Retics: Are they overfed and proper enclosure size

[nathan_e]

@t_h_wyman

nearly every retic in the hobby is grossly overfed

Really? I never knew that. So are the ones in the wild generally smaller or just more lean?

[t_h_wyman]

@nathan_e

So are the ones in the wild generally smaller or just more lean?

Yes.

While they can still get to appreciable lengths, wild retics are not 20’ slugs like what you see in captivity. Even as adults they are highly arboreal.

[nathan_e]

Wow I never would have known that. So basically if people were to make a environment that replicated a forrest habitat they would need a extremely larger enclosure? Like double the standard recommend size or larger?

[thebeardedherper]

Well first things first how big is the retic and how long has she been fasting? A certain amount of fasting is natural.

[lumpy]

I just had this experance happen to me, it was my first time that my boa didn’t eat.

[lumpy]

Thanks for netionign this I hope to take this in accotunt if look into retics

[t_h_wyman]

@nathan_e

So basically if people were to make a environment that replicated a forrest habitat they would need a extremely larger enclosure? Like double the standard recommend size or larger?

I do not keep retics but I would bet that if you gave one an enclosure that was double its length along every dimension and properly furnish it (e.g., trees, branches, perches, etc.) that the animal would utilize every square inch of that enclosure.

[jrc_retics]

@nathan_e

Really? I never knew that. So are the ones in the wild generally smaller or just more lean?

Yes. They are much more lean and are not
the slugs you see in captivity.
You see any wild retic that’s an adult and put in next to some of these almost obscenely obese captive retics, you’ll see most in the hobby who keep retics feed them way to much. In my opinion it is the number one problem with retics.
These snakes go months without food and do perfectly fine, it’s almost cruel we expect our snakes to eat every week. Most wild snakes are lucky to get 12 meals a year.
And if you go further, some island local retics will feast for 6 months or so, mainly do to the migration of their food source.

[ashleyraeanne]

So many breeders I have seen on YouTube have obese slugs for retics. They always have them in tiny cages that they can’t even stretch out in too. It is sad how poorly they are kept even by the biggest names in the industry. And just for those who haven’t seen it, this video will give you an idea on what a healthy retic should look like;

RETICULATED PYTHONS IN THE WILD! (are we keeping them correctly?) - Adventures in THAILAND (2020)

Long and lean. Retics are arboreal for most of their lives, and anyone that has seen a tree python knows they are very slim. All arboreal snakes are since they can’t be weighing down branches, or sticking out like a sore thumb.

[jrc_retics]

@ashleyraeanne

It is sad how poorly they are kept even by the biggest names in the industry.

I couldn’t agree more!!!

[thecrawdfather]

Makes you wonder so why keep something that most people don’t truly have space for to keep properly.

[ashleyraeanne]

It is probably something as simple as greed. They want something cool and shiny despite not being able to keep or care for it properly. With breeders it would be profit more than anything making them not put the animals first. The age old “they are breeding and eating so they must be thriving” excuse.

[thecrawdfather]

They need to be enlightened by the cult of enrichment

[lumpy]

That is the worst thing that a reptile owner could say! that is just plain abuse. People need to relise that they need a truly large cage and don’t need to be fat fat fat sausages.