So, I've made up my mind.

[sur3fir3]

I have been seriously considering breeding again. Either super Dwarf Retics, or Blood Pythons. After much consideration I've decided not to breed, and just to get the snakes I want to keep. The main reason I have decided not to breed is my girlfriend told me that she wants nothing to do with my snakes, and will not help me with them. She isn't scared of them, she just doesn't care for them. In lieu of that I had to rethink my collection, and what I was going to do. So I decided that I will buy a Super Dwarf Retic, a Blood python( Already have it ), and a BCI. I have enough room for 7 snakes full grown to a max of about 10 or 11 feet. My tub system is a V180 rack from Vision. I am also going to buy another rack for the Juvi and Sub Adult. I have my eye on this: http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile...ics-ve-6-rack/ or http://www.reptilebasics.com/reptile...ics-ve-6-rack/ or https://visionproducts.us/5-level-br...uart-tubs.html I like those Reptile Basic's racks because you can fit 3 different tubs in it, and that rack should be good enough to last me from birth to sub adult. I really wish I could breed, but with only one set of hands, I don't think that it would be a good idea. Things could change in the future, but I doulbt that my GF will change her stance. I asked her if she would help me with a 12 foot python and she said no. (I don't blame her.) Snakes aren't her thing. I know that a BCI will be pushing the limits as to what one person can do, but given the disposition of most BCI, I think I would be able to handle it.

A few questions:

In my research I have found that supposedly the dwarf and super dwarf retics are a bit more nasty than their larger brothers. Is this true? Another question is I've read that Retics are extremely active, if a snake starts pushing what do you guys do to help mitigate it?

Does anyone have any experience with the racks from reptile basics? If you had a choice, and money was not an issue would you go with the Vision, or the reptile basics racks?

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I am not gonna push you to breed because I believe a lot of people how to quick to jump the gun and wanting to breed with no real experience or knowledge of the animals and or market and based on what you write I do not believe that you are ready when it comes to breeding, however I will say this not only for you but for others that may found themselves in this situation.

The main reason I have decided not to breed is my girlfriend told me that she wants nothing to do with my snakes, and will not help me with them. She isn't scared of them,

That is a poor reason to decide not to breed.

1/ Girlfriends come and go
2/ This is your hobby and you should not expect your other significant to like snakes, want snakes or want to breed snakes or to get into any hobby that YOU like. No one says hobbies must be something that both people in a relationship want to do together, both parties can have different hobbies and what matters is that both individuals support each others passions and hobbies, that does not mean they have to participate in them.

How do I know my husband wants nothing to do with my animals and I have been successfully breeding for over a decade

I really wish I could breed, but with only one set of hands....

See above I am the only set of hands and I also breed my feeders, I produce 100 to 200 snakes a year and a few thousands of feeders a year and many other do too.

As far as rack vision racks are VERY wobbly, I do not recommend them, their tubs are great but not the rack.

[Bogertophis]

Breeding snakes, even those that aren't large, is a LOT of work, fyi... While it's true for many that "girlfriends come & go", you know better than any of us how serious
& long-term your relationship is, and I think it's very responsible that you have realized & acknowledged that "another set of hands" is in your best interest if you were to
breed the snakes you mentioned. Not just for day to day safe handling, but what if you get sick or injured? Sooner or later it happens to most of us, and if you have no
back-up who really KNOWS your animals, their care & perhaps your success can fail. There is no shame in NOT breeding your snakes...and in many ways, just enjoying
them as pets is a lot more fun. I've done both, btw, & while we're all different, that's my perspective. Instead of dealing with so many offspring, putting your money &
efforts into really nice enclosures for a "few good snakes" is very rewarding on it's own. You didn't elaborate on your living arrangements, but anyone considering breeding snakes would optimally own their own place, as if you're renting you'll be subject to the whims of a landlord or a lease, and not many would be "enthused" about your plans, I would guess.

[bcr229]

I think the OP could breed smaller pythons or boas by himself without issues, and if you only paired one female each season then dealing with the offspring isn't a big lift.

I would not attempt to pull a female retic, even a small 100% SD, off of a clutch of eggs without a helper.

