antics.
https://i.imgur.com/0X5uoYv.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/1QlYW4g.jpg

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Glo with all your updates. I do enjoy reading about your progress with Wallace.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by o.r hill

Thanks Glo with all your updates. I do enjoy reading about your progress with Wallace.

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Thank you!

He's beautiful and fun to watch, but he's not much fun to handle.

I'm hoping he doesn't grow much more than he has.

https://i.imgur.com/TwoaTif.jpg

I love his colors and pattern. I would not recommend the species to folks that have minimal experience with snakes.

https://i.imgur.com/lbKSTOk.jpg

Really looking fantastic gio
I just love his markings, them colours are so cool and striking

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Well, its been a bit since I have posted anything regarding this fellow.

I think Wallace is somewhat out of the jackass stage, although I don't ever trust him, I have handled him without gloves since his attack on the snake hook and Listerine soaked rag.

He's had a stretch of 15 days between meals. Today he was fed 1 large F/T rat.

His iridescent coloring is very prevalent in a couple of these pictures.

https://i.imgur.com/vAW5bHC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BlU49BS.jpg


He's a whacko when it comes to feeding.
https://i.imgur.com/JKxHhl8.jpg

This last shot was taken through the glass. Thanks for looking.

https://i.imgur.com/n8JgQHl.jpg

That’s a very fit and well raised critter you’ve got there, regardless of how much he enters jackass mode. I admire your fortitude in dealing with his shenanigans. Cheers, buddy!


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

That’s a very fit and well raised critter you’ve got there, regardless of how much he enters jackass mode. I admire your fortitude in dealing with his shenanigans. Cheers, buddy!


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Thanks buddy!

I had some of the same feelings you had with your male. I was tempted to place this guy but have upped my game a bit.

I've come to realize he's not going to be a relaxed animal.

It's OK as long as he keeps his current size.

He's an exceptional specimen Gio! I love his large but manageable size and his lean-n-mean body structure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

He's an exceptional specimen Gio! I love his large but manageable size and his lean-n-mean body structure.

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Thanks Zig!

My best guess is he's 8.5 to 9 feet but lean. Lean as in muscular and healthy as you noted.

Sadly, this particular snake hasn't let me measure his length which is in contrast with all of the others here.

I still haven't gone the route of buying the armor type gloves, but the new hook was a great purchase.

I recently bought a huge plastic storage bin to temporarily contain him when I'm cleaning his cage.

As you well know from your own python collection, some of these guys require a bit more work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Thanks Zig!

My best guess is he's 8.5 to 9 feet but lean. Lean as in muscular and healthy as you noted.

Sadly, this particular snake hasn't let me measure his length which is in contrast with all of the others here.

I still haven't gone the route of buying the armor type gloves, but the new hook was a great purchase.

I recently bought a huge plastic storage bin to temporarily contain him when I'm cleaning his cage.

As you well know from your own python collection, some of these guys require a bit more work.

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When it comes to measuring my retics I use floor tiles to get an estimate. They are way to active to do it any other way but that is one thing I love about them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

When it comes to measuring my retics I use floor tiles to get an estimate. They are way to active to do it any other way but that is one thing I love about them.

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I have a phone app that probably can do it. I need to get him in the grass and have my kid use the app.

Someday I'll be a bit more motivated to give it a whirl.