Kalatoa 100% Pure SD Retic Progression (Pic heavy...)

Hey! Just wanted to share a short progression of my now 6 month old Kalatoa Super Dwarf Retic. Not exactly a giant but a "tiny giant" of sorts. Apologies for some of the blurry cell phone pics, she doesn't exactly like to hold still for any period of time.
Here's Phyllis, hatched by Daniel Solis mid Feb (started pipping 2/11/16, clutch all out of the eggs by 2/14/16)

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ge_873505.jpeg
Deep in shed the day she arrived (freezing cold and an entire day late... Thanks for sending her to Washington State after she was 20 min from my doorstep in Missouri, FedEx!)
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Exploring her new enclosure. Itty bitty at 50ish grams and three weeks old.

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Late march, about 6 weeks old here and all fired up!

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ge_842310.jpeg
5 months old and taking a bath after she shed. Dramatic size increase but still tiny for a retic

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Just about 6 months old here. Does this every time she's out and I have a hat on. Growing like a weed! In the low 500 gram range up from low 50 gram range when she arrived.
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ge_235119.jpeg
Mid yawn the other night.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file...ge_401155.jpeg
And Geoffrey, my 7 year old Pastel BP.

I can't get the most recent pictures to upload of Phyllis with her brightest colors yet when she was super fired up last night and looked amazing. Just wanted to share my newest critter with everyone! Thanks for looking!

Phyllis is absolutely precious! That hat pic and yawn are priceless. Geoffrey is a cutie too :)

Looks like mine. I bet ours are clutch mates! Got mine about the same time. Got mine from Daniel solis too. Mine got delayed because of storms in Memphis. Still arrived the right day though.

She looks great. Is she nippy like I've heard them to be?

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

Looks like mine. I bet ours are clutch mates! Got mine about the same time. Got mine from Daniel solis too. Mine got delayed because of storms in Memphis. Still arrived the right day though.

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Yep! From that same clutch he hatched in February. How is yours doing, yodawagon?
Yeah, FedEx totally dropped the ball and misread a label somewhere along the line and sent her clear across the country after she was in my city. Stressed both of us out quite a bit especially considering it was the only time I've had an animal shipped to me.

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Originally Posted by Tigerhawk

She looks great. Is she nippy like I've heard them to be?

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Thanks! Nope, she's a tad flighty when getting her out of the cage but settles right down. She is very food driven, has a feeding response that rivals any other living thing on earth, but I started hook training her from day one and she's never struck at me once I get a hook on her. Peed on me numerous times but no bites haha!

wow she's looks awesome deep in blue. does she still get that dark going into shed?

awesome snake. i'm jealous. i want one sooo bad lol.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

wow she's looks awesome deep in blue. does she still get that dark going into shed?

awesome snake. i'm jealous. i want one sooo bad lol.

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Nah, she's getting progressively lighter as she grows. She was super dark even right after shed when she was little(er) but now she's fairly light. Lots of super pretty greys and some yellow starting to come in a little stronger but it depends on the day. Definitely would like to get another some day down the road. Maybe a SD tiger or albino of some sort

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Yep! From that same clutch he hatched in February. How is yours doing, yodawagon?
Yeah, FedEx totally dropped the ball and misread a label somewhere along the line and sent her clear across the country after she was in my city. Stressed both of us out quite a bit especially considering it was the only time I've had an animal shipped to me.

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Ours are definitely sisters. They sound very similar. Mine has a very strong feeding response, but not aggressive. Once she's out of her cage she's fine. Mine Looks smaller then yours, I think. We tried to measure her, and figure she's around 4 foot 8.

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

Ours are definitely sisters. They sound very similar. Mine has a very strong feeding response, but not aggressive. Once she's out of her cage she's fine. Mine Looks smaller then yours, I think. We tried to measure her, and figure she's around 4 foot 8.

