Kalatoa 100% Pure SD Retic Progression (Pic heavy...)

[Gio]

It is a hard one to figure out. It seems you've covered all the bases. Her body looks great as does her pattern and shine. I guess you could try to drop temps a bit more, but I'm not sure how you have it set now.

I use a 5 degree night drop in all of my cages. This drop along with low or no light always causes our snakes to become very active at night. Once the morning hits and the temps ramp up they all settle.

Phylis is at the very least some type of SD/D locale maybe not exactly what you thought but even still she's part of the SD equation. They (SD locales) typically have very seasonal eating habits. Mostly based on migratory birds, and other animals that become active when the birds flock to the smaller islands.

Breeding behavior in a lot of male retics sends them off feed, I could certainly see it stimulate the feeding urge in a female, at least for a short time prior to courting as they want to have their tanks full so to speak.

That said they (retics) are ALL ambush predators that don't constantly eat, and don't constantly forage. They may do some active hunting at times, but that requires and expends a lot of energy which reptiles are experts at conserving. Retics, may be one of the more, if not the most active of the boas and pythons but they are not designed for constant movement.

Pinpointing the cause of pushing is difficult. I don't deal with it, but that doesn't make me an expert or prove my setup or husbandry is spot on. I may or may not deal with it later on.

I don't think simply throwing food at the problem is the answer at all. If it stops the pushing, it only seems to for a short time in many cases. A day or two of digesting with the pushing resuming shortly after indicates SOMETHING else, but I'm not sure what.

I think JM is trying everything he can which is all he can do.

If somebody had an easy solution, it would certainly shorten this discussion.

[Sauzo]

Definitely sucks for him. Like i said, with Caesar, i just threw food at him the last couple months he pushed heavily but like said, i think he was wanting a girlfriend. He did eat though like a madman during that time but honestly i dont find that surprising. He ate within 2 hours of me unpacking him from the delivery box and never quit or turned down a meal, even in shed.

He has been really quiet though the past week. During the day, he sleeps in one of his hides and at night, he comes out and completely stretches out on the cage floor or stretches out on the shelf.

I still stick by my thoughts of Gerald being the cause.

Something i have noticed with having 3 pythons and 5 boas is my pythons are much more active than the boas. The GTP, BP and retic are usually active nightly unless they have eaten. The boas are more or less out at night but mostly find a spot they like and just sit there. And the dumerils, she just burrows around and usually will pop her head up at the front of the cage and just sit there at night.

[Gio]

Definitely sucks for him. Like i said, with Caesar, i just threw food at him the last couple months he pushed heavily but like said, i think he was wanting a girlfriend. He did eat though like a madman during that time but honestly i dont find that surprising. He ate within 2 hours of me unpacking him from the delivery box and never quit or turned down a meal, even in shed.

He has been really quiet though the past week. During the day, he sleeps in one of his hides and at night, he comes out and completely stretches out on the cage floor or stretches out on the shelf.

I still stick by my thoughts of Gerald being the cause.

Something i have noticed with having 3 pythons and 5 boas is my pythons are much more active than the boas. The GTP, BP and retic are usually active nightly unless they have eaten. The boas are more or less out at night but mostly find a spot they like and just sit there. And the dumerils, she just burrows around and usually will pop her head up at the front of the cage and just sit there at night.

If she's a she, I doubt it is Gerald.

Male retics are known for going crazy and arching and being combative during breeding time. Females typically don't react the same. In most species, and this includes all animals, it's the male that has to put on the show to attract the female and battle the other contenders for the rights to breed. Females will signal their readiness with pheromones but don't go nuts looking for a mate.

If it ends up being Gerald, I'd guess it is a male VS male issue, not a female all jacked up for a male.

Again, everything we say here is speculation as to why the constant pushing is taking place. Maybe she's just wired to explore.

Time will hopefully set things in the right direction.

[Sauzo]

If she's a she, I doubt it is Gerald.

Male retics are known for going crazy and arching and being combative during breeding time. Females typically don't react the same. In most species, and this includes all animals, it's the male that has to put on the show to attract the female and battle the other contenders for the rights to breed. Females will signal their readiness with pheromones but don't go nuts looking for a mate.

If it ends up being Gerald, I'd guess it is a male VS male issue, not a female all jacked up for a male.

Again, everything we say here is speculation as to why the constant pushing is taking place. Maybe she's just wired to explore.

Time will hopefully set things in the right direction.

