ok, this is how i'm going to break this down. i've got some retics and know alot of people (including reputable breeders) that keep retics and these are my observations and opinions. 1. there is no such thing as managing a retics size. 2. if your retic is under 15 feet at 5 years old, it's either starved or a dwarf, male or female. 3 females grow insanely fast. they WILL be 12+ feet or more by the time they are 2 years old unless they are starved or dwarves. 4. if you try to "manage thier size" by feeding them less often, it's only going to piss it off and once it;s big enough to think it can take you on, maybe even sonner, it will try. these are retics people. they are VERY intelligent, but at the same time very primitive. even the smartest retic won't deny its instincts. when you're taking on a new species, don't approach it as something that you can keep small. plan ahead for what it's potential truely is. if you can;t keep a 16-25 foot snake, don't get a full sized mainland retic or you're just making those of us who can look bad when you fail. i'll also point out that when breeders say thier males are generally 12-13 feet, that;s because they powerfeed them for the first year of thier life and then cut them off to barely enough to keep them healthy because fat males make for lazy breeders. however, if you aren;t breeding your retic and it isn;t going off food for brumation, it could easily reach the size of a small female. and grantyed the "average" for a female is considered to be 18 feet (ish), just about every keeper out there with a serious collection has at least 2 or 3 that are way bigger, so really you never know. but i stand by my statement, if you areb;t prepared to take care of a potentially monsterous snake, don't get a retic.