Reptile & Amphibian Forums

np

Greetings!

Just please know that just because an animal is CB (are you saying Captive Born or Captive Born and Bred?) that will NEVER indicate you'll have a lazy lap snake.

Every animal has his/her bad hair day so to speak, where they either just want to be left alone or aren't feeling their best and wish to sleep it off. Any number of things can make an animal lash out at you (if it's illness or unhappiness from the environment, that's totally the keeper's fault). Keep in mind that accidents can and most certainly DO happen.
Heck, even if you think you can avoid getting tapped by a retic during feeding day and you're fine any other day of the week that's wrong. I had a jampea that could smell food a mile away in the sense that a squirrel was clamboring through our attic for a week. Due to it being up there, it no doubt peed and everything else not to the extent (yet) that we could smell it, but Jinxie most certainly could! Talk about surprise one morning when I had him out, he stopped his usual sniffing and exploring about and stood still...I didn't notice until it was too late and he struck out at me. He came less than 3" from my face and I wondered why until I heard the hairy little cutie running around up there. Scared the begeebers out of me that's for sure.
Something to think about. Instincts can kick in when you least expect it, so you MUST use caution at ALL times.

I too am a lover of the big boys in quite a few fields of animals, but, I did not start with a retic. I actually started a little advanced even for myself to have a first snakes. I started off with a beautiful baby columbian rainbow boa. I felt I could handle the higher humidity requirements nicely since I've had over 15 years experience researching, keeping and rescuing green iguanas (who have high humidity requirements, among other things) so it was a snap keeping Mystyx (CRB) to me. I still have her and she's still my baby girl (ok so she's not pencil-sized anymore, going on 5'! woo!). True, she's not a huge girl, but I started with her, point being. I moved up from there into BCIs of varying types, then to macklotts (I love those immensely) and scrubs....THEN I finally got a jampea. I loved him to death but, with moving twice in a row and money being tight, I was forced to sell him (and many others). Now, those money issues are resolved and yes, I would love to have retics again but I want to make absolutley sure I will get them legally, have space for them once I'm up north and then I will get some.
It never hurts to wait and make absolutely sure what you are getting yourself into.
I would highly recommend getting started with a smaller species and working your way up as it is a dramatic difference between owning a rainbow boa or smaller python/boa species than a retic. It's like working your way up from shoes, to a bicycle and then a car, then the car of your dreams. You'll eventually get it, you are just better off starting off with what you can handle. ;D

Hugs!

Amanda Rose - yet another long message. ;D hehehe