Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've had a 10' burm for a couple of years (he was a rescue) and I'm considering getting a retic. I've had a few breeders tell me that the Super Tigers have a mellower temperament than others. Does anyone have any experience that verifies this?

a retic is what you make it no matter what morph... yes tempermets vary, but with work most usually take very well to being handled.

if you get a supertiger make sure its not inbred... the baldogos have some of the nicest supers i have seen... strong bloodline too!!!
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I have a baby 4 ft supertiger and shes great. The docile temperment on tigers and supertigers is not because they are tigers or supertigers, its because they have been captive bred for so many generations now. Just like most retics, I would say that CB retics are gonna just be as docile as tigers and supertigers. Also it all depends on how much you interact with the snake besides feeding it. As you probably know, any retic can be aggressive even tame ones and some may just be nasty from the start while others can become nasty later on. but with regular handling you will have a 15 foot baby that could kill you if it wanted too

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

Reading your post, I have to agree with you. I would also assume that there is a curve on that? That even with aggressive snakes there is some that do not fall in line. Or since we are talking about animals would you say that they always revert back to their species?
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0.2 Rotts
1.0 Super Tiger
1.0 Amel Retic
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Red Tail
0.1 Blood Python
1.0 Green Ananconda
1.0 Emerald Tree Boa

it is advantagous for a wild animal to be full of piss and vinegar.

but i think that conditioning does come into play... some retics respond well and other dont.
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i would like to add a exsample to this thread. I have a friend that has a female tiger that is mean as hell strikes at you at any chance it gets and then you have my 2 tiger retics one male one female and they both are sweet and never striked at me or anybody in the family . so it does vary on the way they were raised .

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Jessica and David Spendolini
JND SERPENTINES

OUR BABYS:
1.0 Tiger Retic (ONYX)
0.1 Lavender Albino Tiger Retic (CITRINE)
0.1 Het Albino Tiger Retic (RUBY)
0.1 Normal Retic (EMERALD)
1.0 Albino Burmese Python (Deuce)
1.1 Western Hogg Nose (CARMELLO and Mocha)
1.0 Amazon Tree Boa (TOPAZ)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (TITO)
0.1 Dumerial Boa (MARIA)
1.3 Columbian Boas (CRUZ, ZENA, STAR AND PRINCESS and carrie)
0.1 Pastel Columbian Boas (ROSE RED)
0.1 Argentine x Columbian Boa (MARIA)
1.2 Het Albino Columbian Boas (CAPONE, BABY AND DIXIE)
2.0 Central American Boas (SNIPER AND CHANCE)
2.2 Ball Pythons (ZEUS, SYRUS, SERINE AND AALIYAH)
1.0 Pit Bull (MASON)
1.0 Green Iguana (REX)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (DIAMOND)

temperaments do vary, and most of the reason is inherent. As Jeff said above, these are wild animals which are highly variable across the spectrum with no guarantees. They can all be aggressive if they feel threatened. Unless that tiger was mistreated, it most likely was born that way. Going by its degree of aggression, it will probably be unpredictable throughout its life regardless of how much it is handled. Handling may calm it down, but not erase its high strung nature. Not a given, but a high probability. To accentuate this point, the converse of this is the tamest retic I have ever known. A good friend acquired it as an import from Southeast Asia in the mid-70's. This is an area known for aggressive retics. It was unbelievable how docile this retic was, the tamest boid of any species I have ever seen. It produced 5 clutches over the years from an aggressive male also of Southeast Asian origin. Every single young from those litters had the exact same temperament as this female. I followed several of these young as they matured and all remained the same. Not just chance or how they were raised, but definitely genetics and inheritability.

Kelly

the snake is not miss treated it just that way and thank you for the learning experince . I like to hand raise most of my snakes so i can learn about them and there charecter.
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Jessica and David Spendolini
JND SERPENTINES

OUR BABYS:
1.0 Tiger Retic (ONYX)
0.1 Lavender Albino Retic (CITRINE)
0.1 Het Albino Tiger Retic (RUBY)
0.1 Normal Retic (EMERALD)
1.0 Albino Burmese Python (Deuce)
1.1 Western Hogg Nose (CARMELLO and Mocha)
1.0 Amazon Tree Boa (TOPAZ)
1.0 Guyana Red-Tail Boa (TITO)
0.1 Dumerial Boa (angel)
1.3 Columbian Boas (CRUZ, ZENA, STAR AND PRINCESS and carrie)
0.1 Pastel Columbian Boas (ROSE RED)
0.1 Argentine x Columbian Boa (MARIA)
1.2 Het Albino Columbian Boas (CAPONE, BABY AND DIXIE)
2.0 Central American Boas (SNIPER AND CHANCE)
2.2 Ball Pythons (ZEUS, SYRUS, SERINE AND AALIYAH)
1.0 Pit Bull (MASON)
1.0 Green Iguana (REX)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (DIAMOND)

you need to be persitant with the methods you use to condition your animals... if they dont do it, they lose it.

... insinct IS a hard thing to suppress.

additionally... retics can remember your "scent/taste". after the feeding response is turned off they WILL recall your "smell" when in contact with you. thats why they dont try to eat you when your holding them, you're warm and fuzzy... but the strike and kill equation doesnt add up cuz you dont smell like food.

if an animal is in defense mode though, all bets are off.

retics are pretty simple animals... all they really have is that primitive reptilian brain.
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invest in the stock that never depreciates... your education.

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