Experienced reticulated python owners ONLY

What're some IMPORTANT things for a newbie to know? (Besides their size) I already know they get big, so let's not turn this in to one of those posts. Pinpoint the most important aspects of their care. Share personal stories. I'm just looking for some helpful info before I get myself into retics;) Comment below! Thanks in advance

Biggest thing I have picked up in my short 6months is to watch there eyes...I can usually tell when my s/d id going to takes a swing.

Sent from my A521L using Tapatalk

They are incredibly intelligent. Noticeable difference between my retics and my balls. They quickly pick up on patterns, and know when I am getting ready to feed them vs getting ready to clean them.

They also seem to love exercise. I get my retics out once a week and let them hangout out in the back yard.

Personality wise, they can run the gamut from completely tame and chill to extremely aggressive. I'm lucky enough to have very tame and friendly retics. But with their intelligence comes the ability to tag you if they so desire.



Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Since this will be your first one focus on finding one that's chill versus a pretty morph.

Set cash aside for a six to eight foot enclosure, sometimes you can find a local deal for less than just the cost of shipping a new one. I had two eight-foot enclosures a year before I got my first retic.

Tractor Supply carries several types of un-dumpable water bowls in their pet and livestock sections.

Look around for a local source for feeder rabbits and baby pigs.

Find a local source of free newspaper such as a grocery store - the manager at mine will give me the leftover weekly circulars once they are out of date. My male retics pee about every 2 days.

Just because it's a super dwarf or dwarf doesn't mean it won't get big.

They are quick to learn so be consistent, especially when feeding. Mine are all hook trained, even the chill ones.

Check your city/county ordinances before getting one, some localities have their own prohibitions on big snakes. Same thing if you rent versus own your home, one of my males came from a guy who had to rehome it or risk getting evicted after his landlord saw it. The landlord was ok with a rack of five ball pythons, but not the eight foot retic enclosure.

Make sure you have adequate experience with other moderately sized constrictors - Coastal Carpet Pythons come to mind

Make sure you can afford their care - large caging, vet bills should they arise, and feeding (sourcing local is best)

Check for all permits and regulations from your state and local government. Remember, they can NOT be brought into texas or florida at current, and can NOT cross a state line unless you were a member of USARK before the ban was put into place (pre-april 2015).

Going to go against BCR on this one and say buy the morph you want the first time around - but buy from calm parents if applicable. Search. Don't impulse buy, ask questions to the breeder. Most of the guys I have worked with and work with will tell you their tics attitudes. But its a guideline, attitude will change overtime, for better or worse.

Start with a hatchling - Don't go all in on your first retic and start with a nice sized adult

Retics don't grow 30 ft in captivity . . . retics do not consistently grow larger than 20 ft even. MOST RETICS ARE UNDER 18' (Probably even 16')

There are serious risks involved: Their bite as an adult can land you in the hospital. You need to practice taking a bite from smaller snakes and not flinching to the point that you jerk your hand back. One of my largest fears is my wife getting tagged and jerking her arm back which will lacerate your skin WAY worse than a bite and release.

Pee burns in cuts. I advise this because 1) they pee a lot, 2) they pee often, 3) pee sponges may be part of the program to help. When you have other animals that may cut you up (cats, dogs, other snake bites) urine will burn your cuts. Prepare to wear gloves when cleaning it is a requirement for your own health.

They are fast. If you have only had experience with boas and balls, there is no comparison to how quick a retic can strike and be out of the cage.

Breeding aggression is real, and really dangerous. Dealing with this right now with my Goldenchild Jampea adult male, he is arching like mad, and cleaning his enclosure SUCKS. The second you open that glass he is out of the cage and in your face. He is OK when you have him out on your own terms, but when he comes out gunning for you, hooks, a second person, and a second containment area are a MUST.

Retics push. They will destroy their faces. Not all. But a lot. This can lead to injuries that might even need surgery. If you have an adult who is a sever pusher they can impale their own teeth into their lips. They can push glass doors out, and break them with force alone.

Retics are extremely rewarding animals to work with however. But they truly are not for everyone. Folks who say they are for everyone just want to try and justify to themselves they are capable of having one, or they are a breeder who is stuck on stock. Even SD retics can give folks a headache due to bites and flights.

If you want to learn more about SD retics - you can check my videos on youtube. www.youtube.com/reptileexperts

Food for the thoughts.

I think the most important aspect for YOU at this point would be to successfully keep and UNDERSTAND a beginner species first before thinking about owning a retic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

Food for the thoughts.

I think the most important aspect for YOU at this point would be to successfully keep and UNDERSTAND a beginner species first before thinking about owning a retic.

