# Dwarf retics



## ballpython2 (Oct 14, 2008)

How big exactly do dwarf retics get? if they dont get too big would this be a good step to start out with the really large snakes after moving up from boas?

I want to get a retic but i dont think im ready for the regular retic adult size.

so a dwarf male would probably be best for me correct?

If so how much do these go for?


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## reverendsterlin (Oct 14, 2008)

depends Dwarf, Jampea, Super Dwarf in descending size order a super dwarf may get 8 ft with a body much lighter than a red-tail, a Jampea 8-14 ft


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## hardlucktattoo (Oct 14, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> How big exactly do dwarf retics get? if they dont get too big would this be a good step to start out with the really large snakes after moving up from boas?
> 
> I want to get a retic but i dont think im ready for the regular retic adult size.
> 
> ...


personally I would try a Burmese before any retic dwarf or not they have a serious attitude If you want a challenge And have a lot of water space try an anaconda or if you want something with real attitude african rock pythons are amazing dwarf retics get to be about 14 feet maybe as big as 20 for a really big female but I personally would try a burm the are so gorgeous here is a pic of mine his name is steve


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## ballpython2 (Oct 14, 2008)

hardlucktattoo said:


> personally I would try a Burmese before any retic dwarf or not they have a serious attitude If you want a challenge And have a lot of water space try an anaconda or if you want something with real attitude african rock pythons are amazing dwarf retics get to be about 14 feet maybe as big as 20 for a really big female but I personally would try a burm the are so gorgeous here is a pic of mine his name is steve


There is no way i can handle a burm or an african rock python because i'll be honest with you i live alone and once those snakes would get to a good size you'd see them on craigs list before I'd keep them as adults lol.


I rather  deal with a snake with an attitude that stays 8 feet than deal with a gentle giant thats 12+ feet and thick by my self...


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## hardlucktattoo (Oct 14, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> There is no way i can handle a burm or an african rock python because i'll be honest with you i live alone and once those snakes would get to a good size you'd see them on craigs list before I'd keep them as adults lol.
> 
> 
> I rather  deal with a snake with an attitude that stays 8 feet than deal with a gentle giant thats 12+ feet and thick by my self...


thats a very smart decision you never know what a snake will do


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## Mushroom Spore (Oct 14, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> I rather  deal with a snake with an attitude that stays 8 feet than deal with a gentle giant thats 12+ feet and thick by my self...


That's a good plan, especially since you live alone (I do too). Even a very gentle snake can overpower you completely by accident if it's big enough, if they get startled and their reflexes take over.

A friend of mine was nearly strangled by her 4-5 foot jungle carpet python once--she managed to unwind the animal pretty quickly, but said her vision was already starting to go dark. Needless to say, she was a lot more careful after that!  

Any suggestion of keeping an anaconda is quite frankly kind of bonkers unless you work for a zoo.  I wish it hadn't gotten deleted, there was a post on the livejournal community "herpers" a good few months ago with tons of people sharing stories of working with huge snakes, mostly rescues and zoo type stuff. Something the size of an anaconda can and will bowl you right over.


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## hardlucktattoo (Oct 14, 2008)

Mushroom Spore said:


> That's a good plan, especially since you live alone (I do too). Even a very gentle snake can overpower you completely by accident if it's big enough, if they get startled and their reflexes take over.
> 
> A friend of mine was nearly strangled by her 4-5 foot jungle carpet python once--she managed to unwind the animal pretty quickly, but said her vision was already starting to go dark. Needless to say, she was a lot more careful after that!
> 
> Any suggestion of keeping an anaconda is quite frankly kind of bonkers unless you work for a zoo.  I wish it hadn't gotten deleted, there was a post on the livejournal community "herpers" a good few months ago with tons of people sharing stories of working with huge snakes, mostly rescues and zoo type stuff. Something the size of an anaconda can and will bowl you right over.



