SD Retic owners!

I'm seriously considering getting myself one at the next expo that comes around my area (in the fall-ish) if I can find one. So I'd like to know what they're like from people who own them! Are they comparable to the regular mainland 'tics, or are they different as far as temperament etc.?

Thanks for any input you might have!

All the ones I have dealt with are very temperamental.

Not so much temperamental as flighty. They require patience. In my experience, they spook easier than mainlands. You have to handle them slowly and calmly. Fast movements can cause them to "run".

They are not usually bity at all unless it's the normal cage aggression/feeding response. I've noticed mine seem to dislike the hook and I have much better luck not using it to take them out. Mine are full size adults though and this can be tricky. Babies you just scoop up. Mine just need to be assured it isn't feeding time, then I use a towel to cover their head and slowly begin pulling them out.

They are very interesting. Not the easiest to handle as adults if you're standing up because they want to just go, but if I'm sitting down, I can cover the head a couple times to calm them and then they just sir there or slowly explore.

Not much different from mainlands once you figure them out. Same expressions. As long you handle them and earn their trust and respect from early on, you should never have a problem.

Just be sure if you get one, you get an actual SD. There are only 2 types of retics that will stay under 8 ft. The true SD which maxes out at roughly 5-6 ft. And the Madu/Honey Island SD which maxes out at 6-8 ft.

Anything else will get considerably larger. If it is any type of color morph or if it says dwarf, it is not an SD and it will get much larger than stated above.

Alright, thanks everyone for the tips and input!

I love mine so far. Mine are very calm unless in shed. They aren't head shy and aren't flighty at all. This is what I've read of true SD Retics and learned talking to several people that owned true SDs. My male pretty much hangs out and watches anything that moves. The female moves more than him but nothing I would consider flighty. I made sure to get true SD though with both of my pair off of two different 5+' females and the same 4+' male. Not sure about some of the crosses and other claimed SD. True SD should be fairly even tempered.

Regards,

B

I have heard that about them if you get them as babies but I was uneasy about buying from a flipper or just anyone so I got mine from one of the original importers of the true SD's. My male was one of the last adults to enter the country before the ban on exporting them from the islands went into effect. He was only used as a breeder for 4 years and never handled so he's a nut-job to say the least lol!

My girl is a Honey Island but very few of them entered the country before the exporting was stopped so they are hard to find. I have seen one or 2 for sale this year but I do not know if they were pure honey islands. They do only get up to 7-8 ft and are much more colorful than the true SDs. High yellow. My girl has a great temperament and is a pleasure to handle. This will be her 5th winter and she is still under 7ft.

The scale pattern on the head is very different between the 2 so aside from obvious color differences, that is a good way to distinguish them.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

My girl is a Honey Island but very few of them entered the country before the exporting was stopped so they are hard to find. I have seen one or 2 for sale this year but I do not know if they were pure honey islands. They do only get up to 7-8 ft and are much more colorful than the true SDs. High yellow. My girl has a great temperament and is a pleasure to handle. This will be her 5th winter and she is still under 7ft.

The scale pattern on the head is very different between the 2 so aside from obvious color differences, that is a good way to distinguish them.

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When you say more colorful and high yellow, what do you mean?

In other words, pics please? *Is interested in getting a SD or two sometime far down the line* This is the first time I've heard of Honey Island ones.

I'd be really interested in seeing pics too, to compare them and see the differences, if you don't mind :) thanks a lot, you're really very helpful, Foschi!

Well. The true SDs like the pair that Simpleman has and like my male, have crazy large eyes as babies that cam be anywhere from bright orange to the same color as their body. They are basically shades of brown and gold with some green and white markings. Very small with small heads and faces. It's quite easy to tell them from any other type of retic once you've seen enough of them. The Honey Islands look almost the same but the color is different. They are more greens, greys, and yellows, with white spots. The head is only slightly larger but still has that short and blunt SD look. The head scales are almost the same with only one difference I was able to find on my own. The biggest clue is the one large scale just below the eyes on SDs. Mainlands do not have this. I do have these scalation pics I saved from this other forum that are helpful but I can not find the ones I use to have that showed the scalation of the top of the head as well. These will help you though..

