Marco stuck in Utah, (lol, i love this)
All of these questions have many different answers as it really comes right down to the individual that you get. So I am going to generalize a little bit here to try to realistically cover your questions with likely fitting answers.
While the length of the retics tends to be considerably greater than the burms, their girth/overall bulk is usually not. They generally have a much leaner frame and lighter weight. So in a sense they are actually easier to hold when they are bigger than a big burm. Plus, retics tend to hold you back unlike most burms which often loll about and hang. The only downside is that retics often tend to constantly be on the move, trying to get somewhere. And this can be a real pain because they get downright determined. They are very willful snakes and don't like to be restrained or inhibited in their movements. While I have never seen them become aggressive in any way when restricted, they certainly can become irritated and then even quicker in their movements and more determined to do what they want to do.
Retics have an incredible feeding response. More intense than any other python I have worked with. But this is usually only when they detect initial movement or activity. They tend to race for that object to investigate whether or not it is food. They have a tendency to strike first and ask questions later, so one must understand this and deal with it accordingly. By this I mean, condition them to recognize you by a repetetive means. Some people train their tics to recognize the feel of a hook. Others may have different methods. My method is to move very visibly in front of them but out of range (they have keen eyesight and can almost immediately discern that you are not in fact a 9 pound rabbit) and to keep their focus on an upper hand, while I bring a lower hand to just under their chin, but not touching them. The next time their tongue comes out it hits my hand and they immediately comprehend that I am me and they back away or lose interest and turn. By being under their chin my hand is "under their radar" of their heat sensing equipment. It works very well for me and I have never been bitten while exercising this technique. Though I do not suggest that anyone without substantial experience try this. Much can go wrong if you don't have a genuine understanding of how to work with them and read their movements.
But the point I am trying to reach here, is that once they know you are you it is highly unlikely that they will have any additional feeding responses. I have only once been bitten and taken as food after thinking I had established myself. I was in a hurry and was cutting corners and I failed to truly read in him that he understood it was me. I grabbed him too quick from his cage and he immediately went into feeding mode. Fortunately he was a relatively small male at about 8 feet. Still hurt like heck and I inadverdantly yelled like a baby, lol. He got me three times in about 10 seconds as I worked to unhook him each time. It's comical in hindsight and I must stress to everyone to never be in a hurry. If you are impatient or don't feel like working with them,. don't. Impatience leads to mistakes.
Other than that I have never had a tic have a feeding response outside of the cage once I was established. And this is thousands of times, so it speaks volumes for a pretty steady pattern. Still, never drop your guard, always expect it. (as with any snake)
Retic temperment is generally pretty easygoing these days. Out of all the retics I have (many) I only have one that is aggressive and she came to me this way as an adult. Had she come to me as a baby or juvie she'd be tame within a month. But I can't work the same with a girl that can literally take my head off. My method of taming involves allowing the young ones to bite me until they no longer see me as a threat.
As to the rest of my retics they are all docile and 99% predictable. And while all are docile, each has a different personality of sorts. No two tics are alike. (one cool aspect of tics) I like some much more than others. Some are [bleep]y and don't like to be held, others float up and over my shoulder and practically ask to be held. Others are so indifferent to me that I feel slighted and insulted, lol. (almost)
I don't think that anyone should handle an adult male alone. By this I mean 12' males. It just isn't good practice. If you are really apprehensive about the size you should go with a dwarf. They max out nearly half what the normal tics grow to. Just stress to whomever you buy from that you want a docile baby. By starting with a docile baby you are WAY ahead of the game.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
>>Well, I have thought of it, but haven't studied retics much. I am under the assumption that their size is greater than burms. I have small children who love to play with my boy, phil. I fear the feeding response would be activated with them playing with a retic. I am also wondering about size of males (girls are just too darn big). How do they compare to male burms? How are they with children? You mentioned retics being active, does that activity turn into feeding aggression during regular handling? Can I safely handle an adult male alone? (don't get me wrong, I always have my wife at home when I handle phil, but she doesn't want to get too involved unless it is an emergency. I keep snakes for life and don't want to live in fear of my pet working me over! lol! I keep in good shape to safely handle my boy, and feel comfortable with him.) How does the temperment of retics match with burms? Phil would rather sleep in my lap for hours rather than attack anything. Sorry for the random questioning, you sparked an interest in me about retics. Thank you for your help.
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>>Marco
>>-stuck in Utah
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"If I had 365 enemies it would only take a year out of my life to settle all scores." Mia Miselfani
