New Little Retic Question

Hey all,

You guys have been so great in the past on info for all of my dumb questions, and here is yet another. I just got a little retic in on Tuesday, and she is 4 months old. SHe is currently living in half of a boaphile 421D until she grows a bit and then she will get the full 4x2 until shes ready for her 6x3. I will be leaving her alone for a week to settle in other than water changes and maintenance. I went in to change her water bowl because she dumped it today and she bit me. Im not totally worried because shes new, but I did not pick her up after she bit me. I want to keep handling to a minimum. So hopefully I didnt already show her she can bite and get away with it. I have a hook and have started tap training, temps are 90/78 respectively. Humidity is a steady 65%. Substrate is paper towels and I am currently not offering hides as ive had great luck with no hides. So besides tap training and proper temps/humidity, is there anything you guys do retic specific for new babies coming in? I guess maybe Im just looking for support in hoping she will be a docile snake. I want the best for her and for her to be calm and approachable. Thanks guys!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by InherentResolve

Hey all,

You guys have been so great in the past on info for all of my dumb questions, and here is yet another. I just got a little retic in on Tuesday, and she is 4 months old. SHe is currently living in half of a boaphile 421D until she grows a bit and then she will get the full 4x2 until shes ready for her 6x3. I will be leaving her alone for a week to settle in other than water changes and maintenance. I went in to change her water bowl because she dumped it today and she bit me. Im not totally worried because shes new, but I did not pick her up after she bit me. I want to keep handling to a minimum. So hopefully I didnt already show her she can bite and get away with it. I have a hook and have started tap training, temps are 90/78 respectively. Humidity is a steady 65%. Substrate is paper towels and I am currently not offering hides as ive had great luck with no hides. So besides tap training and proper temps/humidity, is there anything you guys do retic specific for new babies coming in? I guess maybe Im just looking for support in hoping she will be a docile snake. I want the best for her and for her to be calm and approachable. Thanks guys!

---

This is a very common thing as far as I know. My little dude did and still does the same thing. I believe lots of the baby's are nippy in their cages. With mine who's only a month or two older than yours I just use something to distract him untill I can get my hand behind him to pick him up. As soon as he goes from striking position to trying to run I know I'm good to grab him. He'd never bite me when he's out of his tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dylan815

This is a very common thing as far as I know. My little dude did and still does the same thing. I believe lots of the baby's are nippy in their cages. With mine who's only a month or two older than yours I just use something to distract him untill I can get my hand behind him to pick him up. As soon as he goes from striking position to trying to run I know I'm good to grab him. He'd never bite me when he's out of his tank.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Well Its good to know Im not the only one! Have you noticed yours getting any better? Really going for the most chill snake I possibly can.

Give the snake hides. They need a places to feel secure. When i got Caesar at 5 months old and 2' long, he was a little nervous but never tried to bite me. We were both kind of cautious of each other but now after a year of having him, i just open the cage and reach in. He is usually there to greet me and is totally laid back. He almost seems to enjoy the interaction although he isnt a fan of being carried around. He loves to sit at the front of the open door while i pet him. I tired a hook on him once and he freaked out so i quit using it. I used a twisted paper towel when he was a baby. I still give him 2 jumbo RB hides and he's 7'+ now. He uses them during the day to sleep in.

My JCP was like that though and i would run a 50/50 chance of getting tagged reaching in to change water. She never outgrew it and i ended up trading her. Your retic might be hungry. I know Caesar as a baby was VERY food driven and i had to let him know when i opened the cage with a tap on the head of the twisted paper towel i wasnt food. Now though, like i said, i open the door and he just comes over calmly and pokes his head out at me and lays there while i pet him during the evening. During the day, he might pop his head out of his hide to see whats happening but then goes back in to sleep.

Key is you need to make the snake feel secure and show them that interaction with you is a pleasurable one, as much as a snake can feel pleasure lol. Anyways, give the snake a couple weeks to a month to settle in. Retics are very curious and as soon as she feels comfortable, she should come over to investigate you. And like i said, he is an example of what Caesar loves nightly haha.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e5196ca0_b.jpg

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

Give the snake hides. They need a places to feel secure. When i got Caesar at 5 months old and 2' long, he was a little nervous but never tried to bite me. We were both kind of cautious of each other but now after a year of having him, i just open the cage and reach in. He is usually there to greet me and is totally laid back. He almost seems to enjoy the interaction although he isnt a fan of being carried around. He loves to sit at the front of the open door while i pet him. I tired a hook on him once and he freaked out so i quit using it. I used a twisted paper towel when he was a baby. I still give him 2 jumbo RB hides and he's 7'+ now. He uses them during the day to sleep in.

