Reticulated Python Q & A Update

Hey Guys,

I am getting ready to sit down and produce another education series on reticulated pythons for the youtube channel - what I'm looking for from you guys is some questions you want answered. This could be myths about size / weight. Breeding attitudes. The economy of reticulated python breeding. Genetics. Locales. Crosses. Laws (Federal or state). Husbandry. Etc. . .

So down below, ask a question, and within the next week I will post an update discussion video with the retics.

www.youtube.com/reptileexperts

I know I have not been AS active online lately, but the move is finally wrapped up, work schedules are coming to a flow, and some normality in life can return soon!

Cheers

I would like to know more about Morphs. Im kinda new to snake keeping. i just bought my first Ball Python about a month ago

Will my snake eat or hurt my cat/dog/hamster/child?

This may be a general or sore topic but I have a friend who is interested in getting a ball python and is leaning on the fence of "no" because she thinks a ball python will eat or hurt her 2 cats. Granted this question is more toward a BP, i think it can be applied to a retic as well. Perhaps an explanation of "feed mode" or possibly how well retics get along with other species(including humans). Just throwing ideas out.


What is caging a retic like? How in depth or minimal can you go with caging/decorations etcc?


This question is kind of for me, I see your caging and Expensive Hobby's caging is similar to a BP, but much bigger. Do people build large enclosures/rooms with trees and ponds and such for retics? Like a walk in display of sorts?

I would like to know more about the SD lines:

I know the only pure SD is the "normal" and the "anery", where males will max out around 5-6ft, however going to shows and seeing different percentages like 65.2% F1, F2 etc. gets confusing fast because there is so much misinformation out there about full sizes. At what point in crosses can you expect an SD to stay at a 5-6ft managable size? I love tics, but know there is no way I could even keep a Dwarf, and the last thing I think anyone wants to do is get a snake that they are told will stay "small" and be in over their head. I have see pictures of the wild caught 2ft male producing sperm plugs. Is this a new local or just a very small SD?

Out the research I did, some of the hardest information to find was sizes by sex of various crosses. I would assume this is because of the variability and relative newness of the animals in the pet trade, but it would be neat if you could go through some of the more common crosses and give relative size ranges (50% kalatoa f1/f2 male/female, 75% kalatoa male/female, ect.) You could maybe even go through some of the less common crosses, because I know you have some less common crosses in your collection that haven't been on your youtube for 7-8 months.

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Originally Posted by jclaiborne

I would like to know more about the SD lines:

I know the only pure SD is the "normal" and the "anery", where males will max out around 5-6ft, however going to shows and seeing different percentages like 65.2% F1, F2 etc. gets confusing fast because there is so much misinformation out there about full sizes. At what point in crosses can you expect an SD to stay at a 5-6ft managable size? I love tics, but know there is no way I could even keep a Dwarf, and the last thing I think anyone wants to do is get a snake that they are told will stay "small" and be in over their head. I have see pictures of the wild caught 2ft male producing sperm plugs. Is this a new local or just a very small SD?

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Krampu ... contemplating adding a female. A buddy of mine about an hour from my just imported a wc female that is 3'

Does your buddy have a facebook or something where he's posted pictures ?

Yes fascination herp they have a face book page. He's an importer

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

Krampu ... contemplating adding a female. A buddy of mine about an hour from my just imported a wc female that is 3'

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A 3ft adult female? This seems like it would be a major game changer even from the current SD lines!

It's not FULL grown that anyone knows. But the females largest on that island reported were 5 ft

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

It's not FULL grown that anyone knows. But the females largest on that island reported were 5 ft

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Isn't the question still out on whether that's a result of genetics versus a fairly limited food supply?

Though if it's genetics then I can see a lot more retics in my future. :D

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Isn't the question still out on whether that's a result of genetics versus a fairly limited food supply?

Though if it's genetics then I can see a lot more retics in my future. :D

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Definitely going to hit on this because the single answer to that question is yes

They have very pale eyes and light coloration. Really nice looking snakes. You're crazy for not buying one. (:

[QUOTE=Though if it's genetics then I can see a lot more retics in my future. :D[/QUOTE]

Agreed!

**not sure why it didn't quote right

I'd like to know if breeding Dwarfs and Super Dwarfs varies from mainlands. I know Retics breed at around 18 months ish for males and about 4 years for females, but google has many conflicting answers on the subject and I can't find reliable youtube channel on it. I'm going to be getting into retics next year, or later this year, and would just like a straight answer.

Three suggestions for questions / topics:
Examples of how handling a retic (the different sizes, normal, dwarf, SD) works... How husbandry works with a snake that size.
I think many people don't consider this when buying one and have no concept of what size of snake needs two handlers, etc. I know this aspect intimidates me (even with, say, an 8 foot snake). If I knew more about it, that might not be the case. Not just holding the snake, but moving it between cages, transporting it, using a hook properly with it, etc.