True but Jacob has tried everything from raising temps, lowering temps, more food, less food, covering the cage, hides, no hides, more outside time to try and wear her out, higher humidity, lower humidity. Heck i think he even changed substrates. While i agree, males are usually the ones who are difficult, doesnt mean a female couldnt be difficult too and reacting different. My female BP has been very active the past month or so and i know she is a female as i had my vet probe her.

Phyllis could be a guy i guess but in that case, Daniel Solis would be completely wrong on 100% Phyllis because she was sold as a female pure Kalatoa. Now it might be a male Kalatoa mix? Thats a pretty big 'oops' lol.

And yeah, all we are doing is guessing on reasons as the snake cant talk which would make life easier maybe or maybe not. Imagine your retic asking you for feed 24/7 lol.

Like i said, count your blessings Wallace isnt pushy or foody. I know what Jacob is dealing with as i went through it with Caesar for a couple months. The weird thing is Caesar never arched or got combative thank god. He just got really pushy.

And funny thing is my BP actually arches her back when i pet her which she never did before during her yearly not eating sessions. She also wasnt out any more than usual when in her non feeding time.

But anyways, we'll see what happens. Hopefully this fixes the pushing issue.

[Gio]

True but Jacob has tried everything from raising temps, lowering temps, more food, less food, covering the cage, hides, no hides, more outside time to try and wear her out, higher humidity, lower humidity. Heck i think he even changed substrates. While i agree, males are usually the ones who are difficult, doesnt mean a female couldnt be difficult too and reacting different. My female BP has been very active the past month or so and i know she is a female as i had my vet probe her.

Phyllis could be a guy i guess but in that case, Daniel Solis would be completely wrong on 100% Phyllis because she was sold as a female pure Kalatoa. Now it might be a male Kalatoa mix? Thats a pretty big 'oops' lol.

And yeah, all we are doing is guessing on reasons as the snake cant talk which would make life easier maybe or maybe not. Imagine your retic asking you for feed 24/7 lol.

Like i said, count your blessings Wallace isnt pushy or foody. I know what Jacob is dealing with as i went through it with Caesar for a couple months. The weird thing is Caesar never arched or got combative thank god. He just got really pushy.

And funny thing is my BP actually arches her back when i pet her which she never did before during her yearly not eating sessions. She also wasnt out any more than usual when in her non feeding time.

But anyways, we'll see what happens. Hopefully this fixes the pushing issue.

The thing is,
He hasn't tried the smaller cage yet or real perches which is something that may help. Even a taller cage, which is a financial burden at this point, could be another possible solution.

My BP will arch if I pet her back but that is a much different behavior from a male retic arching and putting on a display. Male VS male combat is real in retics and a lot of the carpets. Females don't battle. When there is any type of brooding ball with snakes, its multiple males surrounding a female, and not the other way around.

I'm not really counting my blessing as I don't think ALL retics push. I have never had a problem snake of any species here. I have 2 female pythons, and 1 male. Though hybridization is a possibility, I highly doubt Wallace will react to either female python in the house. If I had a female retic, I'd expect some different behaviors from Wallace. My male boa is a non factor in all of it.

My females (other species) certainly will not care and don't if Wallace is in the same room. From the captive collections I've seen videos of, I've not once seen a female mentioned as a problem with males in the room. No pushing or odd displays. However I have seen mention of males experiencing the typical male testosterone, machismo causing issues with handling, combat and pushing.

If Phyllis is a gal, I just doubt she's in a big tizzy to get to Gerald. Maybe some increased appetite, but JM is feeding plenty, or some food refusal, but trying desperately to find a mate??? I just don't think so.

Although I agree it is one of the few stones unturned in this situation so maybe its worth a try.

I guess we'll see what JM finds out with the next changes.

[Sauzo]

Well the smaller cage might work but i dont buy perches or a taller cage making a difference. If anything, a lower cage will match more with the smaller cage idea. There are plenty of 14+ foot retics in 18 inch cages that dont push. Also those same retics are kept in bare cages with no hides and no perch or shelf and do fine.

And while i agree, the Gerald thing is grasping at straws, it is the easiest and cheapest thing to do atm.

Also, i know that females shouldnt care. Remember, i got 3 female boas, 1 is 5+ years old, other is 4 years old and one is 1.5 years old. I also got 2 male boas, both about 2 years old and i never seen any kind of behavior difference in them.

And i dont think its food either. Not 2 days after eating all the time. I could buy it if it was maybe after 7 days or so. Although maybe Phyllis needs bigger food. A jumbo rat is pretty much leaving nothing. But who knows.

