Andrew24.. To give you an idea of how retics are.. They are pretty smart. They seem to have an intelligence that alot of other snakes dont show. They have a great memory. Most will get used to their owner and have been known to show agression or be uneasy with strangers. They hold grudges if they are traumatised in your care. For instance. My female was the sweetest snake alive. When I first got her she had retained eye caps. She would hold perfectly still for me to put bacitracin on her eyes until she shed again. She would come out calmly and just crawl right into my hands. One day my son ran in the room when I opened her enclosure. She got very spooked and jerked her head around for a few seconds before biting me. It took quite a few weeks of using a hook to get her out and gently handling her to get her calmed again. She didnt trust me for awhile.
The male was originally an import. He has been in capitivity for 4 years. When I first handled him he was extremely flighty. Trying to get away and musking (peeing). Im still in the process of calming him down and earning his trust but when I take him out if I sit very still and gently keep running my hands under him and bringing him back to me slowly, he calms down. After a few minutes he is almost as calm as the female and will begin to just slowly explore without trying to get away.
If you ever do get a retic, regardless of size, get it young and handle it regularly. Older ones may need more work. You do not want a snake that you will ever be afraid of. You may want to find someone near you who has retics and ask if you can have some experience handling them. You need to be calm, confident and gentle. Otherwise these guys can tell and they react to that.
Just keep doing research and asking questions. Be sure you know as much as you can and you are prepared for everything before getting a snake like a retic.
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