The whole "breeding aggression" in males.
I've read this many times, but never seen it explained... i.e. why get a male because he is smaller, but then have him be more difficult to handle / aggressive than a female. Does this still apply when no females are present, when kept in a heated controlled environment that does not change all year?

What do proper enclosure setup (and handling) security measures look like? How to keep people, pets, and the retic safe?

Thanks for being willing to do something like this. I think there's a real void in info available about the bigger snakes (at least non-sensational info) and this would go a long way to change people's minds about them. And, on the flip side, giving people the info they need to weigh the pluses and cons of having a big snake and all that it entails. I think many retics end up on CL and in rescues because people either don't have access to the right info or don't bother researching before buying one.

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

It's not FULL grown that anyone knows. But the females largest on that island reported were 5 ft

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Not to spring on a totally different tangent, but . . . omg, I really hope someone keeps a pure line of that locality instead of immediately outcrossing it.

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Originally Posted by Alicia

Not to spring on a totally different tangent, but . . . omg, I really hope someone keeps a pure line of that locality instead of immediately outcrossing it.

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The pure lines are almost readily available as WV right now. Cost is around 650

Wild caught WC not WV not sure what happened there

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Originally Posted by reptileexperts

Wild caught WC not WV not sure what happened there

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This may be a dumb question but are there distinct markings to identify them? How would you know you were truely getting one of these small guys?

Head scale counts compared to known locales. Beside that you just have to trust the importer. Will say that they known locales have a different look to them but resemble kalatoa very strong.

I think it'd be useful to retic keepers, present and future, to cover "pushing" since it's probably one of the leading causes of health issues in the species. Shouldn't take but a short segment to touch on indicators, causes, remedies, preventatives, etc.

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Originally Posted by John1982

I think it'd be useful to retic keepers, present and future, to cover "pushing" since it's probably one of the leading causes of health issues in the species. Shouldn't take but a short segment to touch on indicators, causes, remedies, preventatives, etc.

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Yeah, this is an interesting topic - Most keepers understand the logic involved in pushing and have dealt with their fair share of it. Fortunately I've never had any long term pushing issues, just minor ones. There was an interesting case from a guy in Europe not too long ago posting on the retic nation group - he was looking for a credentialed person to testify about pushing in order for him to keep possession of his snakes. Apparently, his retics had been pushing pretty severely and caused an issue with one of their faces (tore lip likely). This sparked interest with some of the locals and they called animal control on him. Now he has a court date to appear for animal abuse, because the retic did what retics do. They are blaming it on too small of an enclosure, poor husbandry, underfed, etc... Unfortunately, you can have perfect husbandry, and a properly sized enclosure, and this will still occur.

I'll touch on this topic for sure, it would be likely of general concern for many new keepers / potential keepers.

Not sure if you've ever covered this in a video, and not really a question to answer for me since I finally understand it. Lol but maybe touch on the whole purple, white, and lavender albinos and what they produce? So many people seem to be confused by it, and admittedly I was too until I saw you somewhere explain it as alleles on a punnet square.

Purple= pp
White= ww
Lav= pw

Before that, I had only seen it explained as "purple x purple produces all purple, lav x lav produces all 3, but purple x white produces only lavs."

Seems so simple now that I get it, but no wonder so many people get confused by it when explained that way. Lol

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGeek

Not sure if you've ever covered this in a video, and not really a question to answer for me since I finally understand it. Lol but maybe touch on the whole purple, white, and lavender albinos and what they produce? So many people seem to be confused by it, and admittedly I was too until I saw you somewhere explain it as alleles on a punnet square.

Purple= pp
White= ww
Lav= pw

Before that, I had only seen it explained as "purple x purple produces all purple, lav x lav produces all 3, but purple x white produces only lavs."

Seems so simple now that I get it, but no wonder so many people get confused by it when explained that way. Lol

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Add to that the mocha complex... while it doesn't matter which strain you use of the clark albino (purple, white, or lavender) it works similar but different -

Mocha x Albino = Mochino

Mocha x Mocha = Mocha

Mochino x Mochino = Mocha and Mochino and Clark albino

Mochino x Albino = Mochino and Clark Albino

Mochino x Mocha = Mochino and Mocha

For what it's worth.

Filming this weekend. Last chance to get those questions in!

Almost forgot this one... I know you've mentioned this before to someone considering a SD or a D... That they should consider the cost of feeding a larger retic down the road vs. the cost of feeding the smaller SD, which would be far less.

What is the estimated cost of feeding a normal retic, a dwarf, and a super dwarf?