[sur3fir3]

So about the girlfriend. We are getting married this year.... so yeah... I am 40 years old, and I dont think this one will go. I just think that when it comes to breeding you really need to have an extra pair of hands. Sure I could do some of the smaller pythons. I think I could get away with the Blood pythons. I wanted to say I know for sure I am not ready to breed right now. I dont plan on expanding my collection for at least another 6 months to a year, and then If I decide to breed blood pythons I have a full 2 years before my females would be ready if I bought a sub adult. If I buy hatchlings I have a full 3 years. I just can't see myself breeding with no help. If I had friends that knew about snakes, or anyone that could help it would be a different story. I am solo here. No one to help. It will be hard enough finding someone to take care of them if I go out of town.

BTW i wanted to say thanks for all the great info that is here, and all the people that post. this really is a great community

** as a side note. With Bloods everything i read says you have to raise your females from at least 1 year to breeding age. Adult females supposedly don't do too well if you try to breed an adult female that you did not purchase at 1 year or younger. I've read this in multiple places. Please if I am wrong let me know. **

[Bogertophis]

Congratulations on finding your special partner in life, even if all your "interests" don't align perfectly, I'm sure you know that they almost never do anyway...

[sur3fir3]

Yea, actually we are total opposites. but it works in our own strange way.

[artgecko]

I do not own them, but with SD retics, I've read extremely varied accounts of how large they get and their temperament. If it will only be you handling, cleaning, etc. then I'd go with a male high percentage or 100% SD locale only and buy from a reputable source. You don't want to handle anything over 8' solo and even a male SD would be pushing that.. but they are thinner than boids, so that should be considered too.

There are a LOT of options with boas. I own 5 myself (BCA, BCI, CA BCI, and BCL). If you stick with a male, most will max out around 6' (or less) and be thinner than a female. Not all boas stay that small, but if you are really concerned, you can purchase a dwarf locality like a central American, Nicaraguan, island boa, or Mexican boa. BCL also stay leaner and shorter on average.

I am married, but my husband doesn't enjoy the hobby. He will help occasionally if I'm sick or something, but I take care of my whole collection (~15 snakes, 6 geckos, and 1 skink) by myself. I would not want to keep a similar number of large snakes though.. and wouldn't want anything that I couldn't handle solo if needed. My largest snake now is my male BCA at just over 5.5' and I can easily handle him by myself. Time is the biggest issue with maintaining a larger collection.. I spend maybe 30-45 minutes on average a day (sometimes 1hr+) and then about 2-3 hours+ on the weekend doing deep cleaning, etc.

I have purchased my first breeding pair (BCL) but am growing them from hatchlings so it'll be about 5 years before I even have the option to breed them if I decide to at that point. I picked BCL specifically due to their smaller size and relative rareness in the hobby (plus they look great). That said, I can see my time commitment at least tripling if I breed and have to deal with cleaning, feeding, and selling babies. Not to mention how much my food bill would go up.

Deciding whether you want to breed or not is a very serious matter and you can always go back and change your mind if your situation changes later. I'd grow your collection and buy a few nice females of the species you want to deal with.. Grow them up and see what the amount of work and time is and also how you feel about handling them, then make up your mind.

[sur3fir3]

2/ This is your hobby and you should not expect your other significant to like snakes, want snakes or want to breed snakes or to get into any hobby that YOU like. No one says hobbies must be something that both people in a relationship want to do together, both parties can have different hobbies and what matters is that both individuals support each others passions and hobbies, that does not mean they have to participate in them.

I wasn't expecting her to help. it was more like i said that to handle large snakes you need more than one person. She stated at that time that she would not be that one person. So in that case it sort of changed the direction I was going in. Yes I love Blood Pythons. Yes I want to breed them. Yes I like SD Retics, Yes Id like to breed them. But without any help whatsoever breeding isn't for me. Its just too involved. I already have 2 jobs. I wont have the time to properly take care of everything if I breed. I can care for 7 snakes. I don't think I could care for 14 juvi on top of 7 snakes.

[JodanOrNoDan]

I think you are making the right decision, at least for now. When eggs start hatching, I have a lot of work to do and I am only dealing with balls. All of a sudden your collection quadruples. I could not do it alone. You also have to plan all your other activities around your eggs. Everyone around you has to be supportive and understanding. If you have to leave town, get sick, whatever you need help. That help is going to be even harder to find when you are talking about large animals.