Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey to all... I do not normally post on this forum(normally we are on the burmese forum) but we have a question.... We were in this pet store where we live and the store houses snakes, and not very well as far as I can tell, but we asked to hold this beautiful retic and they were like you can't he's vicious.... I was wondering if this is a normal trait of the retics for we have been batting the idea around of one and are trying to get our research up!!! Thanks for the help

If the snake isn't cared for properly in the store, that could be much of the problem. I have had experience with retics for many years, and I never had any trouble with mine. I purchased one from a pet store as a baby, and it was very nippy. I simply took the time to handle it and work with it, and it calmed down nicely and turned into a very docile snake that appeared in school presentations for many years. Will the one you speake of calm down if you bought it? Hard to say. It depends on the individual. But my experience has been that with proper handling, attention and care, nippy babies often turn into nice adults. Just make sure that the snake is otherwise healthy. And keep in mind that a reticulated python is one serious snake, and owning one is a major, major commitment. Proceed with care and caution.

RP

This and what Sybella said about the very powerful feeding responses is all very true. To add to this, I would have to say a few things. The snakes at pet stores generally do not get the best of care or the most "secure" environments. By this I mean, where THEY feel safe. So the snake can be feeling very deffensive at the store and the usual response to this is to bite. Another factor is if the parents of this particular snake are in any way aggressive and can not be trusted, then there is a distinct likelyhood that this character trait will be passed on genetically to the offspring and you may never have a tame retic that can be trusted. This scenario is not as likely these days as most retic aggression has been bred out. I don't have any aggressive retics now, but I had MANY in the 70's and 80's that were just plain untamable. I would bet my life that they were 90% imported. So find out about the parents. Other than that it all comes down to a few simple things,.... making the snake feel secure and safe,... and building a trust between him and you. This does not often happen overnight, so expect a few weeks at least before you see results. But once you can make him aware that you do not pose a threat to his safety and security then you should have a tame tic for life. But don't ever violate that trust. If you do it may not be established again any time soon if at all. One time when I was cleaning a female's cage, the female was being a bit of a jerk and I was losing my patience. She kept "flinching" and spilling the water bowl and messing up the new papers I was laying. I guess she may have been in a bad mood,.. But I swatted her with the open paper I was holding and she just went berserk! She got very defensive and "confronted" me (in my face, staring me down). Backed me right out of her cage. I have to admit, she got my respect, lol. And she was like this for over a month after that. The trust had been violated and she let me know. Fortunately she eventually trusted me again and we are friends once again. But I have to wonder,... had I done something worse what she would have done and been like? Other than that, watch for the unpredictable and spontaneously powerful feeding responses. These in my opinion are the biggest thing to watch for. The snake can go from sleeping facing away from you to suddenly "swimming" through the air toward you with their mouth wide open and trying to grab anything that moves. The usual way I avoid this scenario is to first open their cages slowly and cautiously, making sure I see their heads and where they are. Then I try to give them a clear visual of me (retics have very good vision) then once I see that they kinda recognise me, watching them closely for any signs of an impending strike, I slowly extend my hand (away from their heads) to a section of their body and give them a rub and or pat. This usually tells them I am not there to feed them because I have done the "touch thing" since they were little. This may sound like a time consuming practice, but it usually is quick and only takes a few seconds. If on the other hand, once they see me, they come forward smelling the air slowly in a curious and lazy way, I take this as a non-hunger related action and let them smell my hand. Once they establish it's "you" via smell, there's not much to be concerned about. Once they smell you you will actually see them become indifferent and go about their way and they will basically ignore you. Don't be offended,. you're safe and that's all that matters, lol.

Other than that,.. like this person said in this post,.. to you and to anyone else ever considering getting any boid (python or boa),... don't get one if you are not prepared to keep this pet for 25 to 30 years. Kudos to anyone that keeps their pythons for their entire lifespans. (Sybella, you got another decade but I already know you're in for the long haul. My hat is off to you) Good luck with your first retic, and post any questions here and they will be answered.

>>If the snake isn't cared for properly in the store, that could be much of the problem. I have had experience with retics for many years, and I never had any trouble with mine. I purchased one from a pet store as a baby, and it was very nippy. I simply took the time to handle it and work with it, and it calmed down nicely and turned into a very docile snake that appeared in school presentations for many years. Will the one you speake of calm down if you bought it? Hard to say. It depends on the individual. But my experience has been that with proper handling, attention and care, nippy babies often turn into nice adults. Just make sure that the snake is otherwise healthy. And keep in mind that a reticulated python is one serious snake, and owning one is a major, major commitment. Proceed with care and caution.
>>
>>RP
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It isn't "Ideas" that fail or succeed,... it is the "Sytstems" which are instilled to launch and sustain the idea that either fail or succeed.>[Me.]

Retics do have a reputation for being agressive and if the snake is nasty now, he may or may not come out of it with proper care and lots of attention. However, I've had one for 19 years and he's never been a problem. He does have a wicked feeding response and I have to difuse that every time I open the cage door but other than that, he's a puppydog. I have pictures of Rumplesnakeskin up on my Yahoo pictures and we're kissing in one of them. http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/lady_sybella

Thank you so much for your help.... We currently own a 2yr old albino burmese and a baby boa and the retics are beautiful but i feel so bad for these snakes at this particular pet store.... they are not being cared for nor handled and we house ours and were thinking about trying to rescue the retic from there... they house so many snakes at this pet stpre that i just want to take them all home to love them all.... I truly don't believe that they are being heated, cleaned, or loved as they should and i wanted to know kinda what i was looking at getting myself into... Thanks a million
Swara

Well, you're in for a handful, for a lot of years. LOL!
Since you have a burmese, you're already in for one huge monstrocity...if you ready to take on another, I'd go and spend a little time with this one first.

Something I always do with my snakes is give them a little rubbing and petting before I pick them up. This way, they know it's me and not food, and they aren't startled by my touch. It takes away the threat. (Forgive me if I'm repeating myself but this technique has worked with just about every snake I've encountered...I don't get bit this way. It mellows out snakes that have bitten others.)

Sometimes retics will take to a certain person, or a certain sex. They aren't like corns that will go to anyone. Before you take that retic home, feel things out. The snake may very well be better off with you than at the pet shop but you don't want a snake that doesn't like you either.

The snake may be aggressive from inside the cage. Use a hook or
toss a towel over its head to get it out then it should be fine.
You can also condition it to feeding time by flashing the lights
on and off prior to feeding. Then when you mother-in-law wants
to pick up the pretty snake, flash the lights a few times and say
"Be my guest!"