Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay guys, let me hear your thoughts on this:
I want to get a retic as a pet in about a year or so. I have about 28 years experience keeping snakes, but never anything as large as a retic. I'm looking at the smaller purple albinos, male, and I've spent a little time talking to Bob Clark and one of his employees. I've handled one of their purple albinos, about 4 feet long and found it to be as calm as my carpet and ball pythons. They told me that this line doesn't tend to get as big as some of the others, and that's fine by me. It's not the size of the retic that I'm attracted to, rather it's the amazing beauty. I'm working on several breeding projects, but I do not intend to breed retics.
So the question is should I keep something else bigger than my 6 foot (and growing) JCP in preparation for my retic? If so, what? Please don't say Burmese, as they get heavier and can be just as challenging. Would a large coastal carpet fit the bill? Am I making too much out of this? Is my prior experience, coupled with research and a healthy respect enough to prepare me for a retic. I know anyone can go to the local pet store and pick up a normal retic for $75-100, but I want to be ready and responsible. I don't mind dealing with a strong feeding response, but I don't have an interest in keeping a snake that is always striking at me out of fear/aggression.
I have done my homework and fully understand the ins and outs of feeding, handling, caging size, cleaning up, etc. My JCP has an amazing feeding response, so I'm no stranger to that and haven't been bitten since he was very small.
If you look at my sig, that's a good representation of the snakes I've got experience with.
So what do you guys think?
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

to be honest with you, my retic was my first large snake, and i think they are pretty damn easy to care for. yes they have a strong feeding response, but thats cause he knows its feeding time, hes smart as hell(and tap trained, heh) when its holding time hes not jumpy at all. hes also 12 foot now, but still a big baby. just my 2 cents, and im no expert by any means, but i think if you have that much experience with snakes id think youd do fine with a retic. and i do agree, they are gorgeous animals, mines a normal, but im still amazed at the color it has, especially after a shed and they have that irridesant(sp?) shine to em.

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2.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

I own 6 retic's in my collection and more to come in the future. I own many snakes ( big and small )and the retics are no differnt than any of the others. The key is in my opinion is how much you work with them/ hold'm. Mine are handled Alot and I believe that is a big plus. Just my opinion.
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Education is Everything.......

just my 2 cents.
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Vichris
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane"- Marcus Aurelius

Vichris Variables

I assume you mean don't get a retic. Why? Give me some reasons. I want to hear differing opinions. Is it that you feel no one should own a retic? Or just people like me who aren't experienced with large constrictors yet? You're not going to hurt my feelings.

Nice pics on your website, btw. I love thayeri; in fact the one I have is probably my favorite pet.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

yes, I'd like to hear this opinion also.
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Education is Everything.......

ditto
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2.1 leopard geckos
1.1 golden thread turtles
1.0 reticulated python
2.1 firebelly toads
0.0.1 pacman frog
0.1 creamsicle corn

My biggest concern would be whether you will have at least one other adult around to help with handling a few years from now. Even a male will get big enough that it will not be safe to handle alone. If your girlfriend is small of a bit sketchy around snakes, she doesn't count.

Be aware that there are some significant differences between retics and burms. For one they grow faster. They are also more active and tend to move around faster (burms CAN move pretty fast, but usually choose not to unless they are scared). And a bite from a retic will generally be worse than from the same sized burm (longer teeth). You may have already read this if you've been researching them, but just in case...

You know about breeding season right?

The people I worry most about, next to inexperienced keepers, are the ones who decide they really like retics and so they get 5 or 6 babies. I always wonder what they are going to do when they have 5 or 6 20 foot snakes... It's one thing if you're a professional breeder, but for most people those are going to take up half their house and caring for them is going to be a 20 hour a week job and cost a few hundred dollars a month in food.
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What goes up must come down...unless it exceeds escape velocity.

Having a spotter is one of my biggest concerns and one that I intend to address before I commit to purchasing a retic.

I do know about many of the differences between the two.

Please tell me more about the breeding season, though. I have read something about their temperaments changing, but I've encountered very little information on that.

I don't see myself buying a bunch of retics. I had no real interest in owning one until I saw and handled some of Bob Clark's purple albinos. I always admired their beauty, but until I saw the purples I didn't feel that strongly about them. I like the sunfires, too, as well as some of the crazy expensive morphs like the golden child and titanium, but I don't see myself getting more than one.

