The calm temperament you see displayed by the vast majority of tiger retics is most definitely because they are tigers and is genetic and inherent in this morph. It is not due to captive breeding over many years. The original wild caught tiger was an extremely docile python, and its offspring proved to inherit this same trait. The genetics of temperament in pythons and boas is well documented, and has been shown to be somewhat geographical and very inherent within specific populations of boids. Blood pythons from Malaysia show on average a more aggressive behavior than those originating from Sumatra. The boas on St. Lucia more aggressive than most other B.c. ssp. Retics originating from Southeast Asia seem to show on average, a more aggressive behavior than many populations from Indonesia. I believe there has been speculation that the original tiger was thought to possibly originate from eastern Indonesia.



While captive breeding can perpetuate the genetics of docility, it cannot create it. Jud McClanahan and I have three bloodlines of green anacondas that are inherently calm and most definitely have passed this trait onto the offspring they have produced in first and second generation breedings. This calm and even temperament displayed by their young is genetic and is passed on to future offspring, but it was not created by captive breeding. It is a cause and effect process when looking at captive born retics being calmer specimens. Most of the retics raised to adults and subsequently bred, are going to be the more docile specimens by sheer choice. Very few highly aggressive large boid species are going to be raised to large breeder size, as most keepers aren’t going to want to deal with them. This has a definite culling effect on the specimens that are inherently aggressive. But it is still based on genetics, and not just because they are captive born. However, don’t get me wrong, interaction will definitely help accustom a snake to being handled, but the genetics need to be there as well.



Kelly

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