Is the recommendation of a retic avoided because of the size or is the care the reason? Because what I have found is that people like Reach Out Reptiles and other retic breeders are more concerned with the adult length of the snake, but they don’t mention their care being worth the difficulty. Please tell me your opinions, and statements. I am all ears, and just want to what you guys think.
I do not keep retics but I would say that the one (size) goes hand in hand with the other (care) and that is why it is emphasized. The majority of people buying retics are getting them as a sort of impulse buy with no consideration for how large these animals can get. And with their larger size come specific care needs that get neglected because the buyer did not put thought into it before hand.
If responsible breeders/sellers emphasize the size of the animal it might force potential buyers to think about what it takes to care for/house a large, powerful animal
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Thank you so much I completely agree that a bigger animal would cause more issues like ambient heat in the tank humidity issues not to mention feeding issues. I agree that much time, research, even possibly a mentorship with someone who owns read text would be a good source of information About size and temperament
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I would say their care is pretty straight forward if you’re an experienced keeper. That being said, they have spectacular growth rates. A lot of keepers see this tiny adorable baby and think the cage, tub or enclosure they have will suffice. You’ll need to upgrade their enclosures more often than other snakes.
I think retics are avoided because many have the misconception that they can be defensive, and grow to 10ft in a year. I don’t believe that to be true from my experiences but I know those kind of retics are out there.
Many people overfeed their snakes, and in the wild, retics( especially island localities) don’t eat as much as they do in the captive environment. I feed my retics one prey item every 7-10 days, exactly the same size as the snakes body. As the snake matures, I’ll go up to every 10-14 days, 14-20 days and then eventually once a month once they hit 2-3 yrs old. I’ve found if you do this they will still be very healthy and grow slower which is better for breeding and in general for health.
Even with doing everything right, these snakes can still get very large. And that’s where the care difficulty comes into play. You’ll want to make sure you can afford to feed a retic if they get to that stage. Also with handling such long and powerful pythons, you definitely want to know your comfort level.
I’m comfortable with anything at 13ft or less, and I don’t expect others to be the same. It took me a long time to build up my confidence to handle a snake that size, especially because I handle all of mine alone. So if you don’t have help while handling them, they can be very overwhelming.
And they are the most food motivated snakes I’ve ever owned. So think of a 12ft snake that has one of the most reactive feeding responses of any species, it can be intimidating.
They are my favorite species. I’ve found them to be more docile than most would say, but I’ve been very lucky and have a good hand with snakes. You’ll also need to train them with a hook or paper towel roll. I rub all of mine on the top of the head for a good 2-3 seconds before I take them out of their enclosure. I start that training immediately and always do it for their entire life.
I never handle the same day I feed as this can cause these very intelligent snakes to associate handling with meal time.
Always show them respect, they are smart and powerful no matter at what age.
And most importantly research for a very LONG time( and I mean hard research from all different sources you can find).
Also try and get some hands on experience with the species. You may find they aren’t your cup of tea and there is nothing wrong with that. It took me about a year before I finally pulled the trigger on buying one, and that was after I talked with retic keepers, breeders and had hands on experience.
I would recommend them as a snake to keep, but only if you’re 1000% positive you can accommodate their demands. Never buy this species on a whim. I’ve meet a lot of people who have and they regretted it. And that’s never good for our hobby or the snake.
Sorry for the long post, I love this species and get excited when I see others take interest.
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I cannot emphasize the importance of this line!!
This is important for any species you are looking at but I think it is doubly so for the more advanced species.
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I’m not sure where you live. I’m located in Central MN. If you ever wanted hands on experience, and we’d have to talk a bit on the phone or meet first in person to build trust, I have a friend who lives in northern MN who would allow you to see and handle his retics. I would invite you personally, but I’ve seen the bad side of that experience played out in person. I’m very protective and cautious of whom I let in my home and near my reptiles. I always have been and always will be.
My friend keeps mainlands, and they range in different sizes and temperaments. So if you were ever up in MN, and wanted to see different examples of how this species acts or reacts, I’d be more than happy to ask him( which I know he’d be ok with, he’s not as cautious as myself) to welcome you to experience these fantastic snakes. I’ve found research to be my number one tool for learning, but with this specific species I believe you also need to consider hands on experience. I didn’t understand the power retics have until I handled them for myself.
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I live in south FL sir. But if I am that would be awesome @mnroyals . I too am very picky when it comes to people touching and interactiving with my pets in general.
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Oh wow, I don’t think we could be any further away from each other 
. South Florida to Central MN is definitely a good chunk of distance.
Never a bad thing to be overprotective or cautious in our hobby.
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So true, @mnroyals . It makes me nervous to let just people touch my animals, nerveless someone admitting that they need help. Just because of the whole thing that they are trying to learn from my animal.
I couldn’t agree more.