Burm or Retic??

[retic720]

Retics.

Yeah...biased and all...but still, once you go retic, you got the best pick! hahaha.

On a serious note, I like retics because they have more variety; I'm not referring to morphs but more on the locales. For instance, I'm a fan of retics from my native country; based on what I've read/heard from fellow retic keepers here, the further south (of the Philippines) you go, the bigger they get. And yes, retics from the northern areas of the Philippines are smaller and maybe comparable to the SD retics I'm seeing in the forums.

Just to prove a point, this is a (most prolly WC) retic I obtained last 2006; this pic was taken sometime 02/2010



For the sake of avoiding a "you suck as a snake keeper", i fed her regularly; until her 2nd year, she was fed once a week (appropriately sized rat OR multiple mice and chicks per feeding); I occasionally give her raw chicken heads as treats (NEVER as the main meal). From her 2nd year onwards, she eats 2x a month. I had diff. vets look at her and they all agreed that her health bill is clean; no parasites, nada. She was a mean pusher but that's besides the point I guess.

Now, this is Prony, a well known captive retic in Bohol (also in the Philippines)



Unless a Sulawesi managed to swim from Indonesia all the way to Bohol, I'm quite sure Prony's a 100% "Filipino retic"

Bottomline: if you willing to invest time to "calm down" a beautiful animal, get a retic. If you prefer a more laid back pretty giant, go for a burm.


On the whole "Feeding debate"

I want my retics to be like this:



....and NOT like this...



Here are a few articles on feeding too much/irresponsible feeding:

http://community.livejournal.com/herpers/1595022.html (WARNING: VERY graphic...but still a VERY good eye opener when it comes to snake feeding. Also read the comments)

http://www.reptilechannel.com/snakes...ing-snake.aspx (written by a Vet)

YouTube - SnakeBytesTV "Snakes as Pets Vs. Breeders (c/o BHB)

As far as I'm concerned, more and more snake keepers should practice responsible feeding (not too large like an adult rabbit for a ball python and not to small like an adult mouse for a 7 foot long burm).

Just a Q: supposedly, someone in our local forums challenged the ideas present in the LJ link posted above and claimed that the Barkers released an article that it's "okay to overfeed/powerfeed" pythons. Can anyone point me to where I can read this article? I once emailed Brian of BHB about this and he's also not aware of any article from the Barkers about over feeding.

thanks and I hope our feedback would help the OP on picking between a retic and a burm

[mainbutter]

If you prefer a more laid back pretty giant, go for a burm.

I'm going to have to chime in real quick.

I feel the above sentiment towards burms is pretty common among herpers, and I feel it is terribly undeserved.

Sure, burms generally don't cruise like carpet pythons or mambas, but owners should never be lulled into a sense of "burms are lacking energy".. or even a sense of "burms are tame". Plenty of burms have a tendency to be pretty snappish, even as adolescents and adults.

I like to say that retics will interact with their surroundings, and your burm will always be plotting and waiting for the right moment.. lol.

[Jadonh]

Average size for a male retic is 15-18 ft. Average size for female retic is 17-20.. Average for a male burm, 12-15, female is 18-20. As said before monitor, food intake. and you will be fine. I have also read these averages, but in my experience they are about right. I have also found that my burms are easier to handle, and yes retics are extremely smart. Not human smart of course, but smart non the less. you hurt it rather it be on purpose or accident, it will remember. If you have not had large snakes before I believe in my opinion that a burm would be better. Till you have more experience.

[loonunit]

Retic! Brains AND beauty, man.

[Dundee]

A female burm will be alot more heavier than a male retic in my opinion. I got a male retic hes around 10-12ft. They do study as i was treating him for mites (when i get him) he perked his head off the ground watching me (not in a deffensive postition either like to see what i was doing then turned around and went on about his business) He has a very docile temperment. But very curious of his surroundings. I like burmese pythons dont get me wrong. But theres alot of retic morphs out there. I thought about about a burmese as my first snake over 10ft. But i went with a male retic due to the fact there not as bulky, as the burmese. Just be prepared to open your wallet for food and housing.

[HatRabbitSnakes]

I was recently faced with this same choice....and chose a male albino green burmese Het granite. Have to wait for the weather to warm up before the breeder can ship him, but I feel I made the right choice for myself.

I feel this way because we need to as responsible individuals base most of our descisions on our experience and abilities. If you've worked with retics, and feel you've gained the proper experience to own and care for one then awesome. Get a retic. If you've worked with burmese pythons, then get one of those-even if you worked with retics still get one cause their just crazy cool to chill wit. Personally I don't have the experience with retics so I didnt get one...but man.... I saw this male citrus at a local expo and i almost impulse bought it. The morphs are just crazy amazing with retics, and unlike ball pythons the personality is THERE!!

btw, I got your point on feeding the snake a healthy amount as to avoid the problems associated with powerfeeding which can easily occure with snakes that possess such a heavey feeding response and ability to grow quickly-though some people i dont think care if their snake only lives 5-10 years...personally i want 25-30years though cause snakes arent a prison sentence and the longer we can live with them the better

[Jadonh]

I have both and if looking for something your family is more comfortable with then go with a burm, if you want something that is more active but as stated above BRAINS then go for retics. I have both and by far love the retics, however buttercup my burm is by far my wifes favorite This is because at 12 foot he is more laid back and easier to handle, for me its the brains, the intelligence that retics have.

[cstruthers]

Just figured I would tell everybody that I ended up getting a baby male tiger retic. I feel I made the right choice. I needed something that was a challenge keeping because working with so many different species everyday just makes everything such a routine and there is nothing routine about a retic lol. I posted pics a while back when I got him, he is growing like a beast though I cant wait for him to get big! He is going to be a sweetie! Well, for a retic lol.

[Jadonh]

Nice decision

[Slyther83]

Tiger retics look absolutely amazing- however I couldn't concieve of caring for one without having multiple nearby snake-friendly friends to assist. Do you need a license to have one of those?

This is my nightmare- a 6-8 foot reach while still in the cage- wow, lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdp7TKdps9c