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Yeah she's not aggressive but very, shall we say, assertive when it comes to feeding time. Same as yours, puppy dog tame once she's out of her cage. Closest measurement I've got on mine is currently around 3.5-4 feet. Got her to crawl along the back of the couch and stretched out a tape measure along side her. Saw another one of the clutch mates on Instagram (small world, right?!) the other day and apparently it's only like 2.5 feet. Mine was about 2feet the day she got here 5 months ago. What's yours weigh now yoda? Mine's at about 525grams last I weighed her

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...fe5cd65388.jpg this is her SUPER fired up the other night. Most amazing colors I've seen on her yet.


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Wow, that's an amazing looking snake! I have a 50% Jampea dwarf retic at about six months old, she is just over 1000 grams. It will be interesting to compare her growth side by side with yours. I've thought about breeding my female to an SD albino, but that's still several years down the road.

Thanks cchardwick! Yeah I'm curious to see how much the 50% dwarf blood in yours affects the size. I know a guy with SD tigers that I may see about breeding with a few years down the road but that's just a thought at the moment


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That is just a beautiful Retic bud! Enjoyed the pictures fully

Thank you! I'll definitely be adding more pictures as she grows.


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woow
she is beautifuullll

:)

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...ce5080e6a8.jpg
Latest photo of Phyllis. Took a huge pee/poop right after this so I was able to get an empty weight on her. 624grams now and between 4-4.5 feet long. Hard to believe this is the same little noodle that was as big around as my pinky and 56grams only 6 1/2 months ago. (Picture below)
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...722de40070.jpg
Definitely packing on the size. Also has a small dry spot on the top of her head the last month or so that goes away after a shed but eventually comes back. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Just a few scales and doesn't seem to affect her in any way, just a slight concern to me.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...890d48026d.jpg


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Beautiful, JM. She has lightened up beautifully. I like the blue-gray on her sides.

Awesome snake! Can't wait to have an SD some day. Incidentally, there is a great way to get a very accurate measurement. I post this all the time, but have to credit Sauzo with showing it to me
http://serpwidgets.com/main/measure
just take a picture from above (so that perspective doesn't distort the size) with something of a known length in the frame, a book or something, and it determines the snakes length.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...g=eyJpIjoidCJ9

Thanks y'all! Yeah I've used serp widget before with my BP but I can usually get a decent measurement of the retic along the back of the couch. Not sure if she'd stay still long enough to get an overhead photo. Quite the squirrelly critter she is


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...ce5080e6a8.jpg
Latest photo of Phyllis. Took a huge pee/poop right after this so I was able to get an empty weight on her. 624grams now and between 4-4.5 feet long. Hard to believe this is the same little noodle that was as big around as my pinky and 56grams only 6 1/2 months ago. (Picture below)
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...722de40070.jpg
Definitely packing on the size. Also has a small dry spot on the top of her head the last month or so that goes away after a shed but eventually comes back. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Just a few scales and doesn't seem to affect her in any way, just a slight concern to me.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...890d48026d.jpg


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My girl gets that dry patch before shedding sometimes too.

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

My girl gets that dry patch before shedding sometimes too.

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In the same spot? My girl has only gotten it since mid/late June or so. Basically disappears after a shed and then slowly comes back. She's in shed right now so I'll see what it looks like in 3-4 days


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

In the same spot? My girl has only gotten it since mid/late June or so. Basically disappears after a shed and then slowly comes back. She's in shed right now so I'll see what it looks like in 3-4 days


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Basically the same here. Doesn't happen every shed.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...101721123a.jpg
Fresh coat of paint on Phyllis just now! Quickly went for her customary post shed bath. Here's a pic of her 6 months and one day ago on the same bowl the day I got her
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...148ebd0d01.jpg
Grow little noodle grow!


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Do you know her hatch date?

I know they started pipping on February 11 and we're all out by February 14. Not sure the exact day she came out though


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Just weighed mine. 695g .

Mine just weighed in at 640 and measures 4'3"


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Haven't got a real measurement, but we figure about 4'8".

