Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

I am having some trouble with an issue and hoping to get some feedback from people who are more familiar with reticulated pythons.

My husband has multiple retics living in our basement, the largest of which is an 8 foot long albino, who is still growing. The other snakes are housed in a rack, but the big one is in a large tub with a lid, that my husband has secured with clips and ropes keep the lid secured. I consider him to be a very cautious snake owner, and do not think he would put our child in harm's way.

We have had the snakes for a couple of months, and none of them have ever gotten free or loose in the house.

We have a newborn baby, and I just can't stop worrying. My husband is telling me that there is no risk of anything happening. The snake(s) would have to escape from the bin (the floor is cold cement), climb up the basement stairs, climb up the second set of stairs, and find the baby. Could this happen?

I may not feel comfortable until at least the large one is out of the house entirely, but I thought I would try and get some opinions of people who know this kind of snake.

Thanks everyone.

Hi,

I love retics and have kept them extensivley in the past. My VPI Thai yellowheads were favorites. They were small (by retic standards) and gentle. With that being said, I do think you do have a risky situation occuring. Retics instinctively recognize primates as a surce of food. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in SE Asia.

So, is an accident likely to happen? No. But could a tragedy occur? Yes. The risk does rise substantially if the snake is kept in a poorly designed cage (as yours appears to be, from your description). If it were me, I would demand a secure, locking cage in a locked room if you are going to permit the snake to remain in your house at all.

However, for me personally, there is no level of risk, however minute, that would justify me keeping a potentially giant snake (which it will be very soon) in the house with an infant. Snakes are replaceable, children are not. Just my opinion though, I'm sure others here would disagree.

Unfortunately, It looks as if you're going to have an uncomfortable conversation in the near future. Good luck.

Will

My only comment would be regarding the caging. I have raised two boys with large retics in the house and like you my wife was very concerned. However like the original responder suggested, my retics are in secure locked cages in a locked room. Is this overkill? Probably however my wife is happy and there is a better chance our family dog would have trampled our baby before the retics caused any harm. I guess what I am saying is that a retic needs a better cage set up than a plastic tub with ropes. Building even a plywood constructed cage can be easy inexpensive and secured with a keyed lock. I hate to bust your husbands balls but I would hate to hear of a worse outcome

I agree totally with what the others have said so wisely. Professional grade caging is a must with retics. Bill
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...three years ago it was just another snake cult...
The Retic is King.
Anacondas-the other Dark Side.
Afrocks-the dark side of the Dark Side.

Do you have an update on this? If you want to share, what did your husband do? I think a locked room and a secure cage is a must for an animal like a retic.

Hey thanks for checking in and your concern

My OCD mixed with the retics just was just too much... My husband graciously ended up selling the snakes (he brought one to his office) and I have been sleeping much easier.

We now have 10 geckos (all kinds) in their place, including two eggs that are about to hatch! I am much more sane...

thanks again for caring!

I am a huge fan of responsible reptile keeping. I also do not think most reptiles are as dangerous as the general public seems to think. That said, retics and human babies need to be separated by some physical barrier, not just the cage. I think you made a good, responsible decision here.