Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So my husband and I are considering one of the two for a family pet, and keep holding off buying one to make sure we do all the research that we can. We have several larger boas, biggest being a little over 8 foot, but was just curious as to what everyones exsperience with them and suggestions or inputs! thanks so much!

Madeline

The way I see it is... if you're ready to step up to the larger pythons it's really going to come down to what you like better.
They can both be great snakes to raise and keep, both will get huge and both can cost a lot more money to keep than even large boas, but if you have the room and know what you're getting into in the way of cost of care then I don't think you can go wrong either way.
I'm partial to retics.
I like the variety of retic morphs and I think that they have a different personality than a burmese.
Retics are very smart and more energetic than most burms.
They can be a handful, but if you interact with them as you raise them you will learn the snake's individual personality... None of mine act the same and most of the time I know what to expect from each of them.

Burms require just about the exact space and care.
Proportionally, they get bigger than retics in girth and weight, just not length, and are generally a little more mellow.
There aren't as many morphs available, but if you find one that you really like than who cares.

I say, if you're confident that you're ready and prepared then just get whichever one attracts you more.
Either way you won't be disappointed.

Thanks, my husband and i are both partial to albinos. and I absolutly love the purple sunfire retics but thats WAY out of our price range! haha and I like the idea of a burm better because they are more chilled out, but not so much that they can weight as much as some do! I personally have been around either one other than at shows, but you can never really tell much about a snakes personality at a show. But i also like the look of the retics better. I think your right, I've talked with several people who own both, and they say either way they are both rewarding, just what you like is our own preferance. As long as we can get him tame, i wil be confident, but we will get a baby, so we can raise him, they just make me a litte nervous, as far as being so big and slightly unpredictable. I know our pet boas like the back of my hand, as far as temperment, and i've heard that retics have like a 6th sence as far as knowing the owners and such. We are going to a show this weekend and have talked to one of the vendors that is bringing a baby albino male reitic... So who knows!
thanks again for your comment, any info or suggestions are gratefully apreciated!