Yup totally agree about the pee it is nuts the level of concrete hardness to it. Also know that they are lizard feeders as babies. But you can get them switched i bought from Mtpleasentherps.com and they did the hard work to switching them to frozen thawed my little one in the first week already took a pinkie from me. Had to poke her a little with it and then she just took it as slow and gentle as can be. So thankfully already got one that likes mice so totally recommend captive bred and already eating frozen thawed.
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Haha, donāt I know it. My previous roommate got a large male ball python as a re-homeā¦and I was so jealous that when I heard about someone needing to re-home their sand boa, I jumped at the chance. Then I loved the sand boa so much that I decided to get another snake about a year later. Iād always wanted a blood python and finally felt like I was in a good place where it was a realistic option for me, so I got myself the normal female blood of my dreams. Now I love the blood python so much that Iām planning for my third snake once sheās grown up a bit. You can see the pattern thatās developing. 
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I saw pictures of those when I was researching the species, that morph is so crazy beautiful! Itās like a cow retic, except better.
I also read that they (the calico morph) were crazy hard to findā¦so given their rarity and high demand, I can pretty much guarantee that even if I could find one, it would be far too expensive for me to ever afford. Iād probably have to go for a normal, or perhaps splurge on the extra-red variety. But I love the fact that an animal like the calico even exists.
Thanks for your info on the species. They sound like they could be manageable for me, and theyāre certainly beautiful snakes (even the wild types) ā¦although not gonna lie, I donāt love the sound of pee that dries like cement. Is there anything you can do to make it easier to clean up, like a substrate that absorbs it or a cleaning product that softens it? Or do you just have to stay on top of cleaning so you can catch it before it dries? Do they let loose this nightmare pee often?
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How dare you! 
Imo cow is the superior retic and I would love one, one dayā¦ If they can ya know, make a dwarf or super dwarf oneā¦ omgā¦ 
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Donāt get me wrong, cow retics are incredible, but Iām a big fan of red, especially when combined with black, so for me, a white snake with black and red polka dots wins out over a white snake with just black polka dots. Sorry not sorry. 
That said, I would loveloveLOVE a super dwarf cow retic. Omg that would be amazing. Iād sell my kidney for one of those (which would be quite a sacrifice, as I only have one kidney to begin with ).
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Unfortunately yes they do like to pee alot. But they also from what I have heard like to do it in there water bowl.
Smooth pvc type material with a substrate I would think dirt or coco fiber for quick take away and replacement would work. Right now I just have the baby on non adhesive shelf liner in her cage with 2 big water bowls and numerous easy clean hides. So will just toss the shelf liner out and replace it. Seems that it just cements on really quick and easy and the dollar general has it cheaper then brawny paper towels. Will switch it when it gets into an adult cage but got time. Best part and the worst is that they are active snakes. Inquisitive that like to check things out. They also have a high metabolism so are active and like to eat. So they like to relieve themselves alot too. Once or twice a week.
I really wonder if the super dwarf retic guys who love retics because of there intelligence might also like the Hispaniola boa as well. But yeah the pee sucks lol
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That is THE calico DRMB I believe. I donāt know if it ever reproduced or is even still alive. I havenāt seen a new picture of it in years. Most of the pictures floating around are 8-10 years old and it was decent sized then.
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@erie-herps Sorry missed your question! I like 6-8ā by 3ā for anything over 10-12 feet. If you can do 4ā deep that would be good also but I have t-Rex arms, so too deep is a no for meš super dwarf over 6ā I use a 4ā by 32ā that should be good for most high percentage sds. Right now I have a almost 2 year old jaguar, het. Purple, het. Anthrax in a 41q rack, she has just moved up to 1 med. rat a week and is not quite ready for her new 2x4 enclosure yet. She is a slender almost 6ā girl. Probably by the winter she will make the move. Weird thing about retics, we all know they are active animals but they are all individuals, and still need to feel secure. My big girl who has never rubbed a day in her life, hated when I tried to upgrade her to a larger cage, rubbed would not relax pushing on every corner, so for now she is in her old cage. I am going to add a shelf to the larger cage, hopefully she will feel more secure, and try again. Also some like hides, but a lot wonāt use them, my sd feels more comfortable with 1/2 his front glass covered, cause he will blast it all the time if he sees a shadow, me or ? Weird my small sd is the most food/cage aggressive one I gotš but has never bit me even when a baby as long as I show him a hook to get him out of that mode. Thatās why retics can make such exciting snakes to work with, their individual, different personalities.
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If I were to ever get a full size mainland retic, I would personally keep it in at least a 10ft long by 6ft deep and probably 6ft high (maybe bigger if it seems a bit small for the snake in question and doesnāt let them stretch out enough). Despite the fact people usually keep them in rather small enclosures without much room for proper enrichment or exercise. You of course have a bit of time before needing that large of space. Also, if you want to do a naturalistic enclosure with a large water area you could go bigger. Because I know that I personally wouldnāt be able to provide exactly what I want for them, I will only ever get a super dwarf. Even then the enclosure would need to be big, and something I would build myself. They are too active and intelligent of a snake for me to be happy putting them in a small box.
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Yeah, the issue of how big an enclosure snakes, especially larger snakes, actually need seems to be something of debate within the snake-keeping community. Plenty of very experienced keepers say their large constrictors do very well in smaller enclosures, while others insist that snakes need to have space to stretch out and are horrified by the notion of keeping a large snake in a relatively small enclosure.
