Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering how dwarf retics are temerment wise? I'm wondering because I love the look of the retic but cannot see myself ever wanting the responsibility of a full size reticulated python. I wouldn't get one soon at all..not for a couple years at least as I'm in nursing school and the only snake I've ever had is a ball python. The other snakes that interest me are a blood python and a red tailed boa. But none of these would I get until I'm out of school. Is a dwarf retic something a relative newbie could handle? Or would it be much better to own some other snakes first? If so..what could you reccomend as good "in between" snakes? I'm honestly not sure if I'd ever get one given the price, but they are beautiful. Please let me know your opinions, thanks a lot.

I would get some experience with some other snakes before looking into any sort of retic. Larger boas or a blood python would work well or you could also consider a burmese as their temprements are generally placid. If you have your heart set on a retic do your homework and talk to people who have owned them. Maybe you could set up a date to handle a full grown specimen. Retics are from my personal experience what you make them. If you take all the necessary steps as well as taking the time to handle them very frequently from a young age they can be very enjoyable. However if you don't have the space or time I would suggest not even bothering with any sort of retic.

and she is as tame as any corn snake I have ever had. She never attempts to bite, even just after feeding. However, she is much more mobile than a Burmese that size and often tries to "get into things" or knock things over when I take her out of her cage. So she is quite a handful compared to a big boa or Burm of similar size. And her mother is 12', so "baby" is not finished growing yet! Whether that is more than you want to handle is something you would have to decide for yourself. Males are often smaller, so that might be a better choice.