Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been keeping snakes for about 15 years, started with a cornsnake when I was 14. I have had Kings, Gophers, Milks, Corns, Ball Pythons, and Columbian Boas in my time. My cornsnakes produced several offspring over a 6 year period. I now own One snake, Helga, a 19 month old , 11 foot albino Burmese Python. My pride and joy. I am seriously tempted to buy a male silver retic, as a hatchling. I have been reading these forums for some time, but I wonder if any of you can really point out some differences between burm and retic behavior, care, etc. Or perhaps suggest a good web site. Am I getting in over my head?

Even though Burms and retics are considered Giant Snakes, their behaviors are in some ways similar and in other ways very different. You must use the same precautions in terms of using tongs when feeding, having an extra person around when handling, keeping cages fairly simple, same temp/humidity requirements, etc. Where I see the biggest difference is in natural behaviors. When out of a cage, burms are relatively slow moving, deliberate animals. Retics, however, are always on the go. Spend 15 minutes trying to control a large retic and you will feel like you just completed an aerobics class. Retics are probably a tad less trustworthy (or perhaps consistent is a better word) in terms of handling and interaction with their owners. They will lunge for food and while burms will too, it isn't with quite the same vigor as an equally sized burm.

In the end, though, both snakes are fully capable of killing or severely injuring a person and both must be given the utmost in respect.

Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation (IL)

Ditto what Rob said above. In addition, if I had to pick just one distinction between Burmese and retics (speaking in a very anthropomorphic fashion) it would be that Burmese seem to accept their “fate” better as captive animals. That is, many retics constantly probe the openings to their cages, with resultant rostral damage and sometimes stomatitis.

-Joan

You are 100% correct, retics do seem to rub quiet a bit. There is always a few in every clutch that seem to be into self mutilating themselfs. Retics are just very active for snakes and have a very high motabolism. Giving them hideboxes, and keeping them well fed are major priorities, unlike burmese pythons they will not sit quietly and wait for food to walk by, they will hunt it. Also they do seem a bit more intelligent so it is possible they are just bored with there cages... hmmm -Shaun D

I keep MANY of both species and yes, there are many subtle differences, as well as many similarities.

I agree to a point with what Carmichael said about retics being quite a handful when having them out of the cage. They are *generally* more high strung, very determined and deliberate in their movements and impulses and are usually a much more rapidly moving snake. However, like everything these are "general" consistancies and it also comes down to the individual. I have some really laid back retics that will move about in a leasurely and calm manner, and many that will simply "run amock" and get into trouble (knocking over stuff, climbing, burrowing, trying to hide). Most will be very energetic like this, but some aren't. So I can't state with certainty that your new retic will be this way or any certain way.

The other poster is dead wrong when it comes to modern day captive produced retics. Most of them are very content with being caged or confined. Out of the 30 plus adult retics that I own only one 2 year old male actually noses and searches for a way to get out of his cage. But he noses gently and never so much as dents a scale. He's simply searching for a mate. He's one of only two males that I didn't use this year for breeding and I feel that there is a direct connection with this in his desire to get out. All of the other retics are completely content and never nose or push at their enclosures. If anything my burms do this much more than my retics on average, lol.

Now,.. one thing that I can post with certainty is about the retic's characteristicly explosive feeding response. Wake up a sleeping retic with movement or touch, or just open the cage suddely without looking and you suddenly have a face full of hungry retic. They tend to strike first and identify later. Burms, on the other hand will *usually* smell first (identify first) and strike second. Burms are a lot easier to work with in terms of predictability and management. Retics almost always must be "defused" from their automatic feeding mode that they go into the moment they detect movement. Carmichael touched on this in his post too, but didn't go into a lot of detail about it.

What it comes down to is that once you know how to work with a retic and their idiosyncrasies they are really not any harder to work with. It's just knowing their differences.

Email me any time if you want to talk tic BrianSmithReptiles@hotmail.com

>>I have been keeping snakes for about 15 years, started with a cornsnake when I was 14. I have had Kings, Gophers, Milks, Corns, Ball Pythons, and Columbian Boas in my time. My cornsnakes produced several offspring over a 6 year period. I now own One snake, Helga, a 19 month old , 11 foot albino Burmese Python. My pride and joy. I am seriously tempted to buy a male silver retic, as a hatchling. I have been reading these forums for some time, but I wonder if any of you can really point out some differences between burm and retic behavior, care, etc. Or perhaps suggest a good web site. Am I getting in over my head?
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

“The other poster is dead wrong when it comes to modern day captive produced retics. Most of them are very content with being caged or confined.” - BrianSmith

Damon –

So are you saying that this is strictly a problem with wild-caught animals? Based on the example you gave, are you suggesting that only around 3% of captive-bred reticulated pythons are nose rubbers? Actually, for many it’s more like nose bumpers, or side of the mouth bumpers rather than “rubbers.” What percentage of wild-caught retics, then, do you think suffer from that problem?

