Handling..

[robert7107]

My SD retic is amazing had him for 3 weeks plus now he has eaten for me 3 times an pooped twice.
How often should I handle him to get him to calm down he is very squirrelly when I take him out not trying to bite just all over the place...

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[jmcrook]

SD are noted for their squirrelliness. Mine from bob is especially squirrelly but he's sorta calming down slowly. I'd handle every couple days for short periods. Try to end handling sessions on a positive note, once the snake is calmed down gently put them back in the enclosure. That way they don't associate being squirrelly with you leaving them alone


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[robert7107]

SD are noted for their squirrelliness. Mine from bob is especially squirrelly but he's sorta calming down slowly. I'd handle every couple days for short periods. Try to end handling sessions on a positive note, once the snake is calmed down gently put them back in the enclosure. That way they don't associate being squirrelly with you leaving them alone


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That's what have been doing so I'm glad hear I'm doing it right...

Off topic..
Where do you get your cages ? And what size?

My dad built me two ..
But he probably won't build me any more anytime soon.

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[jmcrook]

That's what have been doing so I'm glad hear I'm doing it right...

Off topic..
Where do you get your cages ? And what size?

My dad built me two ..
But he probably won't build me any more anytime soon.

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That's what's been working for me anyway. Gerald is still way squirrelly right out the cage but has slowly been getting more chill about it. Phyllis is a big puppy once she's got a hook on her. She just crawls right out and explores and doesn't mind me a bit.
All of my cages are from Animal Plastics. Been using them for a year and a half and I really like them. Fairly light weight for the size, well insulated, hold humidity great, lots of nice options for cage features/add ons. Their website isn't amazing but their products and customer service are outstanding. They've got my business for sure


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[robert7107]

That's what's been working for me anyway. Gerald is still way squirrelly right out the cage but has slowly been getting more chill about it. Phyllis is a big puppy once she's got a hook on her. She just crawls right out and explores and doesn't mind me a bit.
All of my cages are from Animal Plastics. Been using them for a year and a half and I really like them. Fairly light weight for the size, well insulated, hold humidity great, lots of nice options for cage features/add ons. Their website isn't amazing but their products and customer service are outstanding. They've got my business for sure


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Ya my dad built a 6ft by 28in wide by 18 tall and a 5 ft. By 24 by 18 all out of ¾ in. Melamine but at 71years of age it's just too much for him..
Was going to go with boaphile Plastics but damn their expensive and I heard that their customer service isn't all that great..

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[jmcrook]

I've heard the same about boaphile. Nice looking cages, but for the cost you could get something bigger and more customizable from animal plastics. There are other nice pvc cage producers out there but AP seemed the best bang for my buck and they're great people to work with.
Can't imagine your SD would need anything bigger than the 6' cage you've got built already but who knows


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[robert7107]

I've heard the same about boaphile. Nice looking cages, but for the cost you could get something bigger and more customizable from animal plastics. There are other nice pvc cage producers out there but AP seemed the best bang for my buck and they're great people to work with.
Can't imagine your SD would need anything bigger than the 6' cage you've got built already but who knows


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Damn I hope not.. actually was planning to put male in 5ft. An in the spring get a female from Bob . He says he'll have normal pattern SD then and put her in 6ft.

Like too get into the dwarfs as well jampea later on mainland's are not possible for me.... Just too big..

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[jmcrook]

Probably fine in the 5' too. My male is 6' long in a 4x2x1 cage and has plenty of room. He would use a taller space if I gave it to him though. I may do that down the road at some point and get him some shelves or perches to climb on. For now he's fine with a sky hide
Jampea are cool but can still get pretty big. I seen pics of people with 16' jampea females. I'd hardly call that a dwarf. Not all get that big though

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[cchardwick]

My SD retic was super aggressive when I got him, he would run and pee and musk and bite at anything. I still don't trust him when I open his tub. But now that he is bigger and I'm breeding him he really calmed down, I think it's because I move him back and forth to the female twice a week. I think maybe short handling sessions twice a week is a good place to start.

I looked for months at a whole bunch of different cages for my dwarf and super dwarf retics. I finally settled on ARS boa tubs. You can get a single level for $435 and a level with the wheels (wheel base level) for $510. Plus you can stack a lot of snakes in a small space and just buy one or two levels at a time if you want. Very nice smooth gliding drawers and excellent build quality. Plus a price you can't beat anywhere. And if you ever decide to resell them let me know LOL. It's the ARS-9706. It actually stacks along with the ARS-5040 levels so you can put other snakes on top all in one rack. My snakes seem a lot more chilled out with a smaller window on just one side, they can hide back in the corners where you can't see and feel secure. Plus you can access them from the top instead of the front, a lot safer using gravity to your advantage, especially when feeding! They also come with heat strips, the only thing else you need is a thermostat and you are ready to go.

http://arscaging.com/ars9706.html

[Sauzo]

My SD/D is the same way. He is always on the go. Got him as a 5 month old baby and he never tried to bite me. Had him over a year and he is a lush. He comes to the front and hangs out on my arm while i pet him or reaches out and sits on my shoulder while i pet him. He isnt a big fan of being carried around but loves to explore and like i said, being petted.

Just keep interacting with him and he should tame down. Each snake is going to have a personality which you are going to have to learn.

As for caging, check out Animal Plastics. I have my 7'+ SD male in a T25 72x30x18 cage and he seems ok. I might get him a T65 96x30x18 cage this summer if he grows more but i personally like to give my snakes cages long enough they can stretch out in. But a 6 ft cage should be fine for a SD. And like mentioned, dwarf retics can get big. Dwarf doesnt mean small, it just means not 18 ft, but can still get 16 ft lol.