Indeed the part about the anaconda was pretty much just a joke i guess i wasnt very clear in that sense the space alone would be near impossible especially because they spend approximately 85% of their life in the water


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## dtknow (Oct 14, 2008)

What about a macklots or a carpet python? Rainbow boa?


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## pitbulllady (Oct 14, 2008)

hardlucktattoo said:


> personally I would try a Burmese before any retic dwarf or not they have a serious attitude If you want a challenge And have a lot of water space try an anaconda or if you want something with real attitude african rock pythons are amazing dwarf retics get to be about 14 feet maybe as big as 20 for a really big female but I personally would try a burm the are so gorgeous here is a pic of mine his name is steve


I take it you've never owned a Retic, let alone a dwarf Retic.  I've yet to see any dwarf Retic subspecies, even a wild-caught, that was aggressive at all, other than at feeding time, but ALL healthy pythons should have an avid feeding response.  My little guy, who is an adult, has been a very docile snake, even tolerating me hand-shedding him, something that most snakes are very "iffy" about.  

As for size, that will vary, and there are "dwarf" and then there are SUPER-dwarf Retics.  Many Jampeas are reaching lengths of 14-15 feet, which is still small by Retic standards, but a really big snake nonetheless.  Super-dwarf Retics tend to max out about around 8-9 feet-think large Rat Snake.  Males of any subspecies will usually be substantially smaller than females.

pitbulllady


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## ballpython2 (Oct 14, 2008)

dtknow said:


> What about a macklots or a carpet python? Rainbow boa?


I already have a rainbow boa, i love it. i'm trying to buy a macklots from craigslist i gotta make an offer hopefully he'll take the one i gi ve him.

and yes i want a carpet also i just have to find the right site to get one from.

i think python in a pear tree is good.


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## hardlucktattoo (Oct 14, 2008)

pitbulllady said:


> I take it you've never owned a Retic, let alone a dwarf Retic.  I've yet to see any dwarf Retic subspecies, even a wild-caught, that was aggressive at all, other than at feeding time, but ALL healthy pythons should have an avid feeding response.  My little guy, who is an adult, has been a very docile snake, even tolerating me hand-shedding him, something that most snakes are very "iffy" about.
> 
> As for size, that will vary, and there are "dwarf" and then there are SUPER-dwarf Retics.  Many Jampeas are reaching lengths of 14-15 feet, which is still small by Retic standards, but a really big snake nonetheless.  Super-dwarf Retics tend to max out about around 8-9 feet-think large Rat Snake.  Males of any subspecies will usually be substantially smaller than females.
> 
> pitbulllady




I am not denying that there are exceptions to the stereotype and it is a stereotype i am simply going on what i have seen in my experience I did foster and 8 foot retic that was abused by the previous owner but he wound up going to a zoo because he had a very aggressive feeding response which is what I personally categorize as an attitude if it struck for any other reason it would be defensive I dont know about you but i personally am more afraid of and aggressive bite than a defensive one


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## hardlucktattoo (Oct 14, 2008)

ballpython2 said:


> I already have a rainbow boa, i love it. i'm trying to buy a macklots from craigslist i gotta make an offer hopefully he'll take the one i gi ve him.
> 
> and yes i want a carpet also i just have to find the right site to get one from.
> 
> i think python in a pear tree is good.


try faunaclassifieds.com and kingsnake.com


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## pitbulllady (Oct 15, 2008)

Here's a pic of my male, who is probably an insular-form super-dwarf, either a Kayuadi or a Madu.  I put a soda can next to him in his cage(he was hiding his face from the camera; it's on the end opposite from the can)to give some idea of his girth.  It's not easy getting a snake to stretch out next to something for length, but the can will give some notion of size since that's something that most people are familiar with.  I'd thought of putting one of my Black Rat Snakes next to him, but I'm not so sure about how they'd react to each other, so I decided against that.
I was told that this snake has fathered a clutch of baby Retics already, so he's a mature male.  I've held an adult female who was a RETIRED breeder, who was only slightly larger.  Sadly, her price tag was a bit out of my financial range.