Thanks,
Joan

n/p

>>n/p
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Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish anything.

i would stick with the burms. i have had many burms over the years that i enjoyed and trusted very much. there personality's seem to beem very consistent among different snake. that holds true for the 15 or so that i have had. my retic on the other hand, i had some agressive snake.(many hissing problems at the least) the other posts make very good points about retic keeping. if you find yourself in a situation were you have to house your snakes together, the burms would not mind at all. with the retics that i have had, they would become stressed with other snakes in their tank. i was told that you can not house two adult male retic together at all. i never tried it so i am not for sure about that. with the wanting to get out thing, i had a yellow head in a tank with a screen top that i would not even have to clip down. he would bump it with his nose, fell that it was their and never try to push out. good luck with your choice. later, Mark

I was just checking this forum as I was wanting to take the step from balls to burms, any advise? Any good wesites to check?
cheers

Hey Smif – You’re not one of those wacky fun-loving kidders from the Ball Python Forum, are you? Coming over to play a little practical joke on us? ‘Cause we take our giant snakes seriously over here.

-Joan

I am just a lad who loves snakes. I wanted over the next few months to get a burm, but found pet shops gave contradictive and wrong advise. Just thought Id ask the people who know and love them a bit of advise on where to get the best information!! Sorry if I stepped on any toes.

Smiffy, Balls to burms? Im not saying that DONT DO IT!! ive known people whose first snake was a burm. But besides that, you could go with something like a female Boa or something, balls to burms is a larger step, but go ahead and do it if you're CERTAIN you can deal with it. I got a ribbon snake for my first snake, then a ball python, then moved into a Redtail Boa, now im going into a male African Rock python...im sure after i deal with a 9' Af Rock im pretty prepared for something like a Burm or a Retic.

Time, Money & Space!

I've had my burm for about 6-8 months now. I previously had a ball in the 80's and a boa wild from Panama, don't ask.

My Burm is almost 9 feet. He eats about 3 large rats every other week. He sometimes gets constipated so I sometimes have to inject mineral oil in the rats I feed him. They suggest a cage 6X3 feet, 6 foot tall. THEY NEED IT! I used an old dresser and made an awsome cage. It was originally for a baby burm but it died while I was building the cage.

They need humidity, heat, a place to hide, a place to soak. If you want to keep the vet bills down you gotta clean the cage allot. I use the standard shredded bedding from the shows and it's a mess. I now have an automatic misting system I built but it was a pain. I also have Calorique heating but you have to connect it to the same voltage thermostat and keep the ele put in the cage has to be caged and solid so he can't move it, or touch it such as heating elements. Eating? In my area rats are $6 each and they get freezer burnt when I buy a bag of 10 frozen so I raise my own. They STINK!

In all I like having a huge snake but it takes a dedication if your just the average hobbyist. These other guys have these huge set-ups and know the business but I question whether their animals are content. Then again, they may sell them so fast it really doesn't matter. I want my animals to be as well taken care of as possible.

My new cage I'm building will run around $500 and take 2 months to build. I'm not wealthy and I work all day so this drags out the time. I also have to make an adequate cage for the nearly 100 rats I need to keep in stock. babies to adults to keep the right size on hand. Still tweeking that one.

Lotta work, but if your dedicated and educated, do it!

DZ

Sorry, I hit "insert" on the keyboard and screwed up my typing.

You gotta secure and cover everything or they'll move, dump it, break it, whatever.

Go Ahead take the next step, Retics are awesome...I just got my first about a month and half ago. NOT ONE BITE OR ANYTHING. Real nosey snakes

I have had numerous snakes myself in the past 30 years..Including Burms, Boas..numerous kings and Milks...Blood pythons etc..I always shied away from the retics because of all the stories I had heard about them being unpredictable...I now own 3 Retics 2 Tigers and a Yellow head and they have been the best snakes I have ever owned....My Male Tiger is approx 12' and tame as a kitten ...My female is 17' and aside from her enormous weight anyone can handle her...She even tolerated me forcing Baytril down her throat when she had a slight infection
My Burms were great too dont get me wrong but they have over aggressive feeding response that requires great care when feeding time is at hand LOL.....
Hope this helps...e-male me for pics of retics..Thanks
John

I posted before I proof read..orry what I meant to say is that the burms are great snakess also but they DONT seem to have the aggressive feeding response a Retic does..
John