Do Retics deserve their bad rep?

[jagolden]

I am interested in getting my first Retic. I'm kind of nervous because a family friend told me that they are aggressive and will strike you at any moment. I have done a ton of research and came up with that they're not aggressive. I have kept big snakes and my family that lives with me has no problem but because they heard the family friend say that Retics are aggressive they are very against me getting one. So let me hear from the Retic keepers, do they deserve the bad rep? And what is the temperament of your Retics.

[pigfat]

Baby's can be nippy. I only have one but someone like Denial will have a lot more input than myself. My retic is pretty calm, and only struck at me once or twice, both were feeding responses. That's where you can get into trouble with retics though. Their feeding response is second to none.

[BLM94]

I don't think they have a bad rep amongst knowledgeable keepers. What is said about them is that they are cognitively different than any other snake, and you really have to learn their body language to know when to push forward with whatever action you're performing, or back off.
As Pigfat said above, their feeding response is second to none and this is where I've heard of most bites occurring. These snakes should generally be hook-trained, because without that if they get the sense that it's food time, they are aggressive, forceful feeders and will strike readily.
While these may make a casual keeper hesitant to move forward, these are the exact same traits that make them so captivating to those who are willing and able to put in the time and work necessary to successfully keep one

[jagolden]

So lets say I got a CB baby from a reputable breeder. Do you think that I would be ok? From the way it sounds Retics aren't as bad as I was told. I know the feeding response is more aggressive than a Burms but from what research I've done it seems manageable.

[Daybreaker]

I've never really heard of them having a bad rep, but I personally haven't had any problems with my mainland girl. I got her when she was only a month old, and she's been wonderful. She's never been defensive/aggressive/hissy/strikey out of her tub but she has struck at me while she's in her tub when I've been heating up rats for feeding. Easily avoidable with simply putting a towel over her. She's very wormy and active outside her tub and that's the big difference between them and burms: retics are fast and active while burms are more laid back (depends on the snake of course). My advice would be to make sure you will have the room for appropriate caging (IMO at least a 8' viv for mainland females and some dwarfs will get big too) and that you'll have someone there to help you handle it when it's large (this goes for males too since they can get on the jumbo side as well). I would have never gotten a retic if I wasn't in a stable relationship with my bf who will be my "spotter" when my girl gets large and if I couldn't financially support her. I think getting a CBB baby from a good breeder is the way to go if you're set on getting one. If you don't want a monster I'd look into super dwarfs.

Here's my girl, pics are old from this September and she's easily got a couple more feet on her since taking these:

[jagolden]

Alrighty then. I think I'll do it. Thanks a lot, you guys have been a great help to me. I'll make sure to post some pics up here once I get the little dude in.

[Annarose15]

Alrighty then. I think I'll do it. Thanks a lot, you guys have been a great help to me. I'll make sure to post some pics up here once I get the little dude in.

If you haven't yet, I strongly recommend finding a keeper that will give you some lessons on handling and caring for a full-size retic. It isn't that they are "bad" - it's their ABILITY to do extensive damage if there is a misunderstanding or cranky day. Check out the thread that was active on here recently about the bite from a 14' male: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-14-retic-bite

[jagolden]

Yeah, I saw that thread a while ago. That's a nasty bite. I have a friend that has a full grown male and I've handled him before. I'm not an expert on their body language but I could tell when he was in a good mood and when he was cranky. That's why if I can get a baby I can learn his body language before he gets big enough to hurt me.

[reptileexperts]

Ok - not all retics are aggressive, but it needs to be said that there are aggressive retics out there that will just not calm down. No matter what anyone says, this is a fact. Snakes have personalities that will vary based on individuals. Having disclosed that, retics are great animals that can be some of the most rewarding when kept properly. You do need to always be aware of the situation around you when you have an adult out, but that is definitely part of the retic experience.

I can't say I reccommend a retic for you, because honestly, it's not the type of snake someone can reccommend directly for another keeper. I have no idea on your money income to cage and feed one of these, your experience with large snakes, and your ability to provide a forever home for a snake that has potential to get 20+ ft. Having said that I will say I DO reccommend them for those who are able to keep them and fall under the niche of retic keepers.

I only have one retic with an attitude issue and it came from the "best" breeder out there - Bob Clark. I would highly rec going with a smaller breeder that works with few retics. They will generally provide you with a more quality animal with a much better record for feeding / interaction. All the retics I have purchased from smaller more specialized breeders have been absolutely fantastic! You can see some of my retic collection here:

www.reptileexperts.com/collection.htm

Cheers

[pigfat]

I'll have to disagree with Reptileexperts, mine is from Bob Clark and is very tame. Like I said, the only time I've been struck at is when I had hot rats in room. I also know that Bob keeps very great records. I've been in his shop personally many times and they keep track of everything. The only semi aggressive retics I've seen around there are the pieds which are only a generation out of wild caught so its expected to be a little wormy/aggressive. Here's my purple albino from Bob.