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm all about learning everything I can before I make a purchase. Even if I decide to definitely get one, it will be at least a year and only after I have addressed all issues. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying my colubrids and smaller pythons.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

I agree with both sides of the argument as stated by the responders. I too have grown tired of seeing unscrupulous people selling African rocks, retics, anacondas, and the like to people who barely know what a snake is, much less what to do with one. That said I feel that people, including you, should have the opportunity to keep these amazing snakes so long as the costs and commitment necessary to keep them for 20 to 30 years is thought out completely. Case in point. Let’s say you buy a female "normal" retic. The cost for this animal is going to be roughly $100.00. Maybe a little less maybe a little more, but roughly this amount. Now to properly cage this animal as an adult is going to cost you between $750.00 to $1,000.00 dollars just for the cage and another $50 to $200 for heat. Now look at the cost of feeding this animal. I have 10 retics, 2 African rocks, 2 anacondas, one amethystine python, and one ATB. The biggest eater is my 19 foot mainland female retic. She eats around 130 to 140 pounds of rabbits every year (she only eats for 6 months out of each year cycling off food during the breeding season). I get rabbits for $1.50 per pound, so just to feed that snake costs between $195.00 to $210.00 per year. Then there is the heat bill to heat the reptile house (don't want my snakes in my house...just my personal preference), electricity, water, disinfectant, substrate, etc. You can see that the costs add up quickly. There is also the time involved in cleaning her enclosure and of course spending "quality" time exercising her etc. One thing to keep in mind as well is the gross factor that comes with cleaning up after a 180 to 200 pound snake. 15 lbs of rabbits going in the front end seems to multiply into about 150 pounds of feces and urates coming out the back end. Sometimes these snakes will wipe it all over their cages and themselves resulting in some serious work to get them and their enclosures clean. I have taken care of reptiles ranging from AZ mountain kingsnakes all the way up to 12 foot 550 lb crocodiles and tortoises and I can tell you that a messy retic fecal wiped from Hell to breakfast is about as nasty of a cleaning operation as you are likely to encounter working with reptiles (the exception being a pool full of anaconda poop). I hope I am not talking down here as I realize you have quite a bit of experience, I just wanted to share some of the downsides to working with these animals. That said I truly believe that it is an honor to be able to work with something as magnificent as a full grown reticulated python. They are amazing snakes, intelligent and very interesting to work with.
Best regards,
Shane

Ya Shane you are so right on the poop mess. I just keep in mind when cleaning my retic's cages on how awsome the are ( looks and each one has it's own personality ). I was glad when my kids got out of dipers but it looks like I'm still cleaning it up.ha ha
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Education is Everything.......

I say you go for it. If you have the time and you say you have dealt with snakes before why not. I have 10 burms and 4 retics and countless boas. Just like the other posters said. Big snakes require big meals big cages and really big bombs if you know what I mean. When it comes to cages dont skimp on it. I built my own cages for a long time and they worked great but time does break them down. As far as food I raise my own rabbits. This hobby is very addicting you can never just have one. Have fun and please be responsible. Dennis...

Retics from some of the island locations don’t get any bigger than carpet pythons, do some research though, some “dwarf retics” still get twelve or fifteen feet. The parents of these babies are from the Kalatoa island and are no more than seven or eight feet.
Rob

Hi I rarely visit this forum anymore but its nice to pop in and out occasionally. I want to answer this question with, unless you have 1 or more people to help you with your retic when it gets full grown then don't get one. I used to have several large reticulated pythons. Of course I also worked with Burms and Anacondas for years before hand. Retics were one of my favorites, and absolutely gorgeous, incredible animals. I loved peering into their enclosures at them and enjoying their beauty. They also were one of the only snakes that when I walked into my basement would come straight to the glass to see what was going on, and to watch me. Don't get me wrong I think they are incredible, however in pet standards I would say, no way would I consider them a "pet". If you do not have help when they are older forget it. First of all they become so large that they are impossible to pick up alone. Thats just a first of all. And anyone that has had a 100 pound 14 foot retic knows I am telling the truth. Second of all its just too dangerous to handle a large snake by yourself. Yes the chances of something happening may be pretty slim. But I had a very "tame" retic turn on me once when I was putting her back into her enclosure. If I didn't have a friend with a shield next to me that day when she shot out of the back of the enclosure at me it wouldn't have been pretty. I always had help with them and we used shields and hooks at all times for safety and this one time REALLY saved me. Things happen like that occasionally. You need to be ready. Cleaning cages is an absolute nightmare with larger snakes, and everything is BIGGER! Bigger cages, bigger water containers to heave around, bigger prey items ie. pigs, rabbits etc. If I were you I would go search out someone that has large retics and offer to help them. It might change your mind. However I still believe in our freedoms here and if you decide you can take care of a retic then that is your choice. Just giving you some things to think about before hand. I no longer own retics by the way, or burms.
Pythons.Net

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Pythons.Net

Thanks for all the good responses, guys. I'm going to put the retic idea on the back burner for a while. As much as I want one, I don't think the time is right.
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1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

IF YOURE UP IT I DON'T OWN A RETIC BUT A FRIEND OF MINE JUST GAVE HERS UP BECAUSE HE HIT BREEDING AGE AND BECAME A DICK FOR 5 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR AND AFTER GETTING BIT IN THE SHOULDER AND STRANGLED 2 TIMES JUST PUTTING HIM BACK SHE SAID SHE NO LONGER TRUSTED HIM I'VE KNOWN OTHER PEOPLE TO SAY THEYVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THEIRS BUT THAT BREEDING CYCLE CAN REALLY RILE THEM UP