---

See my point number 1 :)

I'm still a noob but my 2 cents is they grow FAST, as in mine grew 65% in a month and I'm not a heavy feeder. Way faster than any of my other snakes. So be prepared for that and plan appropriate caging.

And the feeding response is no joke. Actually with Helena it kind of is. On feeding day I have to entice her to strike, but the day after she tries to eat me through the cage.

thanks all! that was some good information. I plan on getting my first next summer if I feel that I'm ready by that point. until then I'll be doing similar research. I'm also going to try and find somewhere I can volunteer cleaning cages just to get a feel for a large retic before I get one myself, even if I am starting out with a hatchling. as for other larger snakes, I have experience and have never been uncomfortable handling, cleaning, feeding. I plan on starting with a young retic, definitely not an adult. 😂 but thanks again for all the info, I definitely won't be getting one until the time is right and I'm ready to take on the responsibility. although I'm eager to work with a species of snake so intelligent and responsive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deborah

Food for the thoughts.

I think the most important aspect for YOU at this point would be to successfully keep and UNDERSTAND a beginner species first before thinking about owning a retic.

---

Which is why I'm not getting one anytime soon as I don't feel the need to rush into a species before completely understanding it's specific care requirements. Although I am completely comfortable with my current beginner snakes and their care.

Didn't you post about a green anaconda a little while back too? Same question I posted on that thread... At 16 years old are you able to financially provide for this animal. Not trying to be a jerk, but it is a legitimate question especially if you have any plans for college, etc. Trying to offload a large animal is no easy task.

Sorry to tell you but you still believe that your snakes loved to be together and then the breed to young and you still believe that they liked to be together....a retic at 16 is a bad idea...do you plan to go to college...your not going to be able to have any snake much less a retic...can you afford 10$-20 $ for rabbits to feed afford a cage thats 8foot. Not to mention vet care lots of substrate because a rabbit is not pretty coming out and they piss by the gallon. Do you have someone who is going to be available everyday if need to assist with cages cleanings or if you want to take them out...even with the tamest tic you should have some there.... I dont pull out my big snakes unless someone is around and there only 9ish foot right now..these are not snakes to toy with they can put a hurting on you quick.I would wait until you can easily support yourself by yourself when you figure out what you are doing in life....not omg I want a retic look how cool they are then in two years when you decide you want to move to another state or something for school or whatever now your re-homeing a 12 foot retic because you cant take it with you...

Sent from my A521L using Tapatalk

Despite not being a keeper of retics but as somebody who got their first large constrictor when they were 14 years old, and still has that snake 9 years later, I'll throw in my two cents.



A lot of people are very adamant when they say that getting into the bigger snakes at that age is a bad idea, but a good number of experienced keepers did exactly that.

Truth is, people are going to try to scare you away from the big snakes, mostly because nobody wants to see another news headline that may potentially damage the reptile hobby. But nobody can truly tell you whether or not you are ready. Only you will know.

The idea that you are going to need an 8 foot cage is a little bit funny. I think (not sure) that just about any male retic will thrive in a vision 632. Still not a cheap cage.

Also amusing is the assumption that you won't be able to attend college if you own a large constrictor at a young age.





Things that I would recommend before purchasing a large constrictor:


Experience with keeping other large constrictors is great, but it is not 100% required. If you love retics, you don't have to spend time and money to raise another species when it's not what you truly want to work with.

Handle a large snake. If you can, make friends with an experienced keeper, help them clean cages sometime. That alone may make you rethink whether or not you want to get into them.

If you decide you want to get into it. Make sure your parents are fully aware of their potential size and their strength.

You don't necessarily need someone in the same room with you every time you are working with your big snakes, but you should make sure there is at least somebody in earshot.

If things go south, a bottle of listerine to pour into the snakes mouth should be available at all times. I've never had to do this, but nearly everybody agrees that that is the trick.

A snake hook is a must.

100% agree that starting out with a hatchling is the best practice.

Understand that any animal like this that can live in excess of 30 years, even BPs, are effectively a life long commitment. And there are certain freedoms that you will have to give up should you decide that you want to keep animals, same as you would with a child.

Bottom line is we have a very temporary existence on this earth, and nobody on the internet has the right dictate what age is and isn't okay for someone to become involved in something that they love.

The fact is that having a 16 ft. constrictor that may or may not be chill and easy to work with WILL put constraints on college plans. You can't keep one in a dorm, so you either have to live where you are and go to a local college, have someone at home you know will care for it until you're out of college, or plan on going to college in state and paying for off-campus housing that will allow a giant constrictor-- and that's not something a lot of teenagers starting college can afford (or convince their parents to afford).

