How to keep retics on the smaller side? (Mainlands)

[Dehlol]

haha ok - I'm going to raise a turtle in a soap dish now because it will never outgrow its cage!!! Stunting an animals growth is as detrimental as powerfeeding it to grow faster. They CAN do these things, but its not how they are and not how it will happen every time. If you want to control its growth, get a dwarf or super dwarf, if you want a big snake, get a Sulawesi . . . its locality and fact, not marketing and hopeless fiction.

There's a difference between stunting, and simply feeding smaller and less meals. Go take a survey of retics in the wild. You think most of them hit 18'+ for the average female? NO. In some cases- sure, but the majority you will find stay significantly smaller, and yes- they will eventually get big, it takes SIGNIFICANTLY longer than what we can achieve in a captive setting.

Control of its growth get SD. LOL. Ever see Gaspars huge jamp? Granted that's not an SD- but it's considered a dwarf, yet if you feed a jamp heavy enough, guess what- you can get a 14ft animal pretty easily, even larger with Gaspars biggest female over 17', while locality does play a role, so does feeding. If you think a wild sula eats anywhere near what we feed it in captivity in the wild- you need to get a clue and do a field study- because you are MASSIVELY mistaken.

You are greatly mistaken. I personally held a 22' female last night. While it's not 25', she is still young.

The largest ON RECORD is 33'. The largest living retic is 25'. I'm lost as to why this is a lie??


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Proof of the 22' female? Do tell!

33' record, proof please!

Largest living retic? Let me guess, you listen to guiness! Baby was quoted over 20ft, but upon death measured like 17'? Fluffy was quoted at 24 or 25, but measured was what, 21? I can't remember the exact figures down to the inches, but guiness is a laughing stock among the real retic keeping community, and anyone who believes 33', 25', etc is delusional, hell, I can prove medusa is only a 20-21ft animal just with the snake measuring widget, and anyone who has ANY real retic experience (more than having a handful of animals) knows that animal is NOT as big as claimed.

Go to facebook, have a nice chat with Steve Dawson, he has animals above and around the 21' mark, and you'd be astonished at how big even those are, and how massively exaggerated size is among big snake keepers, his are all dead accurate, and not exaggerated.

Have you ever been to Prehistoric Pets? I wouldn't believe anything that guy had to say about caring for animals. Every animal in his "Zoo" was sick, in an undersized cage, the list goes on.

Undersized cage really, do tell me about your extensive knowledge of retic care. I guess Jay, Bob Clark, Nerd, all use cages too small! I've seen the blueprints for their cages and building, cages are fine, and I think their tract record is testament of that.

So what- you think they are wrong, I can give you 50 that love PP for every 1 person that thinks PP is horrible.

Just another question for the retic expert on this thread...

Why do you handle your 18' retic everyday? And alone at that?

An 18' animal is more than capable of killing you. Why risk making large constrictors look even worse than they do with irresponsible handling practices?


I like my Dubstep to go Wop Wop Wop Wop

Alone- because I am the only able bodied male in the house, I'm not having my 105lb wife near an animal that weighs more than her, and upkeep NEEDS to be done.

Is she capable of killing me? Yes, she sure is. So are 2 of my dogs (soon 3). So are my neighbors horses, the livestock I work with. I drive to run errands, my car is capable of killing me, so are my firearms.

Just because something is capable of killing me, doesn't mean it will, it's highly unlikely. I'm very careful with my animals, and I KNOW my animals very well, and I am more than confident in my abilities with my animals.

Safety measures are always in place, should anything going wrong (because every once in a wild blue moon) something happens, it's BEYOND rare that a retic has a problem that results in death- but I have protocol in line for if that ever happens.

I like all the google experts with small collections of immature animals making silly claims and outlandish suggestions on retic husbandry- it's truly amusing and I appreciate the humor.

[Dehlol]

I will add- I'm being bashed by people that have 1-2 retics, both young (whoopy), someone with NO retics, and someone with 10, none of which are large animals (I've seen you post pictures plenty of times).

I would hardly take any of these guy's opinion and put any merit on them OP.

[jclaiborne]

I was just at PP they have two tegus in a 4 foot enclosure...all their retics at the store are in cages that I wouldnt put a bp in...I have seen you post about ptoperly caring for monitors in proper enclosures with proper subsrate...PP was absolutley terrible...roaches in each cage, mouth rot on their snakes...exposed bulbs in monitor cages with no substate...mites on their snakes...moldy torn up carpet...fecal matter in all their cages...a red tail boa in the same cage as 3 yellow anacondas..yup perfect husbandry...it has mothing tocdo with my experience with retics because I havr none...however it doesn't take a retic expert to know when improper husbandry is being used...would you put two adult rhino iguanas in a 4 foot cage? Because I sure as hell wouldn't...so you show me one person that had actually been to PPs store in person and thought it was ok and I will show you someone that has no business owning any animal.

