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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran dkatz4's Avatar
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    Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    Hey folks, I'm very seriously considering getting a pet retic. I love my boas and my Burm and just need more giant snake in my life .
    **(Note: I've already been asking around in the facebook groups, so if you've already seen me, sorry for the repetition.) .

    SIZE: Frankly, I don't think i can afford quality dwarf/superdwarf blood, and the majority of my research has indicated that with reasonable feeding it's entirely feasible to end up with a mainland being a very big snake rather than a gargantuan monster. Of course the issue of sex always comes up. It has been suggested that the traditionally recognized size difference has a lot to do with the difference in feeding habits between breeding males and females rather than innate sexual dimorphism. what do we think of that? If i feed a female the way breeders feed their males, would she stay small(er)?


    ATTITUDE: I've heard/seen a lot of talk about males having the potential for less predictable and potentially more dangerous behavior, also the infamous "combat teeth" (is this really a thing?). Whether this is only during breeding season or not, its a real point of concern as my snakes are family pets, and while i always take common sense precautions, i simply can't have an animal that i know to be defensive (i.e. aggressive). I know this is a hotly debated issue, i am hoping especially the experience keepers here can help.

    CHOOSING: Do nasty baby retics turn into nasty adults? Do sweet ones stay sweet? My routine is to handle nearly every day to condition and "tame" them (and for fun, obviously)

    Thanks so much for all your input, this is the greatest, and i promise to get back to posting more frequently and to spend less time on facebook, which i consider to be like BP.net's slutty cousin
    1.0 Central American BI: Irwin
    0.1 Jungle, het snow BI: Gimel
    1.0 green albino, het granite Burm: Dr. Waffles
    1.0 Betta fish: Convertible
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  2. #2
    BPnet Royalty Gio's Avatar
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    Re: Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    Quote Originally Posted by dkatz4 View Post
    Hey folks, I'm very seriously considering getting a pet retic. I love my boas and my Burm and just need more giant snake in my life .
    **(Note: I've already been asking around in the facebook groups, so if you've already seen me, sorry for the repetition.) .

    SIZE: Frankly, I don't think i can afford quality dwarf/superdwarf blood, and the majority of my research has indicated that with reasonable feeding it's entirely feasible to end up with a mainland being a very big snake rather than a gargantuan monster. Of course the issue of sex always comes up. It has been suggested that the traditionally recognized size difference has a lot to do with the difference in feeding habits between breeding males and females rather than innate sexual dimorphism. what do we think of that? If i feed a female the way breeders feed their males, would she stay small(er)?


    ATTITUDE: I've heard/seen a lot of talk about males having the potential for less predictable and potentially more dangerous behavior, also the infamous "combat teeth" (is this really a thing?). Whether this is only during breeding season or not, its a real point of concern as my snakes are family pets, and while i always take common sense precautions, i simply can't have an animal that i know to be defensive (i.e. aggressive). I know this is a hotly debated issue, i am hoping especially the experience keepers here can help.

    CHOOSING: Do nasty baby retics turn into nasty adults? Do sweet ones stay sweet? My routine is to handle nearly every day to condition and "tame" them (and for fun, obviously)

    Thanks so much for all your input, this is the greatest, and i promise to get back to posting more frequently and to spend less time on facebook, which i consider to be like BP.net's slutty cousin
    Hey,

    I have to answer quickly here as I'm about to head out.

    SD VS Dwarf Vs Mainland. I have the SD X Dwarf X Mainland cross model. Only 18% mainland and you can see his progression thread here.

    My LIMITED experience tells me not to recommend folks get into the species unless they are 100% prepared for the potentially large size and possibly a lousy attitude. That part can be up and down with males, and the SD stuff, at least in my case the SD causes a bit more twitchy behavior. I have friends with mainlands and they seem to feel they are more calm. One friend has had every variety and says a lot of the SD/Dwarf stuff just runs a tab more edgy.

    Sexual Size Dimorphism (SSD) does occur. It's proven scientifically in the wild but it isn't always what people expect. A lot of the species that engage in male to male pre-breeding combat will actually be the opposite of what people are typically expecting.

    The WILD coastal carpet males will be larger. Captivity changes things, but in the wild male snakes in some species are the larger sex.

    I'm unfortunately, not well versed in retic mating rituals, but I have heard people strongly recommend NOT keep males near one another.

    My male's "tude" is OK. The issues are usually related to coming out of the cage. Once he's out he's fine, but by no means relaxing, somewhat annoying honestly.

    He's a great display snake and keeps well in a 6 foot cage.

    A mainland will cost you the same as an SD when you factor in food.

    If you have kids, or small pets and are planning on solo handling I wouldn't give you the 2 thumbs up for anything larger than what I have.

    Again, I'm basing all this from my ONE animal. However there are several folks I know that no longer own the species and I can understand the reasoning.

    Sorry it was so short. Chat soon!

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  4. #3
    BPnet Senior Member AbsoluteApril's Avatar
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    Re: Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    Quote Originally Posted by dkatz4 View Post
    SIZE: If i feed a female the way breeders feed their males, would she stay small(er)?
    It varies and depends, my gut would be to answer this with a no as in she wouldn't stay the size of a male. From what I've seen, females are heavier/girthier in general overall even at the same length as a male.

