Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi. does anyone have a chart of the growth rate of a retic? something like size vs age. im thinking about getting one, but it depends on how fast it grows. ive read if you feed them right 10-14 feet in a year or something? seems insane. well, anyways. if there is no chart can u just give me like a 5 year (starting from baby) estimated size? like, after 1 year - this big, 2 yrs this big, etc. thanks a lot,
mike

Hi,
Growth rate depends on different factors.A hatchling retic will grow length very rapidly and then slow down based on the locale it came from.Generally,you can expect a 10 footer within 1 or 2 years if fed well and kept in proper conditions.The key is not to overfeed like many people will tell you.Give the retic a meal every 10 days for the first couple years and after that it can be slowed down to every couple weeks.This is of course sticking to prey size of about the snake's girth.Some folks will say that you should as often as every 3-5 days.This will maybe grow the snake quickly but can trash it's internal organs.We should be concerned with the proper care and husbandry more than how fast we can grow these animals.If grown properly you can add years of life to this animal!

depends a lot on the snake and the diet. Mine is ~14 months old, and pushing a good 8 feet. I feed her about every 10-15 days. Usually 1-2 large rats. I always wait until she starts to hunt, ( rather than lying still she starts to crawl around @ night ) I let her go for a day or so for exercise and usualy I have her out of the cage a lot on this day for good exercise.

Most of these snakes tend to get to about 10-12 feet and are rather skinny still, mine is about 7-8 inches in girth empty. Once they hit this mark they tend to fatten up and then gain a few feet per year and pack on the food as muscle and girth rather than sheer length.

I totally agree with what everyone is saying. I fed my male very spraingly(sp) a good sized meal every two weeks and it is amazing, because he stil managed to grow to ovcer 7ft and he still isn't a year old(born in Jan) He also is very very very girthy. I am leaning twards him being a female at this rate. Also, if u don't feed enough, retic could be stunned and not grow to it's full potential. For example, I got a pair of tigers and at 6months old, they were only 3ft. They are the only snakes I have fed heavily, but I still didn't over do it. Instead of 1 meal a week, I gave the 2-3 and they managed to get to 5ft within two months!!!!!
Keep one thing in mind, just because your retic seems hungry, doesn't mean u should feed him/her. My 7ft male would probably eat 2-3 3lb G-pigs that are 3x his girth weekly, but that is not good for the snake and I would never overfeed.
Good Luck!

ok, so i can expect around 10 feet in the first year. then its mostly girth gain? how big do they generally get after 3 and 5 years? lenght/girth? thanks for the info. im just wondering if i can keep one the last two years im in school, and what will happen after - cuz i love these snakes. thanks again.
-mike