An early holiday gift.

[Gio]

Wallace and I had some fun last night.

Let me set the scene. I decided to take him out for a little frolic with the family, I confidentially reached into his cage, grabbed him mid body and,,,,





He passed on a little holiday cheer. He's about 4 feet long and not at all a concern.






He spends a lot of his days and nights up here.



He started to move away, which is normal, got around the back side of his hide and then up a branch. I was working to get him out and he musked on me, twice LOL! Finally he decided I was quite a bother and he snapped. He actually got two fingers which was surprising so I'm guessing his mouth was wide open. No pain, just a touch itchy for 5 minutes.

I cleaned up and we spent the next 40 minutes hanging out watching TV.

3 of our 4 snakes have left their marks on me.

With the exception of the coastal carpet, who used to strike a few times each handling session for the first 2 weeks here, none have ever bitten me again after the first pop.

Wallace is actually great to handle and isn't head shy in the slightest, we just had a misunderstanding last night.

Today he was right back where I usually find him overlooking his little territory.

[bcr229]

Aw, he gave you a kiss on the hand.

I've found that a few of mine, especially the BRB's and Savu's, may have a tail wrap on something if there is a lot of cage décor. If you just pick them up they take great exception to being pulled on and will nip because their tail is anchored. I like to get them moving before picking them up so I know the back end is free.

[Gio]

Aw, he gave you a kiss on the hand.

I've found that a few of mine, especially the BRB's and Savu's, may have a tail wrap on something if there is a lot of cage décor. If you just pick them up they take great exception to being pulled on and will nip because their tail is anchored. I like to get them moving before picking them up so I know the back end is free.

Exactly!

The tail wrap was key here. He was actually already moving, but it was away from me, and then he found a new spot to cling to.

I usually go about this with a hook no matter what, but I wanted to "test the waters" and I found the test didn't do in my favor.

He was a bit silly with the musking business though LOL.

I prefer the bite VS the spray. I got both and had to clean the cage and my little bites.

[Reinz]

That innocent 😇 looking little face bit you? He looks so sweet on his perch.

At least y'all got that out of the way. Let's hope that he will follow suit of the other two and stop right here, especially as he gets bigger.

A local guy here that has been a Retic and Burm handler for years has had to go to the hospital for bites from adults. It said that those were very expensive hospital visits. But then again he did not specify if those bites were from the wild caught mainland Retics that he has and have had or captive mainlands.

I know the Supers are smaller and thus have smaller heads thankfully.

[Gio]

That innocent �� looking little face bit you? He looks so sweet on his perch.

At least y'all got that out of the way. Let's hope that he will follow suit of the other two and stop right here, especially as he gets bigger.

A local guy here that has been a Retic and Burm handler for years has had to go to the hospital for bites from adults. It said that those were very expensive hospital visits. But then again he did not specify if those bites were from the wild caught mainland Retics that he has and have had or captive mainlands.

I know the Supers are smaller and thus have smaller heads thankfully.

I suspect the worst bites are feeding response bites and don't want to get in a situation where I take one. Wallace should be relatively small for a retic. Jewel, my coastal is a 7 footer now and though I don't ever want her to bite me, I'm fairly certain if she did, it would be minor.

I think if Wallace hits 9 feet, he'll still be lean and not weigh much more than the boa constrictor as an adult.

This one was really all on me. I wanted to see where we were at and found his tolerance level.

[jmcrook]

Best to get those love bites out of the way while they're still little! Looks like he didn't mean much by it. Phyllis has only gotten me once, a small tag on the elbow. Felt like a slight bump against my arm, didn't even realize that's what happened til I saw a couple specks of blood haha. She's still pretty spirited at times, though I've still yet to be musked. Takes a shot here and there when going in to spot clean if I don't take her completely out of the cage to clean up. Thank goodness for good hook training and sturdy hooks!


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[bcr229]

He was a bit silly with the musking business though LOL.

I prefer the bite VS the spray. I got both and had to clean the cage and my little bites.

Yeah once they're upset the musking is usually a given. At least it was from a baby not an adult. One of my adults nailed a vet tech from neck to knee last year - she thought she'd be safer holding the back end versus the front end during an exam. OOPS!

[Gio]

Yeah once they're upset the musking is usually a given. At least it was from a baby not an adult. One of my adults nailed a vet tech from neck to knee last year - she thought she'd be safer holding the back end versus the front end during an exam. OOPS!

Ha,

It goes to show these guys are different in many ways.

I hear a lot of folks say a Timor python is a lot like a colubrid as they musk frequently and can be very flighty. I see retics, scrubs, Savus, Timors and possibly Papuan olives as having some similar traits. They seem active and faster moving than other boas and pythons. They seem to be semi arboreal, highly agile and require some experience before getting into them.

I know that baby retics like my little fellow are quite nervous in the wild. Studies and good video footage show their early self protection methods.

They tend to climb high into the canopy and out on limbs over deeper water. When threatened they will drop out of the trees and into the water and swim away. When my little guy is perched I'm sure his instinct is to get away from me, at least when I reach in totally cold like last night. When he found he was not able to get away, he musked twice, and as a last resort bit me.

To be fair to him, I really should have used the hook before going in.

jmcrook,

I agree getting this out of the way early on is not a bad thing. I still have much to learn about the species and have realized Wallace is very much a baby at 6 months old. With that in mind I really think he is VERY well behaved. Once he becomes more mature, he won't perceive every little thing as a threat.

bcr229,

Are all of your retics mainland? I think the SD and Dwarf percentages in my guy make him a tad more nervous though I have nothing to compare him to.

Having said that he is Tiger and I've read on several occasions that the tiger gene mellows them.

I don't want to blow any of this out of proportion either as Wallace has only musked on two separate occasions and only bitten me once. He is only 1 or so weeks into his newer, larger cage as well so this behavior may relate to adjusting.

By no means is he unmanageable.

I don't mind taking a bite now and then. It is a good reminder to learn your animal's behavior, and read their signals.

[bcr229]

Are all of your retics mainland? I think the SD and Dwarf percentages in my guy make him a tad more nervous though I have nothing to compare him to.

No, I have a pure SD male who is flighty though he's never bit or musked, he's just always on the go.

Two 50% SD females who are sweethearts.

The rest are mainland retics, including the purple albino male that musked the vet tech (he was really unhappy that day). Normally he's a doll. My GS female is actually the hardest to handle, she's ok once you get her out but very defensive in her enclosure.

[Sauzo]

Guess I'm lucky lol. I haven't been bit or pissed on by Caesar yet.

As for the SD %, I think ours are the same Gio. Yours might be a little more dwarf though but I cant remember. Caesar is 37.5% SD and 31% dwarf. It might just be the snakes own personality. its like Allison who prefers to not be handled but I have seen others who have friendly JCPs.

Lol maybe I should actually put my snake hook to use. I tried it on Caesar a couple times and it seemed to actually make him mad. He actually tried to bite it haha. I usually just lift off Caesar's hide or reach in from the side and just rub his side and once he smells its me, he is fine to come out. On the occasions where he wants dinner, I do rub his head with a twisted up paper towel which mellows him out.

Anyways, grats on the bite