Finally got tagged by Phyllis. Felt like a bump against my elbow more than anything. She was being a bit twitchy when I went to get her out and should have read her body language but nevertheless... I know now when she's telling me to bug off and she hopefully learn that a tag on the elbow won't stop me from cleaning her cage. http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...1e4f65d3c0.jpg


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http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...27c877e4da.jpg
Latest update on Phyllis. Just shed last night and looking great even though she's not real fired up at the moment.
Got a serp widgets measurement on her just now and she's at about 4' 10".
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...d9dae2cfc1.jpg
Also made an epic bm and weighed in at 804 grams empty. I feel like she must have more rat left to pass because she weighed about 670 two feedings ago. Find it hard to believe she put on 134 grams in two weeks.
Such a fun and curious snake. Keeps me on my toes in a very rewarding way and I love it.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...27c877e4da.jpg
Latest update on Phyllis. Just shed last night and looking great even though she's not real fired up at the moment.
Got a serp widgets measurement on her just now and she's at about 4' 10".
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...d9dae2cfc1.jpg
Also made an epic bm and weighed in at 804 grams empty. I feel like she must have more rat left to pass because she weighed about 670 two feedings ago. Find it hard to believe she put on 134 grams in two weeks.
Such a fun and curious snake. Keeps me on my toes in a very rewarding way and I love it.


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That's good stuff!

Thanks for the update. I'm going to read up a bit more on this thread when I have time. Nice slow grower you have there and beautiful pattern to boot.

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Originally Posted by Gio

That's good stuff!

Thanks for the update. I'm going to read up a bit more on this thread when I have time. Nice slow grower you have there and beautiful pattern to boot.

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Thanks, Gio! I'm awfully proud of her I must say. Seems to just get better and better every day. She's actually grown like a weed so far. She's 8 months old in about a week and has grown almost 3 feet since March 4th when I got her. Still tiny for a retic though which is what I was looking for. I'm expecting around 6-7' (parents were 5' dad 6' mom, WC Kalatoa imports) but at this rate I am prepared for 8' or more if she gets there.


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Are there any Pure Kalatoa breeders left? Every search I do online seems to come up empty and most of the breeders recommended here in older threads seem to no longer be in business or their websites are no longer active. I am on the fence between a SD/Dwarf cross from Vital, or getting an actual pure Kalatoa. Any recent buyers? Where did you purchase your SD from?

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Originally Posted by RamMac

Are there any Pure Kalatoa breeders left? Every search I do online seems to come up empty and most of the breeders recommended here in older threads seem to no longer be in business or their websites are no longer active. I am on the fence between a SD/Dwarf cross from Vital, or getting an actual pure Kalatoa. Any recent buyers? Where did you purchase your SD from?

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I got mine from Daniel Solis/reptile avenue. He posted the clutch on Instagram last February and I just happened to come across it the day they started hatching and got first pick of them all. I've heard great things about vital but the % of mainland blood in them makes me wonder if they could possibly get bigger than 8-9' with heavy feeding. There is a distant possibility that a buddy of mine may breed one of his SD tigers to my Kalatoa when they're both up to size but that's a few years down the road if at all. Pure Kalatoa is hard to get your hands on for sure,
But they're out there if you do a hard search. Good luck and let me know if you strike gold! Cheers!


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Originally Posted by jmcrook

I got mine from Daniel Solis/reptile avenue. He posted the clutch on Instagram last February and I just happened to come across it the day they started hatching and got first pick of them all. I've heard great things about vital but the % of mainland blood in them makes me wonder if they could possibly get bigger than 8-9' with heavy feeding. There is a distant possibility that a buddy of mine may breed one of his SD tigers to my Kalatoa when they're both up to size but that's a few years down the road if at all. Pure Kalatoa is hard to get your hands on for sure,
But they're out there if you do a hard search. Good luck and let me know if you strike gold! Cheers!


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I think I'm done searching for pure Kalatoas for now. It's very frustrating. I'll be attending the NARBC in Tinley this Saturday and depending on what I see there I might come home empty handed and purchase that SD/Dwarf tiger from Vital. I'm stuck between a Carpet or Retic although leaning more towards the retics. Unless I see an absolutely stunning Carpet this weekend I'll be getting the SD/Dwarf. Thanks for the reply though.