Besides, after reading this person's past posts, they're barely able to keep BPs and seem to have no understanding of snake behavior. They recently had an accidental breeding that came from housing snakes they couldn't or didn't bother to sex properly together because they thought the snakes liked companionship and that cohabitation was perfectly fine. They also said they think handling is necessary to keep snakes "happy".
Not trying to bash someone for what's already been done, but those things indicate this person is nowhere NEAR being able to handle a giant constrictor. Mistaking signs of stress and thinking your BPs want to cuddle and go for walks in the park is just stressful for the snakes, but mistaking signs of stress and thinking a retic has an emotional attachment to you can land you in the hospital.

If Bindi Irwin came on here to talk about giant snakes, I wouldn't say 'no kid that age can handle big constrictors', but when someone who clearly isn't ready asks about it, yeah, people are going to try and scare them away from it for their own good and for the snake's too.

EDIT: I don't personally keep giants. I've been keeping snakes for over 15 years now and I'm not ready, and don't have the means to afford one right now. My next step is going to be one of the constrictors in the 7-10 ft. range. Keeping snakes isn't a race; you don't have to keep the biggest-baddest animal on the market to be good at snake-keeping and respected within the community.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

The fact is that having a 16 ft. constrictor that may or may not be chill and easy to work with WILL put constraints on college plans.

---

I live in a College town where there are 3 or 4 colleges within a 20 minute drive from my house, so I don't typically associate going to college with living in a dorm.

The fact is that having a baby also will put constraints on college plans. I never once said that owning large constrictors wouldn't put constraints on college plans. And the post above mine seemed to imply that it would be impossible to go to college if you owned a large constrictor. I understand that is because the person did not clearly explain himself but I'm just making a point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Besides, after reading this person's past posts, they're barely able to keep BPs and seem to have no understanding of snake behavior. They recently had an accidental breeding that came from housing snakes they couldn't or didn't bother to sex properly together because they thought the snakes liked companionship and that cohabitation was perfectly fine. They also said they think handling is necessary to keep snakes "happy".
Not trying to bash someone for what's already been done, but those things indicate this person is nowhere NEAR being able to handle a giant constrictor. Mistaking signs of stress and thinking your BPs want to cuddle and go for walks in the park is just stressful for the snakes, but mistaking signs of stress and thinking a retic has an emotional attachment to you can land you in the hospital.

---

Cohabitation is completely acceptable with an experienced keeper. I posted what I think are some important points for a young person looking to get into large snakes to think about before jumping into it. I have no former knowledge of this person's prior experience and I am not trying to sway them in one way or the other.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DVirginiana

Keeping snakes isn't a race; you don't have to keep the biggest-baddest animal on the market to be good at snake-keeping and respected within the community.

---

You're 100% right. But for some people, the big snakes are the only ones that they're passionate about and that's what really sparks their interest in proper animal care and husbandry.

Someone can own other species for 20 years, but if they ignore sound advice consistently, and keep their animals in less than stellar conditions, then they are no more qualified than a 16 year old who understands how big of a commitment this is and has a willingness to take good advice and put it to good use. :)

If this we're me I would tell myself no not at this time if it's your Dream Snake What's a few years to prepare for everthing including your career get well established first everything cost money alot of money. I hope that someday your Dream will come true ..

Sent from my SGH-T999

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tbowman

Cohabitation is completely acceptable with an experienced keeper.

---

I feel I should clarify what I mean here before someone jumps on it.

***Cohabitation of certain species is completely acceptable with an experienced keeper. I'm not saying that Ball Pythons are or are not one of those species. Some people just make the blanket statement that keeping any two snakes in the same enclosure is automatically a bad thing. And if they ever went to a zoo they'd clearly see that it isn't the death sentence they make it out to be.

I remember college and the last thing I needed at that time in my life was pets lol

Sent from my SGH-T999

Yes my statement is very blunt tbowman...but if you read this kids other post you would know why...I know that 90% of 16 years dont truly know what they want outa life and a retic is a huge commitment...going to college isnt impossible but look how many snakes are getting rehomed every day because of this situation. When I was 16 I wanted a tic to...but I also wanted Lot of other things...went to college right after highschool and am paying thousands of dollars in school loans and I dont want anything to do whit what I went to school for. Finding a place to rent at a young age is hard enough much less one that will let you have 15+ foot snakes or snakes in general....there is alot more to think about than just the care of the animal. DVirginiana hit the nail on the head with your statement.

Sent from my A521L using Tapatalk

Like I said, my post was not directed at the OPs specific situation. In no way did I downplay what a serious commitment it is when you decide to get involved with large constrictors.