My JCP was like that though and i would run a 50/50 chance of getting tagged reaching in to change water. She never outgrew it and i ended up trading her. Your retic might be hungry. I know Caesar as a baby was VERY food driven and i had to let him know when i opened the cage with a tap on the head of the twisted paper towel i wasnt food. Now though, like i said, i open the door and he just comes over calmly and pokes his head out at me and lays there while i pet him during the evening. During the day, he might pop his head out of his hide to see whats happening but then goes back in to sleep.

Key is you need to make the snake feel secure and show them that interaction with you is a pleasurable one, as much as a snake can feel pleasure lol. Anyways, give the snake a couple weeks to a month to settle in. Retics are very curious and as soon as she feels comfortable, she should come over to investigate you. And like i said, he is an example of what Caesar loves nightly haha.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e5196ca0_b.jpg

---

I may end up getting a few hides. Shes only been with me a day so hopefully this is her just settling in. Really disheartening getting that bite today. Ive read your thread on ceaeser and what a great story that is! I sure hope she can be just like caeser! Thanks sauzo.

Hang in there. I'm sure it will get better as he settles in.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wouldnt be disheartened by one bite. Louie lunged out 2 times when i got him. I've never had a boa ever do that. I talked to the breeder and she said that was very unlike him as he was a really laid back baby. Well after a couple months of him being cautious of me, he has more or less come around. He doesnt try to lunge and he is starting to be much more inquisitive when out. Just got to give them time to settle in and get used to everything. Some snakes when overwhelmed with new stuff will lash out, some will hide, some will sit there and some will be more curious.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

I wouldnt be disheartened by one bite. Louie lunged out 2 times when i got him. I've never had a boa ever do that. I talked to the breeder and she said that was very unlike him as he was a really laid back baby. Well after a couple months of him being cautious of me, he has more or less come around. He doesnt try to lunge and he is starting to be much more inquisitive when out. Just got to give them time to settle in and get used to everything. Some snakes when overwhelmed with new stuff will lash out, some will hide, some will sit there and some will be more curious.

---

Thanks Sauzo, Next week when I start working with her Ill update everyone on her progress. I sure hope she can become a really calm snake that can be an ambassador to the hobby.

Just give her time. I would wait to mess with her until she has eaten a few times and seems more content. If you try and mess with her too early, i wouldnt be surprised if you got bit again lol. Retics definitely do what they want to do. I would give at least 2 weeks before trying to handle her. Let her see you arent a giant Godzilla monster that is going to eat her. She will for sure notice you going in the cage and changing water and spot cleaning and also will notice you're the one feeding her. So after a few weeks, she will most likely begin to trust you. Then you can work with getting her out.

OP, I am just curious so please bear with me. If you want a docile snake, why did you buy a retic? I have heard of and seen relatively calm ones but in the same vein I have seen and heard of just as many nasty ones. While I can understand wanting an animal to be as manageable as possible and amusing myself by attempting to "tame" it, I would not in a million years ever trust a retic especially since a full grown one can do serious damage. I don't understand your expectations for the animal. I have no problem with people keeping them as long as they can manage them, but I would never have one if my expectation was that it would become mellow.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

OP, I am just curious so please bear with me. If you want a docile snake, why did you buy a retic? I have heard of and seen relatively calm ones but in the same vein I have seen and heard of just as many nasty ones. While I can understand wanting an animal to be as manageable as possible and amusing myself by attempting to "tame" it, I would not in a million years ever trust a retic especially since a full grown one can do serious damage. I don't understand your expectations for the animal. I have no problem with people keeping them as long as they can manage them, but I would never have one if my expectation was that it would become mellow.

---

Well to play devil's advocate, most of those 'old' stories you heard about retics were wild caught ones which for obvious reasons didn't take to captivity well. Most of the retics you buy nowadays are a few generations into captivity and are much more used to people.

Also what some people might interpret as aggression are just a very food driven retic. Retics are not shy about food nor are they shy to show they like food. Caesar was VERY food driven as a baby and the minute you opened the cage, he was front and center ready to eat. Now that he is older, he still loves food but as long as he doesnt smell it, he is really laid back and most of the time during the day, he doesnt even poke his head out of his hide. I literally have to lift the hide off him and then if he doesnt want social time, he will just bury his head like a BP and ball up lol. Come evening though and he is ready for fun and will sit at the front of the cage pushing until a door is opened. Then he comes over to check me out and usually put his head on my arm. Then when he thinks I've let down my guard, he tries to slide down the cage stack and play on the floor haha.

