Reptile & Amphibian Forums

than this monster
he certainly doesnt like me, but needed a cage clean after a bit of a stuck shed.
i do respect the people that can work with these animals when there full grown

these are a bit nicer

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Dave

13.19 brbs

No doubt! Smart move on the gloves.
I have a friend who'se got some big ones that are docile as can be but I had a bad experience in college with a roommates retic that left me unable to close my hand all the way for over a week. Since then I've never had the urge to own one of my own. Of course i learned that handling big snakes and large amounts of beer don't mix well.

yeah this pair of SD retics are the only ones i use gloves for. They might be small, but they will bite at any chance. Im glad i had them this time, as it took about 15mins to get him off, he was so tight around my left hand, and i was holding his head with the right. Was sort of a catch twenty two. Funniest thing about the whole situation, was the girlfriend was happy to stand there and take pics, but there is no way she will touch a snake, let alone one with my finger in its mouth
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Dave

13.19 brbs

...that you taught your BRB how to levitate for that last pic.
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Julie
www.[url ban]/gfx

yeah it took some practice, but he finally got the hang of it, freaks me out when he does it in his cage though
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Dave

13.19 brbs

what kind of snake exactly is that first one? and are they all as nippy as that monster you're holding or was that one just born to hate you?

Reticulated Python. They are active snakes and many of them will bite if things do not go their way. They can be tamed and many of them seem to even enjoy being handled but they do have a STRONG feeding reflex and bites from big ones can be dangerous. I love them and Burms also but both are so big that handling and feeding them while alone can be dangerous and cage cleaning and routine maintenance are sweaty work. Best thing I ever did was get rid of the big snakes and concentrate on Rainbow Boas.

Are the dwarfs just as bad?

My experience with smaller insular Retics was with imports a long time ago. They generally had the same attitudes as the larger mainland Retics but could be more easily tamed because of the smaller size. With so many Retics being captive bred now you can get a baby that has been tamed by the breeder and if you get a Dwarf it can be a good safe pet.

Thanks for the info. I think they are beautiful snakes but i know i wouldn't be able to take proper care of a 16 footer...well i wouldn't want to either, so i was thinking the dwarfs might be the way to go...or at least till tom posted those pictures of the dominican red mountain boa...definitely fallen in love with that snake.

We don't have enough time or cage space for all the animals we want. If I did have more time and more cage space I would have Dwarf Retics.

ya i know what you mean. For me though, it's more that i love snakes and i dont have any yet but i want to find a gorgeous one to start with. I'm done school soon, setting up job interviews, so i'm hoping i'll have some time and money i can invest in something cool...but also that i'll enjoy keeping (ie not biting me everytime i open the cage).

Now that's an understatement if I've ever read one!
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Julie
www.[url ban]/gfx

Well duh!!!

Cool pics Dave!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Retics are AWESOME! If I only had a 10'x10'x8' room dedicated to a pair of snakes.........
Man I gotta figure something out.
Thanks for sharing,
Paul

The retic will never calm down and become tractable if you use gloves and restrain him behind the head like that. He will associate you and the gloves with restraint and an unpleasant experience will cause him to stay defensive. Once you gain his trust that you are not the "enemy" he will stop trying to defend himself.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

actually thats the first time ive ever held one of them by the head, and was only doing it to try and get him off me.
I understand about the gloves can be associated with me, but to be honest, if i know he going to bite and hold on, i would prefer to have gloves on.
Normally just strikes, first time he held on and didnt let go.
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Dave

13.19 brbs