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Originally Posted by RamMac

I think I'm done searching for pure Kalatoas for now. It's very frustrating. I'll be attending the NARBC in Tinley this Saturday and depending on what I see there I might come home empty handed and purchase that SD/Dwarf tiger from Vital. I'm stuck between a Carpet or Retic although leaning more towards the retics. Unless I see an absolutely stunning Carpet this weekend I'll be getting the SD/Dwarf. Thanks for the reply though.

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I just ordered my SD/D White Albino Tiger from Vital Exotics. He should be here tomorrow. Nice looking Kalatoa. I thought about one when I first saw this thread but after looking for a couple days, I too gave up on it lol. Plus I've always been kind of a morph guy. I've given up trying to fight that too lol.

If you are bent on one though, I bet you could find something on one of the Retic FB pages. I see lots of stuff for sale there on the Super Dwarf and Dwarf Retic page.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I just ordered my SD/D White Albino Tiger from Vital Exotics. He should be here tomorrow. Nice looking Kalatoa. I thought about one when I first saw this thread but after looking for a couple days, I too gave up on it lol. Plus I've always been kind of a morph guy. I've given up trying to fight that too lol.

If you are bent on one though, I bet you could find something on one of the Retic FB pages. I see lots of stuff for sale there on the Super Dwarf and Dwarf Retic page.

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I'm still waiting on approval for the retic FB page. I managed to get accepted to a retic FB page in the UK :rofl:.
I do love the morphs more as well, especially retics. Retics have, in my opinion the best morphs out there even better than BPs. I might just get that SD/Dwarf tiger from Vital.

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Originally Posted by RamMac

I think I'm done searching for pure Kalatoas for now. It's very frustrating. I'll be attending the NARBC in Tinley this Saturday and depending on what I see there I might come home empty handed and purchase that SD/Dwarf tiger from Vital. I'm stuck between a Carpet or Retic although leaning more towards the retics. Unless I see an absolutely stunning Carpet this weekend I'll be getting the SD/Dwarf. Thanks for the reply though.

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Yeah they're tough to find. I had been thinking about one for a couple years and then just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time. Those SD/Dwarf albinos and tigers from vital are some good looking critters though. Supposedly the males are imagined to top out at 5-7'


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Yeah they're tough to find. I had been thinking about one for a couple years and then just happened to be looking in the right place at the right time. Those SD/Dwarf albinos and tigers from vital are some good looking critters though. Supposedly the males are imagined to top out at 5-7'


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Yeah, Kris from Vital said they're expected tp stay between 5'-7', and although I don't think he's lying, I just don't think anything can be assured with having dwarf and Mainland blood. I believe he said the dad was in the 5' range and mom in the 8' range.

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Originally Posted by RamMac

Yeah, Kris from Vital said they're expected tp stay between 5'-7', and although I don't think he's lying, I just don't think anything can be assured with having dwarf and Mainland blood. I believe he said the dad was in the 5' range and mom in the 8' range.

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I know what you mean. Mines parents were 5' dad 6' mom and my girl is already about 5' and just turned 8 months today. I think she's either going to hit 6-7' and then add some girth or she may breach 8'. Still a tiny retic though.


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Originally Posted by jmcrook

I know what you mean. Mines parents were 5' dad 6' mom and my girl is already about 5' and just turned 8 months today. I think she's either going to hit 6-7' and then add some girth or she may breach 8'. Still a tiny retic though.


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I'm not as concerned with the length as I am with ending up with a 11'-12'+ snake with a lot of girth. With that being said, I am comfortable with a retic in the 9'-10' range 9again given it stays relatively thin).

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Originally Posted by RamMac

I'm not as concerned with the length as I am with ending up with a 11'-12'+ snake with a lot of girth. With that being said, I am comfortable with a retic in the 9'-10' range 9again given it stays relatively thin).

