I think the situation is about the same with retics, and most snakes for that matter. People decide they want a snake, not realizing how long they will live and the commitment it takes to keep one, and then decides to get rid of it in one way or another. However, that being said, I do think that more experienced herpers get retics, thereby limiting the sheer number of retics out there circulating among the masses. But I would be willing to bet that only a small majority of the reticulated pythons out there sold as babies actually make it to the decade mark, and then even less survive beyond that.

Snake rescue isn't limited to the big ones. I rescued an Everglades rat snake this week, bringing my collection to three -- two big burms and now this guy. He's a beautiful animal, very nice, and quite big and fat for a rat snake. I'm thinking about getting that albino from the guy in the next county who wants to get rid of her. I'm not a rescue organization by any means, but people know me as "the snake man" in our town, and I do visit a number of schools and summer programs with these snakes every year, so I get a lot of calls.

On a similar note, my two burms have bred every year for the last three years. She's laid eggs twice (38 in '01 and 40 this year), and I've made half-hearted attempts to hatch them, and none successfully. I'm not sure that I want them to breed because I don't want to have to sell them to irresponsible customers. I have a cousin who says he wants one so bad he can't stand it, but he would never take care of it properly. I would love to see some babies hatch, but again, I don't want to contribute to the problem we are discussing. After all, baby burmese are a dime a dozen these days.

BTW, I got your email. We'll be in touch, and we'll work something out. And yes, burms and retics should be on the same forum

RP

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