I generally tend to lean in the direction of giving them more space, but I freely admit that my opinion is probably coloured by years of working with lizards and mammals, where bigger usually is better. Ultimately I think that an enclosure of any size only works if a) the snake can feel secure (whether thatās achieved by a smaller enclosure, or a larger enclosure with lots of cover and hides) and b) the keeper can keep it clean. And Iām sure individual snakes can have preferences one way or the other as well. Though at least in general, I feel like more space with proper cover and hides for security is probably better, provided the keeper is able to keep it clean.
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Well put! @jawramik and just like most other things, there may not be just 1 correct way to keep your reptiles. I definitely have respect for people who want to do naturalistic, or even bioactive enclosures, I really prefer to make sure everything is easily cleanable and easy to see if there is any issues. I think as long as you have some knowledge, experience and the well being of your pet as a priority you can make whatever way to care for them work for you. I also agree with @ashleyraeanne about providing enrichment for your snakes, especially active species like the retic., but this too can be done many ways, such as handling, letting them loose in a room(with your supervision of course!) ect. Here is a pic I just took of my mainland in her smaller enclosure, that she feels comfortable in. Still plenty of room and she is a spoiled princess around here, always coming out of her cage to say helloš I always help/answer questions with honesty and things that I have personal experience with. Everyone is definitely entitled to there own way of doing things for sure! Have a good oneš
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@banereptiles Iāve always wondered about how mainland keepers are able to keep snakes that large, especially breeders. I think itās very dependant on the individual snake, like how you mentioned your female does better in a smaller enclosure. Thanks for the response, itās very informative!
@ashleyraeanne I agree that an enclosure that size is the ideal enclosure for a snake that size, but thatās very hard for most people to provide. For example, my local zoo doesnāt even have an enclosure that large (itās about 8āx4-5ā for the display enclosure and about 8āx2ā for the off-exhibit enclosure, neither with good climbing opportunities or cover), zoos donāt usually have the best care but they have a lot more resources and money than most hobbyists to work with. I would only get a mainland if I had the space and resources to potentially provide a ~8-10āx4āx6ā enclosure, or something around there.
@jawramik I think youāre spot on, I think the main factor of enclosure size is the individual snake itself, some might be very active and need a large enclosure and climbing opportunities, while others will be too stressed and prefer a smaller enclosure.
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I currently have my sand boa in an enclosure thatās a good deal bigger than whatās normally recommended. Part of that is just because sheās an adult female at the larger end of the size spectrum, but sheās also very active. She used every inch of the 30"x12"x12" tank she came to me in and wasnāt able to fully stretch out along the long side, as sheās over 30" long. I upgraded her to a 36"x18"x12" PVC enclosure, which I felt was a decent upgrade in floor space, and she uses every inch of that as well.
My blood python isā¦well, a blood python, so sheās not terribly active, but she does move around her enclosure some, and I often find her resting stretched out either diagonally or along the long side of her tub. For that reason, Iām leaning towards getting her an adult enclosure thatās a little bigger than the 4āx2ā footprint thatās normally recommended for short tails. She doesnāt seem to have any interest in using traditional hides, but she seems to feel safe and secure so long as she has enough loose substrate to burrow in and some cover and clutter to hide in.
With a snake like a boa or SD retic, Iād also probably try to go larger than whatās normally recommended. Iām especially interested in experimenting with giving them some extra height and climbing opportunities, as Iāve read that many of them seem to appreciate having the option to get up off the ground. But ultimately itās going to come down to the individual snake and what they seem to need or want to be comfortable in their home.
None of this is meant to be any sort of sleight against anyone who keeps their snakes in smaller enclosures. Itās worth noting that I donāt have a huge collection, so I have the extra time to dedicate to keeping larger and more elaborate enclosures clean. The largest, most elaborate enclosure on Earth isnāt worth a damn if the animal doesnāt feel safe and secure in it, and/or if theyāre living in filth because their keeper is unable or unwilling to keep it clean. Ultimately the best enclosure is whatever works best for the individual animal and their keeper.
My main limitation on enclosure size is just that I donāt have loads of space, which is partially why Iām aiming to get some of the larger species on my wishlist sooner rather than later. Once I have staked out the space for the larger enclosures, I figure I can fill in whatever gaps are left by slotting in smaller enclosures for smaller species, haha.
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Ugh, I think Iām going to need to ban myself from browsing in the marketplace until Iām actually ready to get my next snake, because while looking at boas this afternoon during some downtime at work, it took SO MUCH self-control to not send inquiries about a few gorgeous ones. There were even a couple from breeders that are within driving distance from me.
But now is not the right time. I need to be responsible. I need to not impulse-buy a large constrictor just because itās pretty. (Do you think Iāll start believing that if I keep repeating it to myself? )
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Tell us which ones!!
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Ugh, I was afraid youād ask me that, haha. Now I have to go look at them again and exercise that willpower all over again!
ā¦and those are just the ones with leopard in them. I find that I really love boas with sort of unusual, irregular patterns, and leopard, even when itās het, seems to be in the mix with a lot of animals that have lot of cool, unique patterning.
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Beautiful choices! Canāt wait to see what you go with lol .
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Oh man, retics definitely do pee a lot!!! Mine usually goes on his warm side and I use a peepee pad for puppies. Easier to keep clean.
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