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Exactly. Mine is basically the build of a wiley corn snake with slightly more dangerous teeth. SD are supposed to be a bit more lean than mainland retics even at their adult size. She's definitely a handful even at this size. Get yourself a good hook and long feeding tongs if you take the plunge ;)


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Exactly. Mine is basically the build of a wiley corn snake with slightly more dangerous teeth. SD are supposed to be a bit more lean than mainland retics even at their adult size. She's definitely a handful even at this size. Get yourself a good hook and long feeding tongs if you take the plunge ;)


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Al ready have both.:gj:

Well females are the ones with girth. So just get a male. From what I've gathered, if you feed them normally, then you should end up in the target area you want. Maybe Cody will chime in here or check youtube for reptileexperts videos. He gives good advice on what to expect etc etc. While there is no guarantee on the size of any snake, by feeding normally and starting with a high % of SD blood, you will at least have a better chance of a smaller snake.

Kris told me the parents for my guy were 5' dad and 8-9' mom. So my guy should top out around 5-7' with normal feedings. And again, no one can guarantee any size but you can get a general idea. Just have to be prepared for something bigger lol. That's why I went with a male myself. All my reptiles are females and while I did want a female SD/D retic, I didn't want to chance it so I got the male.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Well females are the ones with girth. So just get a male. From what I've gathered, if you feed them normally, then you should end up in the target area you want. Maybe Cody will chime in here or check youtube for reptileexperts videos. He gives good advice on what to expect etc etc. While there is no guarantee on the size of any snake, by feeding normally and starting with a high % of SD blood, you will at least have a better chance of a smaller snake.

Kris told me the parents for my guy were 5' dad and 8-9' mom. So my guy should top out around 5-7' with normal feedings. And again, no one can guarantee any size but you can get a general idea. Just have to be prepared for something bigger lol. That's why I went with a male myself. All my reptiles are females and while I did want a female SD/D retic, I didn't want to chance it so I got the male.

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I checked with Cody and his opinion was that it should stay under my limit. I've seen his videos as well. There's a video he uploaded (second one I think) where he shows off an older SD\Dwarf tiger retic that seems large around 10'-11' feet, that size is possibly larger than I'd like but it's hard to really tell from the video.

Also so you cant go wrong with a carpet either. I got a yearling female jungle carpet from Nick Mutton and while she was a terror when I got her, she has mellowed out a ton in the past month. Although at night, she patrols the cage top to bottom lol and tried to strike a white paper towel I was using to scoop up a poopie lol. She is so full of personality lol. Loves to perch on my shoulders and just look at stuff. She did try and bite the tv though lol. I'm lucky in that I got both and while I love boas, the jungle carpet is giving them a run for their money lol. We'll see where the retic places in my list soon enough :)

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Also so you cant go wrong with a carpet either. I got a yearling female jungle carpet from Nick Mutton and while she was a terror when I got her, she has mellowed out a ton in the past month. Although at night, she patrols the cage top to bottom lol and tried to strike a white paper towel I was using to scoop up a poopie lol. She is so full of personality lol. Loves to perch on my shoulders and just look at stuff. She did try and bite the tv though lol. I'm lucky in that I got both and while I love boas, the jungle carpet is giving them a run for their money lol. We'll see where the retic places in my list soon enough :)

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I would love a high yellow JCP. If I see one in Tinley I might go for it. Both have been on my list. The retics however, something about them just makes them so appealing.

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Originally Posted by RamMac

I checked with Cody and his opinion was that it should stay under my limit. I've seen his videos as well. There's a video he uploaded (second one I think) where he shows off an older SD\Dwarf tiger retic that seems large around 10'-11' feet, that size is possibly larger than I'd like but it's hard to really tell from the video.

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Well I remember right, Cody said the dwarf blood can still produce sizeable animals. Probably the only way to really come as close as possible to a guarantee if a smaller animal is go pure SD male and feed conservatively. I'm not too concerned personally as long as my retic doesn't end up being 15'+ and have a bad attitude. I got a 6-7' female boa that is thicker than a pop can and she is a giant puppy, a heavy puppy but I can reach in and grab her or do anything and she doesn't even care. I even grab her face and wipe it down with wet paper towels when she decides to body/face paint her cage with poop or urate lol. For me, I'm more afraid of the snake with an unpredictable personality than a large snake with a laid back personality.

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Originally Posted by RamMac

I would love a high yellow JCP. If I see one in Tinley I might go for it. Both have been on my list. The retics however, something about them just makes them so appealing.

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Lol do what I did and get both haha.