Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I screwed up.

I went to a reptile show. I have corn snakes, and was looking around for something larger. Then I fell in love with the retics. I asked the seller questions -- how big do they get, what do they eat, etc. He recommended a dwarf male, as something that I could handle. (I think he said the male parent was 7', which didn't seem too much larger than the largest corn snakes.)

I'm kicking myself for not going home to do some research, but I was tired. And the snake I was holding was sweet tempered and inquisitive.

Now I've read around, including a bunch of the threads here, and found out that my gorgeous boy could get to be 11'-15'. And that even if it only gets to 7', handling it will require myself *and* my non-existent spouse. Who will remain non-existent for the foreseeable future.

Is there anything I can do to salvage this situation, for myself and the snake, short of over-nighting him back to the breeder? Or should I just start researching shipping procedures? I'm going to miss this guy if he has to go.

Sorry to sound harsh, but if you are not ready for a retic, then you should not own one. They can be aggressive (or defensive). They are not calm for the most part and like to "explore". They have very strong feeding responses. They are strong. Even the dwarfs can be a handful and yes they will most likely be 11-15 even if a dwarf. There is nothing you can do to stunt the growth and keep a healthy snake. What normally happens is that people grow afraid of the retics as it gets bigger and potentially aggressive. After this, they stop regular handling and cleaning. Then the snake actually can become defensive as he will not be used to being handled.

My suggestion is to ship him back or find another owner who is willing to take him off of your hands.

I have a lot of large snakes, including 6 retics and it is a HUGE commitment. No way around that.

while that last post is true, i will tell you that i believe retics are a great snake, and easy to care for, with the excpetion of money on food in the near future. i started in the herp hobby/business some time ago with retics. my first 3 retics were the first ones i ever got and they lived to be just over 20 years old. i really didnt have any snake, let alone large boid experience prior. in my opinion, if you have some prior snake experience, and you buy a retic as a baby and grow with it and handle frequently, learn to read a retic as well as you can, hook train and properly keep husbandry properties up and well, a retic is a fantastic animal even for a up and comer. in short-hand, the main keys are handle well and frequently, hook-train, keep a good feeding schedule and prey size.
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra

make sure to buy cbb
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra

I agree that Retics are very aggressive eaters and they do have natural responses but as for aggressive/defensive in general I don't entirely agree with. I find Retics to be intelligent and very active but not aggressive except when feeding. Not to say that precautions should not be taken. I agree with Reticguy76 that the key is with hook training when they are young and proper/frequent handling. One other thing is if you have to handle them when they get larger and you don't have help then take the proper precautions. Things like keeping the spray bottle with alcohol handy, making sure you don' smell like food and things like that. Also check around and see if there is anyone local to you that could help you out. Your biggest obstacle will be handling when it gets bigger if you are the only one around. In short if you want the Retic and if you are willing to do your homework (learning proper/safe care and handling) then keep it. Just be careful learn while it is young and enjoy the great company. And keep talking to the guys like Reticguy76 on here that have been working with these guys for a while.
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Dragonmwt

Normal Burmese Python
Albino Burmese Python
Granite Burmese Python
Labyrinth Burmese Python
Red Tail Boa
Ball Python
Speckled Caiman
Lavender Albino Retic

My two cents-
I've been keeping and breeding large boids for almost 15 years, just started specializing in retics for about the last four. I breed and work with all size strains from superdwarves all the way up to the big mainlands, and with the exception of pure strain "jampeas", I have yet to see a pure strain "dwarf" male that's anywhere near 12-15'. I have a 4 year old tiger jamp(jampea x mainland) male that's never missed a meal, that's still under 10' and 15 lbs. I also have a normal granite male that's 66% poss. het albino(he's 50% dwarf, 50% mainland)that's just crossing the 7' line @ 3 yrs. old.
So on that note:
1. Take a deep breath
2. Get with the breeder(if possible) and ask about the lineage on your particular animal.(You see, the term "dwarf" is kind of a "misnomer" these days, what with all the cross breeding between size strains) It would be hard to say how big it's going to get without that information.
3. As has been stated, handle regularly and often!!!
4. Don't become intimidated by the animal, or by other people telling you to become so. My wife is 5' 2" and doesn't like snakes, but she still doesn't have any problem diving in on any of our animals up to the 16' level. Beyond that it's all me....LOL!
Anyhow, if this animal is still quite young, and smaller, I would say keep it. Get used to it. Let it get used to you. With a little common sense, and some good solid husbandry, you should do just fine.

