True, one has to be careful. The Golden Child I was looking at was from a 10ft mum and small locality/imported dad about 7 ft.
Too big for me, but a lot smaller then a full-sized retic. Oddly enough, Little Big Snake (super dwarf) doesn’t seem to have the big feeding response, he is a good eater but nothing more.
The feeding response is insane. Until you feed one yourself it’s difficult to stress how crazy it is. I personally don’t feel a super dwarf / dwarf retic is the best choice for a beginner snake.
That is very true!
Personally, I would love a D/SD Retic. But the cons outweigh the positives to me (at least right now).
I feel a good gateway to large snakes is a BCI since they’re usually (key word usually) pleasant and very hardy. Plus make for good practice to deal with crazy feeding responses.
I love my pair but they are seriously a lot of work. And not something I think someone without a lot of experience should take on. It seems easy when they are small but when they are full grown not so much.
The OP had two qualifiers on their request:
Large
and
BEGINNER
.
.
I see a lot of people here tossing out Dwarf and Superdwarf retics as a suggestion but I wonder how many of those same people have actually kept one of these animals.
Retics, even the Dwarf and Superdwarf ones, might fit that first the prior qualifier but they are not suitable for the latter.
These snakes are much more aware than people give them credit for, even a moment of inattention can end in problems. They are powerful, scary powerful sometimes. I cannot count the number of first-hand accounts I have heard of animals popping or breaking glass on their cages. Not a pleasant surprise to walk into your snake room unaware of.
Dwarf and Superdwarf have gotten trendy right now, thanks a lot to social media. But jumping on a trend without really understanding what you are getting into is asking for trouble.
For a beginner, I would never recommend a retic. There are many other species that get to a larger size and are much, much more appropriate
Personally I don’t think retics OR burms make good beginner snakes. Maybe something like a Boa Constrictor or a larger colubrid would work better
What about a keeled rat snake?
Well if you really want a big snake I see no problem in buying a male burm for your next snake.
Males are significantly smaller than females and are just big instead of enormous.
Don’t forget you will grow into it!
As you pick up a little noodle that is only a few months old, it takes a few years before he is fully grown. With a healthy feeding schedule I think they grow slow enough for you to adjust as a owner.
If your snake takes 4 years to get up to size, isn’t that perfect?
I don’t get the concept of getting a “in between snake” as you clearly want something bigger.
Buy what you want, because it’s important that you really want the animal you buy!
I have a male burm and he was my first snake ever.
0 problems! Pick one with a good disposition (calm and not fearful) Just handle him enough and in no time you have a super chill big noodle that makes a great pet!
And once again to be clear; I am only talking about male burms here. Females are imo too large to handle comfortably in your home.
But a boa, carpet or short tail is also awesome!
I have a burm, 2 carpets, 7 boas and a few colubrids. Just pick the snake you really want 
Lol My dwarf/sd does the same…Lucky its the hook not the hand. I have to ensure a few times she’s off that food response with the hook prior to pulling her out. Its crazy how they go from mentally insane to calm the minute they’re out of enclosure and know its not food time.
Im super late but i think a yellow anaconda would be a reasonable size
Well that may be true, anacondas in general have unpredictable behavior and some even describe it as unreadable. Well they can be good pets they’re extremely strong for their size and personally I would not recommend handling a specimen over 7 feet without an additional person.
I definitely don’t consider anacondas beginner snakes. They get very large and heavy, and it’s hard to find information or breeders of them. With the lack of information their behavior is very difficult to read and they’re hard to handle.
Bredl’s Python 1000%
My 50% SD female retic is 6 ft long. Longer than my male mainland, but much smaller round. Idk how big she will end up. Big feed response too, but sweet when she’s out.
I’ve seen several pure ‘SD’ females over 10’. I recently transported a lineaged Kalatoa female for a friend that was 11’ at 6 years old.
Im surprised no one has mentioned dumeril boas!!! These guys are amazing and super docile. Males are smaller than females, but you get a big snake in a solo handable package. The females i belie e get to close to 8 feet long. I have a male who is 5.5 feet, but perfect for me. But the most gentle child friendly snake I own and loves to hangout.
There are documented incidences of people being killed and consumed by retics in the philipines.