Some of these posts are predicated on the assumption that if you buy a retic it is going to be a gigantic animal. Maybe reptile experts can elaborate on this but aren't there some SDs that can be kept in cb70s or maybe the ve 175? I may be wrong there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frostysBP

Yes my statement is very blunt tbowman...but if you read this kids other post you would know why...I know that 90% of 16 years dont truly know what they want outa life and a retic is a huge commitment...going to college isnt impossible but look how many snakes are getting rehomed every day because of this situation. When I was 16 I wanted a tic to...but I also wanted Lot of other things...went to college right after highschool and am paying thousands of dollars in school loans and I dont want anything to do whit what I went to school for. Finding a place to rent at a young age is hard enough much less one that will let you have 15+ foot snakes or snakes in general....there is alot more to think about than just the care of the animal. DVirginiana hit the nail on the head with your statement.

---

I also think DVirginia brought up good points. The time period between a person's late teens and mid 20's is when most of us have the least residential stability. We move to/from college dorms or off-campus housing every few months, we move out of our parent's house and into a rental (or we boomerang...), we find our first full-time professional jobs which may not be close to where we grew up or went to school, we join the military, etc.

Keeping one ball python or even a rack of them through all of that would be less hassle than keeping one retic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tbowman

Some of these posts are predicated on the assumption that if you buy a retic it is going to be a gigantic animal. Maybe reptile experts can elaborate on this but aren't there some SDs that can be kept in cb70s or maybe the ve 175? I may be wrong there.

---

Yes there are BUT they tend to be flightier than their mainland cousins, and even if they are fairly high percentage they can still get big.

This turned into a good thread with many thoughtful posts.

Times are getting more difficult - navigating young adulthood with a large snake is only going to get harder. Life now isn't what it was in the 70's. Whole different world.

Just my perspective (from 47 year old woman who doesn't yet own a single snake), take it for what you think it's worth.

All things considered through this thread, there is some thought to be had. Age is a consideration to make, at 16 there are plenty of people who are raising retics. As has been said, it can put some constraints on your college life, so you need to be aware of that. Keeping in mind that retics may soon be not allowed to cross state lines (and already are not allowed into Texas or Florida) you'd need to at least have an idea NOW where you will be in 2 years, what college, what career path. Do you want to be a towny and stay in your home town, or do you want to be a chaser and live elsewhere.

Retics are a big commitment. But they are manageable with a good thought process going into it. I don't want to hinder any ones ambition towards raising one of these incredible animals. But you asked for things you should know - and these are all things you should know and consider. Feeding cost is just a small commitment. Even working at a burger joint you'll be able to afford food for ONE snake if you are semi budget minded. Housing commitments will be a different situation. If you plan to rent later in life, not all places will allow giant constrictors. If you plan to buy a house you have to face city ordinances, state laws, and even home owners association since the HOA loves to be involved in your life.

I think the greatest take home for you in all of this is:

Fully think out whats ahead of you. Where are you going, where do you want life to take you - can you take your new commitment with you?
Can you budget for its needs - special vets, large caging (one time buy), cleaning supplies (every other day sometimes).
Volunteer with a local keeper, but keep in mind not all giant keepers announce they have giants within their local community to keep fear down. But look in facebook groups and talk to people.

Saw dwarf and sd stuff brought up. I love Jampea local retics right now. I've worked with Kalatoa crosses for a while now, and they are a lot more flighty, yes they remain smaller, but it's not a fun experience to handle them as much. Jampea is a middle ground retic - not the largest of them all, but not the smallest. My 50% crossed male who is breed ready is only 8' give or take, and he is incredibly relaxed outside of the cage. Our largest retic is a Jampea Cross Purple Albino Female, and she is just under 14' at this current day and really not growing anymore. Dwarf / SD crosses are unpredictable. You could get a grower that takes charge of their potential and grows grows grows grows grows. You could get a runt that stays small. I'd highly recommend a jampea cross if you can find one that interest you. My wife and I are devoting ourselves nearly fully to Jampea crosses in our future projects to bring some new combos. But again, this is my own personal preference. If you're after the big snake experience, by all means get a mainland. But If you want a slightly more controllable size, and still get an awesome experience, I cant recommend Jampea crosses enough.

Shoot me a message down the line when you start getting specific questions, and I'll be glad to help.

Well that was a fun read, anyone know if the kid ended up getting one?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Im curious to know as wel, was going to add some opinions but maybe not .:rolleyes:

holy crap!! when/why was frostyBP banned? i was wondering where he was... besides yelling at peeps for not using a t-stat p, he was a cool and helpful dude. :/