Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1. Are males smaller than females like other snakes? and if so what is a guesstimate size of a adult male?

2. I can't really find any reputable CBB breeders for tigers, There seem to be a considerable amount of wild caught or CH, but I only buy American bred animals, anyone shine a light on some reputable people or website?

3. Is there a standard color for them?

Any other helpful information would be nice

I currently have 2 balls, 2 red tails, and a milk snake.

Thanks in advance.

Males are smaller, around 11'-15' where as females are more in the 16'-20 .

Take your time selecting a snake. I spoke a lot with Mike Wilbanks from constrictors unlimited, as well as Greg Bryant from the Retic Ranch. Both were VERY helpful and I am sure would be happy to talk to you about your first tic.

Retics very a lot in color and pattern. it will change with genetic, and locality.

If I could make a couple recommendations. I highly recommend you talk with a couple breeders, and talk to them about what your after, and what your getting into. I recently got my first retic and love him! But I did months of research.

Also I would really recomend that you get some handleing time in. Either with a local resue, or local collector. Just to give your self a chance to really apprecite there size! Oh Also maybe clean a cage or two, that will give you a chance to see what size shovel you will be needing... LOL!

Good luck!

I managed to get a tiger retic from Greg Bryant. It will be here tommorow, can't wait. I have 8 Ft boas and a few balls at the moment so I have decent size handeling The pain of getting nipped just wakes me up in the morning it is better than coffe.

getting bit by a 14 foot retic is nothing like getting bit by a RTB or Ball. Retics have one of, if not the most painful snake bite. A large male or female that decides to constrict to do damage can quite easily break bones. I don't say this to scare you, but it seems like you jumped in to buying a snake that you had done little or no research on, as one of the first things listed on any care sheet or husbandry fact is adult size ranges. Retics are also famous for having "bad" days, and those days are on their terms not yours. They are also not nearly as laid back as balls or rtb's. This is a snake that in general is Go go go, all 150 pounds of them, and they are fast. I wish you the best of luck however with your new snake, i just hope you aren't another herper who didn't do the research and got in way over his head.

I got bitten by a 14 foot Sulawesi importon my forearm.... it was a frightening ordeal... the python wrapped my arm up and dug his teeth deep into me... took 3 people and 10 minutes to finally get him off of me.... it resulted in 37 stitches and a vascular surgeon to repair a large artery the teeth severed..... These pythons are no joke... they can be very dangerous... nothing compared to an 8 foot boa bite
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM

I bred retics for years and I havent heard much about imported tigers.... Alot of people breed them though.... I would steer clear of imports.... they rarely acclimate well

Males are smaller than females... but they still get quite large. If this is your first retic I suggest getting a superdwarf... Full sized retics require a great commitment and are almost impossible to sell if they get too large for your caging.. A full grown adult retic will require a 10 foot cage minimum... I know people use 6 foot cages... but it's really inhumane to cram them into a tiny space like that... Males especially will push on the inside of the cage and bust up their face if the cage is too small... I've seen large retics crack open 3/4 inch plywood... and strip out 3 inch long wood screws... Cages must be robust and reinforced...

Retics are great when their small.... very intelligent and active... but it takes a special kind of person to care for giant retics..... I stopped breeding them because I knew that most of the pythons I produced ended up in the hands of people that arent capable of taking care of such a creature... after 16 years of experince with this species I've come to the conclusion that the giant retics belong in the jungle.... they dont make good pets...even the largest of cages are too small for an animal like this to thrive.... they need room sized enclosures.....
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Marc Duhon
Lafayette, Louisiana
SURINAMBOAS.COM
kaiyudsai@SURINAMBOAS.COM