I agree, not all retics push but enough do that most breeders will mention it and on the retic FB pages you see lots about pushing too.

Next thing if this doesnt work is probably putting her in the 4x2 cage but at 10 feet, that is going to be a tight fit. Here is Caesar in a T8 and he is only 8 feet like i mentioned. It's also a cleaning cage so i have nothing in it except aspen and the flexwatt going to just keep it warmer.



Anyways, I guess we'll find out one way or another hopefully all our combined heads can cure the Phyllis fiasco!!!

[Gio]

It may just be an individual thing.

I have grandson dog of the best, most titled male Presa Canario dog I’ve ever owned and his grandson is nothing like he was. Way high maintenance and busy.

Every animal has its own personality.

I just hope JM can get a handle on the self destructive behaviors.

It’s no fun watching something you adore ruin itself.

[jmcrook]

She’s definitely going into shed right now which of course would be the one variable I didn’t anticipate when moving Gerald’s cage. I think honestly some of it is food related. Some of it could be an irritation issue with something related to her face. Unfortunately the worthless vet in town is “uncomfortable seeing a snake over 4-5feet” so I’ll have to make an appointment with a vet close to two hours away to rule out that variable.
It could be she needs more stimulation in her environment and I may try perches to solve that. But given that I’m moving in a few weeks and have a job interview across the country around the same time I have to budget my time and efforts differently for the moment. Currently have her cage on room ambient temps with flexwatt hot spot keeping her at 78-79* and 85-88*. Humidity it pegged at 80% because thank you Mississippi balminess hah.
My friend that has bred these snakes in the past has kept telling me that sometimes they just push and that’s how it is. That they’ll heal themselves just fine with food and heat. I can never help but fear for the worst because that’s who I am. I think she might have an issue with something in her face but until I can get her to a *qualified* reptile vet with retic experience I can’t say for sure.
I appreciate all the thought put into this issue with all of our collective research and experience though guys! This will get figured out in time or I will go bald trying!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jmcrook]

It may just be an individual thing.

I have grandson dog of the best, most titled male Presa Canario dog I’ve ever owned and his grandson is nothing like he was. Way high maintenance and busy.

Every animal has its own personality.

I just hope JM can get a handle on the self destructive behaviors.

It’s no fun watching something you adore ruin itself.

This 1000%! She’s totally fine health wise to the best of mine or anyone else’s knowledge. Just kills me to see her with a fat face folded and crumpled into the corner of the doors every night.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sauzo]

She’s definitely going into shed right now which of course would be the one variable I didn’t anticipate when moving Gerald’s cage. I think honestly some of it is food related. Some of it could be an irritation issue with something related to her face. Unfortunately the worthless vet in town is “uncomfortable seeing a snake over 4-5feet” so I’ll have to make an appointment with a vet close to two hours away to rule out that variable.
It could be she needs more stimulation in her environment and I may try perches to solve that. But given that I’m moving in a few weeks and have a job interview across the country around the same time I have to budget my time and efforts differently for the moment. Currently have her cage on room ambient temps with flexwatt hot spot keeping her at 78-79* and 85-88*. Humidity it pegged at 80% because thank you Mississippi balminess hah.
My friend that has bred these snakes in the past has kept telling me that sometimes they just push and that’s how it is. That they’ll heal themselves just fine with food and heat. I can never help but fear for the worst because that’s who I am. I think she might have an issue with something in her face but until I can get her to a *qualified* reptile vet with retic experience I can’t say for sure.
I appreciate all the thought put into this issue with all of our collective research and experience though guys! This will get figured out in time or I will go bald trying!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well that could be an idea for sure. She might have something bothering her face. I have no sympathy though for a 2 hour drive to the vet lol. The vet i use is about an hour drive into Seattle. There are a lot of closer exotic vets to me but Dr Bennett has come recommended by a few people and she has been taking care Harley, Rosey, Dottie and Allie when i had Allie.

Also like i mentioned, it might be you are doing the same thing i am doing with Caesar. Being so used to a certain size food item working until it doesnt work lol. I have been just blissfully feeding Caesar his jumbo rat until one day i noticed, it really left next to nothing for a lump. Thats why this past Saturday i gave him the 2XL guinea pig which left a lump but he still was cruising around afterwards.

And hopefully your buddy isnt right about 'Some retics just push, plain and simple'. If he's right, may god help you with Phyllis