    Quote Originally Posted by dkatz4 View Post
    ATTITUDE: I've heard/seen a lot of talk about males having the potential for less predictable and potentially more dangerous behavior, also the infamous "combat teeth" (is this really a thing?).
    I don't know what "combat teeth" means? I will say that yes, males get antsy and can be bad at breeding season, at least we've seen it here but there are females and males, so breeding season is always a 'thing'. They have big teeth and can do serious damage, always treat with respect and be aware of the snake's attitude.

    Quote Originally Posted by dkatz4 View Post
    CHOOSING: Do nasty baby retics turn into nasty adults? Do sweet ones stay sweet?
    You have a burm, so in general you probably already understand how burms can be hissy pissy babies but will grow out of it in time.
    Generally, retics are calm or going to be calm over time*. We've yet to see a nasty baby here (knock on wood), some might be a little nippy (hungry) but haven't had any issues with them calming down as they grow. I'd say that yes, sweet babies generally stay sweet.
    *this does not take into consideration breeding season issues - those are seperate issues.

    All snakes are different so it's tough to give black and white answers for these questions, please just keep that in mind.
    Hope that helps
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  6. #4
    BPnet Royalty Gio's Avatar
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    Re: Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    Quote Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril View Post
    It varies and depends, my gut would be to answer this with a no as in she wouldn't stay the size of a male. From what I've seen, females are heavier/girthier in general overall even at the same length as a male.



    I don't know what "combat teeth" means? I will say that yes, males get antsy and can be bad at breeding season, at least we've seen it here but there are females and males, so breeding season is always a 'thing'. They have big teeth and can do serious damage, always treat with respect and be aware of the snake's attitude.



    You have a burm, so in general you probably already understand how burms can be hissy pissy babies but will grow out of it in time.
    Generally, retics are calm or going to be calm over time*. We've yet to see a nasty baby here (knock on wood), some might be a little nippy (hungry) but haven't had any issues with them calming down as they grow. I'd say that yes, sweet babies generally stay sweet.
    *this does not take into consideration breeding season issues - those are seperate issues.

    All snakes are different so it's tough to give black and white answers for these questions, please just keep that in mind.
    Hope that helps
    Nice reply and even better that you have more experience than I have.

    My early Wallace was actually a great youngster. He's really not that bad now, but I just don't have the same level of comfort with him as I do the other 3 snakes here.

    That's actually a good thing with retics, they really do keep you on your toes so to speak.

    I'm curious if the tooth structure of male retics differs from females. I have heard of "combat teeth" but I have not seen anything in an actual scientific study that confirms they have a different dental structure.

    Picture a retic as a large snake that has the speed of a colubrid, and the power of a Burm.

    They aren't scary, but they are not a snake that I'd recommend to people. My dude is definitely the limit of what I want to deal with.

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  8. #5
    BPnet Veteran dkatz4's Avatar
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    i keep going back and forth between some flavor of retic with all the issues above, or taking "the easy way out" [eye-roll] and getting a female Bredli. My problem is that i feel like even thought i love the idea of a bredli, in the back of my mind it will feel like a compromise and I'll be dissatisfied, of course at the forefront of my mind is how many issues i wont have to contend with by comparison.
    1.0 Central American BI: Irwin
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    1.0 green albino, het granite Burm: Dr. Waffles
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    Re: Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    I think both sexes have the potential to hit 20ft + under the right circumstances. I'd just assume that's going to be the case with either sex unless you get one with a really high percentage of d/sd. The only noticeable difference in behavior between my male and female is that out of the cage my male tends to "run" a lot for 5-10 minutes then he'll slow down whereas my female just kind of meanders about. I may have been lucky but neither of mine have ever shown the slightest bit of agression or defensiveness.
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  11. #7
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Battle of the sexes: Retic edition!

    It’s not so much “combat teeth” as it is “combat bite” from what I’ve gathered. Males in breeding mode may employ more of a slashing/twisting type of bite intended to inflict damage on their opponent. That said, their teeth are razor sharp and long no doubt.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  13. #8
    BPnet Veteran 67temp's Avatar
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    Others here have more experience than myself and have given good advice. I have only worked with 2.2 retics up to 2 years of age.

    I have a 1.1 of a sd and sd/d cross. Both of mine are active and like to cruise about and explore. They get handled often. I don't even use a hook for these two. The female I basically have to rub the rodent on her face to get her to take it, even then she does it gently.

    For a year I stopped by a friends house once a week and tended to her 1.1 dwarf and mainland retics. They quickly learned I was the bringer of food and would strike the glass when they saw me. It started out with them needing to be tap trained. The male dwarf quickly learned the new routine after a few weeks and settled down to be very handleable. The female was very food driven and took more time.

    As for male vs female size it was once explained to me that if a male and female are the same length the male might have a girth of a baseball while the female will be more robust and have the girth of a softball. My opinion is a sd/d's initial cost is quickly offset by the cost of smaller housing and prey.
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