Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently acquired a pair of young retics that came from someone who just couldn't look after them. The problem is that they are really mean and would sooner bite you than look at you. What I need is a little advice on how to get them a little more tame. Any help would be greatly apreciated. Thanks.

lol. yha... I dont know how big they are but if theyre small enough to maybe hold with one hand. what i've done before is hold them behind thier heads so they cant bite you and while youre watching tv or something, put them up at face level so they're looking at you but cant 'get you'. I dont know why this works and i'm sure someone will tell me it doesnt work but it does.... if they aren't small enough to really hold like that, give them a really good meal, perhaps a little larger than normal and after 2 or 3 days or when the lump goes down, take them out maybe in your yard (if you can) and just let them cruise around- it wears them out if they've been caged too small before you got them, they arent used to the exercise, then try to pick them up, if they seem a little jumpy you may kneel down near the back of the snake and just gently rub, they'll probably hiss and hiss and hiss but it gets them used to being touched. if they're still moody, put them back and do it again in a few days (not the food, just the exercise and rubbing). If they seem a little more mellow, try picking up the snake and sit down on your steps or in a lawn chair and put the snakes body over your legs and let them crawl over your legs while youre rubbing them and then when you get to the end of the snake, move them back and do it again until you get worn out. sounds incredibly boring and it usually is but thats what i do and it seems to work pretty fast. hope that helped- maybe someone else can help more but keep in mind THEY'RE RETICS- not always the nicest of snakes but i've never had one that flat out couldn't be tamed down.
beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

They are not large right now - approx 6'. I appreciate the info I will try that. Gonna be messy though because every time I try to get one out is defecates explosively everywhere.

ick!. that sounds pleasant. . just get you a pillow case and stick a bunch of paper towels in the bottom and put the snake in it and just have its head sticking out and hopefully if he goes- the paper towels will soak it up.
beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue

Retics can be very docile when tamed and handled regularly. They are very intelligent snakes but each snake is an individual. Some may never be totally tame. Most retics are what their kepers make of them. You have your hands full with these ones especially if they were mistreated or not cared for but it is very possible to tame them. Do you know if they are wild caught or captive bred?

Retics bite for only two reasons: to eat and for defense-they are not "mean". The defication/musking shows that the snakes are scared of you and this is a defense mechanism the retic uses against predators. So you must win their trust. DO NOT restrain a retic by its neck or head-they hate that, are very unforgiving of that, and will remember that. Restraining a retic's head goes the opposite way of building truat. Place a piece of a worn, unwashed t-shirt in each retic's cage. This lets the snake get used to your scent and not associate it as a threat. Retics are very cage defensive/territorial so the t-shirt lets them associate you with their cage and safety. If you don't have a snake hook-get one-essential retic equipment. Also do feed the retic inside of its cage. Every time you open the cage for anything except feeding, touch the retic on its nose/head a few times with a hook to cancel the feeding response. When food enters the cage never even let the retic see a hook. They soon lean that the hook means "no food" and calm down. Once you have the feeding response cancelled gently hook the snake and bring it out of the cage. Wear gloves at first if needed. Let the snake crawl onto your arms on its own or just stay on the hook. Patience is important along with very slow, gentle movements on your part. Mimic a tree. Fast/jerky movement will scare them. Let the retic move unrestrained and guide it rather than grab or restrain it. Of course keep the snake away from your face. Take your time and don't be discouraged. Limit handling sessions to a few minutes each day and then increase the time as the retics begin to trust you. Try to be calm as they can sense that. Once you establish trust a retic will bond with its keeper. I wish you the best here and if you have any questions please ask. Bill.
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

...same rules apply for most snakes...

thank you all for the good advice. I do have a snake hook because I heard a lot of people call it essential equipment. I no doubt do have my hands full with this pair, but hopefully with some work they will calm down. thank you all again

Thats a real good post but keep in mind that genetics play a huge roll in any snakes attitude. Bad attitudes can be inherited and nothing will change that. I've seen original bloodline tiger retics that acted like big old burms, and I've seen outbred ones that you would think were wild caught. Some snakes are going to be aggressive no matter what.

touched on in this thread. Bill's response was outstanding and spelled the process out very well. Although all of his information was important, one of the points he made that can not be emphasized enough is that you should never hold a boid behind the head for any reason. This is especially true for the larger species, even when young. With the strength they have in their neck muscles, if they struggle (and they usually will), it is extremely easy for them to cause permanent damage to their neck vertebrae when held in this manner. Not to mention the fact that you will produce an extremely head shy, and nervous snake very quickly. I have worked with large constrictors for over 30 years and have never had to resort to restraining one in this manner.

The other important point was made by Reticguy. Genetics does play an extremely large role in the temperament of any snake. This has been proven true time and time again, and is a definite fact. Docile parents will typically produce docile young in the majority of cases. Although many highstrung snakes can be calmed down significantly by acclimating them to handling, there will always be a few that will never become adjusted to handling, no matter how careful you are. Fortunately, these are in the minority, especially when dealing with captive bred snakes.

Kelly