This is a mainland..

http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-531f-d41d.jpg

This is a Jampae dwarf..
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-5340-371d.jpg

This is a super dwarf.. While this member did not clarify if this SD is a true SD (either Kaoloata or Kayaudi is where the true SDs are likely from though no one really knows) or a Honey Island, these scales match my SD which is a true SD from Greg Bryant..
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-5452-9a96.jpg

And here is the link..
http://www.constrictors.com/forums/s...etic-Scalation

Here is my True SD.. He's 5 ft and at least 6 years old.
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-54e1-7c26.jpg

Here is my Honey Island.. She is 6 ft and 4 years old.
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-5539-7c70.jpg
http://tapatalk.com/mu/a6898f15-5568-f9dd.jpg

I will keep looking for that other chart I had that showed the scale count on the head as well. It was very helpful to me a couple years ago also.

Here is a head scalation of 2 different different dwarf locales and a mainland but unfortunately there is no SD for comparison :(

http://www.burmesepythonforums.com/a...read-2939.html

I see what you mean by looking naturally different. The first thing that came to my mind when I saw your Honey Island girl as 'that's the same color as honey in a jar'.

Both are beautiful snakes, though, and you're totally lucky to be the owner of them both. *Only hopes and dreams that she can one day have such gorgeous snakes in her collection*

For size purposes, these guys are smaller around than my pinky. We're talking TINY for a retic. The male is under 50g and the female is right under 70g.

My male when he first arrived at about a month old (has a little stuck shed)

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../cpict0218.jpg

My female when she first arrived at about a month old

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../cpict0211.jpg

An update on my male taken a few days ago. You can use my hand as a size comparison. They are TINY eating machines! They have exceptionally long tails that they use for climbing and holding on to stuff. No flighty in this little guy :) He was following my phone as I was taking pictures. Super curious little things.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../4/bighead.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...4/heythere.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...2/4/waddup.jpg

I will update the female after she sheds. She's due any day. She's been hanging in her water bowl and has been in deep shed for a few days. They have crazy prey drive and even fly out of their hides when I mist but I've yet to be bit by them. They seem to know the difference. I owe some decent shots with my real camera one of these days but it's harder for me because my girlfriend isn't super comfortable with the smaller faster snakes yet.

Regards,

B

Oh yes they are definitely tiny as babies. That's a dead giveaway. If you do decide to get one, hatchlings are less than half the size of hatchling mainlands. and take Simplemans word for it, they are eating machines! If you get one, once it's an adult, don't let it get a bit chubby like I've allowed mine to get lol!

I hope all this info is helpful. Those scale charts are not 100% accurate to every named retic as they were drawn up independently by owners but they are darn close. Enough looking and talking around and you'll know one when you see it for sure!

how much do the REAL SD babies go for? and whats a REASONABLE price?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

An update on my male taken a few days ago. You can use my hand as a size comparison. They are TINY eating machines! They have exceptionally long tails that they use for climbing and holding on to stuff. No flighty in this little guy :) He was following my phone as I was taking pictures. Super curious little things.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../4/bighead.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...4/heythere.jpg

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...2/4/waddup.jpg

I will update the female after she sheds. She's due any day. She's been hanging in her water bowl and has been in deep shed for a few days. They have crazy prey drive and even fly out of their hides when I mist but I've yet to be bit by them. They seem to know the difference. I owe some decent shots with my real camera one of these days but it's harder for me because my girlfriend isn't super comfortable with the smaller faster snakes yet.

Regards,

B

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Haha! He looks like he's wondering whether he can eat the phone or not. Beautiful little snakes!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JungleCarpet81

how much do the REAL SD babies go for? and whats a REASONABLE price?

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I saw some at the Toronto Expo last weekend that were going for around $250-$350, the parents were allegedly both super dwarves (mother just about 6ft, father about 5ft).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Redneck_Crow

Haha! He looks like he's wondering whether he can eat the phone or not. Beautiful little snakes!

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Haha that's what I thought too when I saw the pics! :P