"Dwarf Retics"

[mischevious21]

I was just curious- is there really 'dwarf retics'? Ive heard of them, but Im not sure because some people just say that.. Like 'teacup chihuahuas', theres reallt no such thing, its just a little bit smaller then a 'reagular' one.. So is it like that with the retics, or is it real? If there are, how big do they normally get?

[elevatethis]

I asked Brian Sharp about this, he said that "Dwarf Retics" are really nothing more than a specific bloodline related to the smaller groups of retics that reside on some of the smaller island chains in their native range. Basically, these particular snakes have gotten smaller through the eons just because of a lower supply of food.

He mentioned that these individuals are relatively rare in the pet trade, as compared to the so called "dwarf" retics that you see for sale at shows everyday - basically, ill-informed people have treated the "dwarf" thing like a separate gene and crossed them with normal, non-dwarf retics. What you have now are the offspring of these crosses, so called "dwarfs", that still grow 10'+, and adding to the confusion on the whole thing.

[NickMyers03]

wouldnt a 10'+( and in + a couple or 20'?) snake be considered a dwarf compaired to a 33'( im not stating that all are 33' FYI) normal adult? if you compair a 20' adult retic to a 10' adult dwarf retic i would call it a dwarf because its half the size and adult. dwarf humans are 3+ feet tall so if a 3' adult dwarf human stood next to a 6' adult human would that be about the same...sorry 1000 thought going through my head at once trying to think about it

[mischevious21]

Alright, thanks. I was wondering because I LOVE the reticulated python, its by far probably my favorite snake!! But even though I dont have any kids myself, their over alot, and by the time their old enough to 'stay away', I probably will have my own kid, so a 20ft snake is NOT a good idea!! But maybe in a few years if I can find a good breeder, who knows? Thats a very high possibility!!

[elevatethis]

wouldnt a 10'+( and in + a couple or 20'?) snake be considered a dwarf compaired to a 33'( im not stating that all are 33' FYI) normal adult? if you compair a 20' adult retic to a 10' adult dwarf retic i would call it a dwarf because its half the size and adult. dwarf humans are 3+ feet tall so if a 3' adult dwarf human stood next to a 6' adult human would that be about the same...sorry 1000 thought going through my head at once trying to think about it

You can't call it a dwarf just because its smaller...there's more to it...its a locale...as soon as you outcross it, you lose the purity of the bloodline, and you get a bunch of confused keepers whose "dwarf retic" grows up to 15'.

According to him, 10' for a true female dwarf retic would be considered very large.

[NickMyers03]

ok so for the true bloodline of the snake the father and mother both have to be dwarfs. so when people are selling things like albino purple phase dwarf retic this is not a true dwarf? this sucks then becasue i was looking into them. i know a few breeders that produce albino purplephase and love the way they look i just wont be able to handle the size

[elevatethis]

Here's an excerpt from Bob Clark's article in Reptiles Magazine on Dwarf Retics:

Dwarf Retics

In the last few years, reticulated pythons have become available from populations where the average adult size is much smaller than the snakes with which hobbyists are most familiar.

Retics from some Indonesian islands may reach only 8 to 10 feet, with females attaining maturity at about 6 feet (even less for males). The retics said to originate from the localities of Jampea and Kayuadi are such animals. I've seen wild, imported female retics from these localities that were gravid, only 6 feet long and weighed only 5 pounds.

These smaller snakes are the result of the forces of natural selection in their particular environment. Genetically, they seem to lack the potential to reach large sizes. These smaller retics are becoming very popular. The imported animals are, for the most part, not aggressive. Several breeding groups of dwarf retics have become established in this country and the demand for them is very high.

[_BoidFinatic_]

ok so for the true bloodline of the snake the father and mother both have to be dwarfs. so when people are selling things like albino purple phase dwarf retic this is not a true dwarf? this sucks then becasue i was looking into them. i know a few breeders that produce albino purplephase and love the way they look i just wont be able to handle the size

The albino purple-phase will be a cross between a dwarf and a normal. Therefore, it will have the genetics from both parents and won't be a pure dwarf. If it is then bred to a dwarf for generations, you will eventually get what will be close to a pure dwarf albino.

[Blake_Herman]

I don't think there is any question that true dwarf reticulateds exist. Not only do they hit sexual maturity at very small sizes, but they grow much slower than full-size retics, and are born MUCH smaller. Another theory that I've been looking into about the dwarfs, is that the prey items they have available to feed on (on these isolated islands), are much smaller than what the full-size retic locales have. And this is contributing to their evolution to smaller overall sizes... (If they grew too large, they wouldn't have adequate prey to feed on)...

I think the most important thing is to get one from a reputable breeder. That's the only sure way to know you're getting a purebred dwarf of whatever locale you're purchasing.

The albino purple-phase will be a cross between a dwarf and a normal. Therefore, it will have the genetics from both parents and won't be a pure dwarf. If it is then bred to a dwarf for generations, you will eventually get what will be close to a pure dwarf albino.

I have to say, I've never heard of the purple phase albino being a cross between a normal and a dwarf? Where did you find that information? Purple-phase albinos are just part of the Clark strain albinos (Type 1 albinos). There are however a lot of crosses going on between the dwarfs and/or normal-sized retics, and I don't see a problem with this as long as they are labeled for what they are (50% jampea/50% normal) or (50% superdwarf, 25% jampea, 25% normal)...

I personally have three 50% jampeas/50% normals, and I'll be picking up a 50% superdwarf/25% jampea/25% normal in the next couple weeks. They are much smaller than my full-size tics, and even though fed the same diets, they aren't growing as quickly... And my male 50% jamp was producing sperm at 6 ft...

[_BoidFinatic_]

There are however a lot of crosses going on between the dwarfs and/or normal-sized retics,

That is what I was assuming he had found.