P.S. See these two animals in the pic? I handle them by myself all the time!

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Mike

I hope you're right! I've emailed the breeder to find out what he says. I've seen posts by him here and he seems like the responsible sort, so I'm sure he'll give me a straight answer. (No, not going to say who it is. Like I said, my bad for not doing my research before hand!)

I think I'll clarify something.

I LOVE retics and am slowly moving towards keeping only retics. I have been dealing with large boids for over 20 years myself.

My comment is not related to people like me and other retic lovers. It is more related to the reptile keepers who are not in it for the long haul. I've seen too many people to think it is cool or want to have a show piece and they get tired of it or scared of the animal because of a single incident, etc. I have a friend who runs a reptile rescue and there are a lot of large snakes that people simply decide they don't want to deal with.

So, my concern is more about making sure the snake is taken care of very well, and not simply discarded or mistreated when it is too large or not wanted any longer.

I have never had an aggressive retic myself by the way - but I have had a few scarey feeding incidents!

If you are in it for the long haul and willing to put in the required effort, then I am very happy for you and think you will love your retic.

Discarded or neglected, no. Absolutely not.

Rehomed to the breeder or a retic enthusiast -- possibly. That's not my preference, but if it turns out he's going to be too big for me to handle, then I figure that's the best thing for him.

I am glad to hear that. I certainly did not mean to suggest you were not respsonsible. However a lot of people aren't. The fact that you are asking the questions shows that you are more responsible than a lot of people.

You may become more attached to that retic than you can imagine. They you'll have to go find that spouse to have around to help out with him!!!

Take care and have fun.

i mean no offense by this, but the sheer fact that you mentioned rehoming if the snake becomes to big and too much for you to handle, should tell you you are not ready for this species of snake. a snake, or any pet for that matter should be a life long (the animals life that is) commitment.
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra

Don't let all these people scare you away from a snake you would really enjoy keeping. Sure it's a long term investment so to speak but then again so is ANY reptile. You can safely handle the male retic alone without any problems. Depending on your size and capabilities you shouldn't even have to worry unless the animal is 10ft . I keep hearing "hook training" and what is being refered to there is simply letting the animal know you are there and food is not present, your not training anything and there is no skill required to do this. While working with big constrictors I just simply pat the animal towards it's back 1/2 which accomplishes the same exact thing. You can grow with this baby retic you just purchased. Don't feed the hell out of it and make it grow into a giant. Feed it normally, start him out on mice if you'd like. They can be kept a reasonable size, and healthy without neglecting the animal. They are very easy to work with, very curious, powerful animals that are usually on the move. People like to say "get this animal before you get that animal" to ease into the larger or harder to care for species. I have never done or reccomended that! Why get something you don't want just to practice for the real thing? Typically do your research and go for it! Caring for reptiles in all generally isn't very difficult! Take a step back, the animal is just a baby you have PLENTY of time to do all the research you could ever imagin doing. You know how big it "could" get, are you willing to have an animal that large around? The other option is taking it day by day untill the animal grows up. If it does end up to large for you then you could find another owner for it. Whatever your decision be sure to take a step back and look at the big picture! Good luck with your decision. Your not the only one to just jump into something. I've done it plenty of times, everything always works out in the end!
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John Light

i never discourage people from getting a retic, even as a first snake, my first 3 snakes ever were retics, some time ago. my point is, dont go into with the mentality, that well if it does get to big and much for me to handle, i can just rehome it. you should treat a snake as you would any other animal, or kid. you provide what it needs no matter the cost and time and you stay in it for the long haul, and just be prepared for a good size food bill. as long as people get them and dont just either get tired of them and/or get to where they feel they are too much for them to deal with and handle.
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retic is king of kings

1.0 Tiger Retic
1.0 Albino Tiger Retic
0.1 Striped Tiger Retic (het albino)
0.1 Salmon Boa
1.0 Albino Boa
0.1 False Water Cobra