Now i will say, there are some retics that are nasty. But they seem to have the most personality of any of my snakes although that also comes with the most activity of any of my snakes. He is a workout to take out of the cage and tote around. He also isnt that keen on being dragged around. He likes to say hi to me but doesnt like me picking him up that much and uses my whole body like a race track when i do pick him up haha.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

Just give her time. I would wait to mess with her until she has eaten a few times and seems more content. If you try and mess with her too early, i wouldnt be surprised if you got bit again lol. Retics definitely do what they want to do. I would give at least 2 weeks before trying to handle her. Let her see you arent a giant Godzilla monster that is going to eat her. She will for sure notice you going in the cage and changing water and spot cleaning and also will notice you're the one feeding her. So after a few weeks, she will most likely begin to trust you. Then you can work with getting her out.

---

Ill be sure to do that. She ate today, as it was her scheduled time and she was pretty upset with me. But ill just keep being patient and update everyone on how it goes!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

OP, I am just curious so please bear with me. If you want a docile snake, why did you buy a retic? I have heard of and seen relatively calm ones but in the same vein I have seen and heard of just as many nasty ones. While I can understand wanting an animal to be as manageable as possible and amusing myself by attempting to "tame" it, I would not in a million years ever trust a retic especially since a full grown one can do serious damage. I don't understand your expectations for the animal. I have no problem with people keeping them as long as they can manage them, but I would never have one if my expectation was that it would become mellow.

---

totally get that 100%. I am fully prepared if she never calms down, i mentored quite a bit with a friend of mine who keeps retics, hes got a very large tiger female who wants nothing more than to draw blood, and if thats how she wants to be then so be it, I wouldnt give her up because of that.

That being said, I know what my little one can be, and Id sure like to do everything I can to ensure she does mellow out. So dont get me wrong im not in a false reality that shes going to be the most tame snake in the world, I just want to do all I can to help her get there. Make sense?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

Well to play devil's advocate, most of those 'old' stories you heard about retics were wild caught ones which for obvious reasons didn't take to captivity well. Most of the retics you buy nowadays are a few generations into captivity and are much more used to people.

Also what some people might interpret as aggression are just a very food driven retic. Retics are not shy about food nor are they shy to show they like food. Caesar was VERY food driven as a baby and the minute you opened the cage, he was front and center ready to eat. Now that he is older, he still loves food but as long as he doesnt smell it, he is really laid back and most of the time during the day, he doesnt even poke his head out of his hide. I literally have to lift the hide off him and then if he doesnt want social time, he will just bury his head like a BP and ball up lol. Come evening though and he is ready for fun and will sit at the front of the cage pushing until a door is opened. Then he comes over to check me out and usually put his head on my arm. Then when he thinks I've let down my guard, he tries to slide down the cage stack and play on the floor haha.

Now i will say, there are some retics that are nasty. But they seem to have the most personality of any of my snakes although that also comes with the most activity of any of my snakes. He is a workout to take out of the cage and tote around. He also isnt that keen on being dragged around. He likes to say hi to me but doesnt like me picking him up that much and uses my whole body like a race track when i do pick him up haha.

---

For my knowledge, since a big part of my ball breeding program involves attempting to breed for behavior...

Do you happen to know if the "aggression" was bred out of the animals or was it merely them being bred and hatched in captivity that calmed them down?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

For my knowledge, since a big part of my ball breeding program involves attempting to breed for behavior...

Do you happen to know if the "aggression" was bred out of the animals or was it merely them being bred and hatched in captivity that calmed them down?

---

No idea but i would imagine, it is probably just being used to captivity. Just used to interaction with people. I dont think you can really breed the instinct out of the animal per say. I mean Caesar and the boas still become 'wild' when they smell food and i wouldnt trust any of them during that time lol. But if they dont smell food, they are all mellow. It might be because i also interact with them daily whether it be just petting them real quick or actually taking them out to 'hang out'.

I mean heck, even Gina who is the perfect example of a lounger, strikes at anything when she smells her mice/rat. Same with Rosey who didnt even so much as hiss when the vet took a sample of the fluid in her nose when she had a sinus infection. But come dinner time. she is cocked and loaded and slams her rat or rabbit with authority.