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[Dehlol]

I was just at PP they have two tegus in a 4 foot enclosure...all their retics at the store are in cages that I wouldnt put a bp in...I have seen you post about ptoperly caring for monitors in proper enclosures with proper subsrate...PP was absolutley terrible...roaches in each cage, mouth rot on their snakes...exposed bulbs in monitor cages with no substate...mites on their snakes...moldy torn up carpet...fecal matter in all their cages...a red tail boa in the same cage as 3 yellow anacondas..yup perfect husbandry...it has mothing tocdo with my experience with retics because I havr none...however it doesn't take a retic expert to know when improper husbandry is being used...would you put two adult rhino iguanas in a 4 foot cage? Because I sure as hell wouldn't...so you show me one person that had actually been to PPs store in person and thought it was ok and I will show you someone that has no business owning any animal.

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Here you are naming off problems with other species- which is IRRELEVANT in retic keeping. I never said they are great with tegus, iguana, boa, etc. I said retics, and most of their retics are in great condition.

As for mites- mites happen, they aren't a big deal, it's hard to manage in a facility like that.

Mouth rot- if it was in a retic, it's likely pushing damage, not mouth rot, which is a common novice mistake, pushing happens in retics, it's part of life.

Make comparisons relating to their retic care, or don't make them.

[jclaiborne]

Their retics were in terrible condition again at the STORE it doesn't matter if its not a retic if their care of other animals is bad why would you support them? I also am well aware of what mouth rot looks like some monitors had mouth rot some had push marks some had bloody burn marks...tons of their snakes had mouth rot...so that being said it doesn't matter if I'm not a retic expert you are right I'm not...I am just speaking on the quality of care for their animals in general...again no animal deserves to be mistreated...and I have seen posts where you go off on people for having a monitor in glass enclosures...guess what his care for monitors was terrible...but that's fine go ahead amd support someone like that. I sure won't.

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[satomi325]

Here you are naming off problems with other species- which is IRRELEVANT in retic keeping.

But it does reflect on their ability to maintain husbandry and properly care for their animals, which does involve the retics.

I never said they are great with tegus, iguana, boa, etc. I said retics, and most of their retics are in great condition.

Most.....
Key word.

I'm sorry, but if they can't care for *all* of their animals properly, that doesn't make them good keepers or breeders.

[Dehlol]

So some random guy vs many of my trusted friends who have seen the facility.

Who would I trust more?

I'm not saying their monitor care is good, it could be awful for all I know. I'm not debating that.

The retics I've purchased from them (I have several), the retics I've seen from them, all the breeding facility shots (from more than just them) have all led me to never question their RETIC husbandry.

I know a hell of a lot about retics, and monitors, but you don't see me over in the iguana forum playing expert telling people they don't know anything because they keep their ball python wrong. You're drawing parallels that are COMPLETELY wrong.

Hell, my local zoo- garbage reptile care, but they produce a hell of a lot of giraffes and have an amazing track record with them.

Maybe now you see the difference?

[jclaiborne]

I will also add his "store" charges a 5 dollar admission to visit the "zoo" where you can observe "proper husbandry and care for exotic animals...so if joe shmo walks in with his kids and sees that its "ok" to house these animals like this because this is a how a reputable breeder is housing them...the another animal suffers amd more bad light gets shined on our hobby and community...the employees also gave advice like "burmese pythons and retics make great beginner pets as long as you get them as babies" that's terrible advice to give to someone...I know I am in now way capable of working with and caring for these large animals...but someone that doesn't know better is why these animals end up on craigslist.

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[Dehlol]

But it does reflect on their ability to maintain husbandry and properly care for their animals, which does involve the retics.

No, one can be completely mislead about monitor husbandry, and do a horrible job with a monitor, but be a phenomenal retic keeper- I've seen it MULTIPLE times- where top of the line retic breeders have monitors in visions. Th

That doesn't mean they are bad with retics, it means they are bad with monitors.

Most.....
Key word.

I'm sorry, but if they can't care for *all* of their animals properly, that doesn't make them good keepers or breeders.

Most- because if you had any clue about retics- you would have a clue that retics find ways to mess themselves up.

This fall, you could have come into my retic room, and claimed I know nothing about retics, because I have a male that will push RELENTLESSLY all the time, no matter what you do (no matter cage size, climate, diet), and his face looked HORRIBLE.

It's beyond hard to keep a retic collection in perfect shape, because retics are pushers who have bad sheds and love to make a mess of their cages.

This doesn't reflect on them in the way you think.

[jclaiborne]

Again you keeps saying their breeding facility...which is not their store front...I can tell you for a fact their store front is terrible...sure I'm some random guy you don't know but a quick search of the BOI and multiple reviews from herp sites running a google search shows everyone saying the same thing as I am...I am not claiming to be a retic expert I am just making people aware of the fact thst just because someome can produce beautiful animals doesn't mean they care for them properly...and to me that is not ok no animal should be mistreated.

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