Oh snap!

[Kara]

Yes, retics are capable of handling enormous meals. It's up to the discernment of each individual keeper to judge what is and isn't appropriate for their snakes.

What bothers me here is not the fact that retics are being fed large meals, but the "showboating" mentality that some people are using...showing off rather than educating fellow keepers who do not keep giants. This is a learning forum. If you're going to be a jerk instead of helping other people learn, then maybe this isn't the correct venue.

This is the father to my babies after a good sized meal!!!

Credit for that pic goes to Ryan Achenbach, my good friend and breeder!!

Folks, keep in mind that snakes do swell up remarkably after consuming a large meal - there's a lot going on in the gut digestion-wise at this point, and it can make a snake very bloated & gassy...I doubt what you're seeing in that pic is *all* prey, but probably a combination of prey + "digestive atmosphere" going on. We've fed substantial prey items to some our big retics, and they swell CONSIDERABLY after eating a large meal, giving the appearance of having consumed an item larger than what was really fed. This is where the discernment part comes in - it is critical to monitor temps & correct environmental factors when you do feed a snake a meal of this size...if your temps are off, you're inviting problems.

Personally I don't see a huge problem with the meals those retics are being fed...yes, they are capable of eating & quickly digesting large meals, especially as younger, growing animals. I do caution against making retics exceptionally huge, fat animals (it is possible to do, especially as they mature), as obesity seems to have a very negative impact on lifespan with this species.

Also Nick, I'm a little disappointed. Usually this hasn't been your typical forum behavior, so I'm confused as to why you'd come over here & start acting like a smart@$$. You know that Ryan is also a good friend of ours...frankly I'm kind of bummed to see you toss his name in with this rash of brazen posting that doesn't seem to give a lot of thought to the subject at hand. Nick, keep in mind that this forum is primarily made up of ball python keepers. They don't have experience with retics, but they're interested in learning about herp husbandry in all aspects. Why don't you try to help everyone understand retics better, instead of belittling folks for their lack of experience? Come on...big snake keepers are facing enough problems with anti-giant legislation without having to add stuff like this to the mix. Let's do what we can to IMPROVE the keeping of large constrictors, not hurt it.

Just my $.02

K~