Looking for some basic info about retics before getting one.

[owasso_dad_and_son]

I'm considering getting a retic to add to our collection. My son is the main "snake keeper" of the house, with a good deal of oversight from the daddy half of this partnership. Daniel is 8 now. He has a Ball Python and a Central American Boa. He's had snakes for 2 years and is very good about cage cleaning, misting, etc.
Now that we have the background covered, some questions.
How big is a hatchling?
How fast do they grow?
Do they do pretty well with being held? Daniel likes to get his snakes out a couple of times a week for 10-15 minutes (he knows to leave them be for a couple of days after feedings).
How long before they start getting big enough they could really be too much for him to handle? I'm thinking if they grow fairly slow, then by the time it gets pretty big, he would be pretty big too.
I'm just trying to get some ideas here before we do anything. I'll admit I don't know a lot about them, thats why I'm asking some questions. Would appreciate any ideas, suggestions, input, etc.

[MrLang]

As a hatchling they're not very big, maybe a little longer but a little more slender than a young BP. They grow pretty fast and I think you can expect it to get to 4+ feet in its first year. They handle fine but due to their voracious feeding response, most people use a hook to help get them out of the enclosure initially. They eat large prey that isn't available everywhere and that takes up a whole lot of freezer space. I don't think anyone would advocate handling a full grown retic with only 1 person. They do have the power to kill you. It will need 2 people present for its whole adulthood.

Don't have all of that scare you off, but do consider it very carefully before making the commitment.

You can also get a pure blood Super Dwarf from a reputable breeder and those usually stay under 10 feet I think, which makes them a considerable amount more managable.

[owasso_dad_and_son]

I'll keep that in mind. Just to compare, how does a burmese compare? Are they about the same size as adults? Would love to have a big one like that, but first and foremost, want to be a responsible owner, not one of the idiots that causes new laws to be passed, know what I mean?

[reptileexperts]

OK

First

Retics can achieve 8-9 ft in the first year, male or female, if they are pure mainland or high% mainland blood. This is also based on the amount of food that you feed them. Speaking of feeding, they are quite food aggressive and will literally lunge out of the cage when you open it if they are in feeding mode. Females tend to be more docile most of the time, but get to much greater sizes (your looking at 15' being small for them). Males stay a lot more manageable, but can become very aggressive when they are in a breeding mode. On top of this, males can still achieve lengths of 14'+ and when they are this large, small mistakes can lead to major issues.

If you want to start out with retics, please consider a Kalatoa Locale Super Dwarf. They are very friendly in general and love to be out. They still have the retic intelligence and quirks, but without the size. Kalatoa females get to be around 12 lbs full and only 6-7 ft in length. Males get much smaller staying around 5' and growing much slower (3 years to get to 5 ft in MOST cases of pures). If you want a little bit larger snake and want morphs, 50% crosses into Kalatoa are out there, but fetch a higher price as a morph. Again, these will get around 7-9ft for male crosses, and 8-11 ft for female crosses of this percentage.

2 years experience with snakes is not very long so to speak. I worked with snakes the better part of 15 years before getting my first reticulated python, and it was still quite a transition. They are spectacular snakes, do very well in captivity, but you must be prepared for their size, "bad days", food aggression, and life risks that ARE present.

This is not a scare - this is a notice. These are things that must be known. Burmese are not nearly as food aggressive IMO. They do not gear near as long, but they tend to become quite fat and heavy. Because of the Lacey Act, they are not able to be transported across state lines - so if you want to experiment in getting a burmese, be well aware of the laws at place. Most states require a permit or license for them. In Texas, you even have to have a permit for Reticulated pythons.


9' 50% Kalatoa 50% Mainland male Tiger Retic in his holding cell while his enclosure gets cleaned - they poo and pee more than a horse . . .


How my female 50% Kalatoa reacts when I open her tub. Very friendly.


A clip showing their speed.

If you want more info. Just ask and someone will answer. But think LONG and hard about a retic. It's a 30 year, potentially 20 ft, commitment that will require VERY large food items. Make sure you have a rabbit supplier or can order f/t before even making a purchase if you can.

Cheers

[owasso_dad_and_son]

Looks like a Kalatoa might be the way to go for now. Glad I asked some questions. Don't want to get my son or myself hurt for sure and don't want the snake being miserable either. Might look at a Red Tail boa too.. pretty docile and not near as big. Thanks for the input everyone!

[dragonboy4578]

Looks like a Kalatoa might be the way to go for now. Glad I asked some questions. Don't want to get my son or myself hurt for sure and don't want the snake being miserable either. Might look at a Red Tail boa too.. pretty docile and not near as big. Thanks for the input everyone!

I have a few Red Tails, and I love them. I have them out 3-4x as often as I do my bp's. They are about as big as I want anymore. Any larger are just to much to handle alone.

[reptileexperts]

Dumerils are both attractive and docile and will attain some size if you keep them properly, some female dumeril's can get up to 10' in length! I've seen a couple massive ones and they are stunning animals. Much easier to deal with than a retic IMO. Retics must be considered advanced snakes in the hobby for a number of reasons, but I don't see why Kalatoa locales couldn't be a good option for you as well. A female will get some decent size to her and weight. They are extremely intelligent and very friendly. Only downside is they still have the cage feeding aggression!



This is my pure male Kalatoa - he is special though and is an Anery (lacking red). But this gives you an idea of what Kalatoa look like in general. Be very careful buying from just anyone when it comes to super dwarf locales though. . . I know MOST of the people in the SD business. If you end up going that route, I can recc some great breeders!

[thedarkwolf25]

Hey Reptileexperts, can you guess as the the size that a 50% Dwarf might reach? One of her parents was a dwarf and the other was a mainland, I am guessing she will reach 15+ after 3 years or so. Can you provide any insight on that?

[reptileexperts]

Female? I'd say low side 10-11, high side 14-16 but something about Jampea / Seslayer seems to make them stay smaller when a good chunk of the blood is dwarf. Prehistoric pets 50% dwarf stuff breed incredibly small. They posted a video on it recently show casing their Seslayer stuff (Genetic stripe). Their breeders were a solid 11 ft and slender after eggs.

[thedarkwolf25]

The breeders I got her from are KG Constrictors out here in Denver, not sure what lines they use though. Thanks for the info, that gives me a range to gauge her on now. We got her in May of this year and she was a baby then and has since doubled in size.

This is her around the time got her.