pitbulllady


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## ballpython2 (Oct 15, 2008)

pitbulllady said:


> Here's a pic of my male, who is probably an insular-form super-dwarf, either a Kayuadi or a Madu.  I put a soda can next to him in his cage(he was hiding his face from the camera; it's on the end opposite from the can)to give some idea of his girth.  It's not easy getting a snake to stretch out next to something for length, but the can will give some notion of size since that's something that most people are familiar with.  I'd thought of putting one of my Black Rat Snakes next to him, but I'm not so sure about how they'd react to each other, so I decided against that.
> I was told that this snake has fathered a clutch of baby Retics already, so he's a mature male.  I've held an adult female who was a RETIRED breeder, who was only slightly larger.  Sadly, her price tag was a bit out of my financial range.
> 
> 
> ...


that would be a good size for me right there, that one isnt too thick at all. thanks for that comparising.(sp)


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## UrbanJungles (Oct 15, 2008)

Be forwarned that alot of people sell "dwarves" that really aren't dwarves and you'll end up with a snake well over 10'.  If I were looking for a true dwarf I would look to Bob Clark or anyone with his verifiable strain.


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## ShellsandScales (Oct 15, 2008)

Anything from Bob Clark would be an amazing animal.


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## pitbulllady (Oct 15, 2008)

UrbanJungles said:


> Be forwarned that alot of people sell "dwarves" that really aren't dwarves and you'll end up with a snake well over 10'.  If I were looking for a true dwarf I would look to Bob Clark or anyone with his verifiable strain.



I'm aware of that, and also that many of the "dwarf" subspecies, like Jampeas and Borneos, will get quite large-small by RETIC standards, but like I said, a 14-ft. long snake is still a BIG snake, more than most folks can handle, and more than any one person should attempt to handle alone.

My snake had been at the pet shop in question for 3 years, as the owners tried to decide whether to sell him or not.  I've been "watching" him for that long, since this place is on my way to the home of the rodent breeder from whom I buy rats and mice.  Once they put him up for sale, I waited until the price was right to make my "move".  The pet shop purchased him, along with several other constrictor snakes, from a local breeder who got out of such snakes.  They were told that this was a proven male, and the shop owner said that the snake has produced "sperm plugs", which means he is a sexually mature snake.  The female that I nearly bought(too expensive, though, and owner would not come down on the price)was only slightly larger, still smaller than my adult Black Rat Snake male, and she had produced several clutches of eggs.  Her owner, a well-known Ball Python breeder in Charleston, felt that she was too old to safely continue to breed.  She was bred by N.E.R.D(New England Reptile Distributors), but I do not know who originally bred my male.  I do not think he's wild-caught, though, since I've had enough wild-caught Retics, and they really never settle down and at the very least, are "runny" when handled.  This little guy is like a typical Colombian boa in personality.

pitbulllady


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## ballpython2 (Oct 16, 2008)

UrbanJungles said:


> Be forwarned that alot of people sell "dwarves" that really aren't dwarves and you'll end up with a snake well over 10'.  If I were looking for a true dwarf I would look to Bob Clark or anyone with his verifiable strain.


do you have a bob clark link by chance?


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## UrbanJungles (Oct 16, 2008)

*BobClark.com*


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## ballpython2 (Oct 16, 2008)

UrbanJungles said:


> *BobClark.com*


I found it thanks i actually took the time out today and went through kingsnake.com and found it there, but thanks again.


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## Meaningless End (Oct 16, 2008)

for carpet pythons try yasser at www.spitfirereptiles.com. realy great animals there.. another managable species that get big but not huge are molucan pythons.  its one of the smallest subspecies of scrub pythons and rairly attain a length of more then 10 feet... realy beautiful animals... smart, and very interesting to keep.


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## pitbulllady (Oct 18, 2008)

Here's a few more pics I took this evening of my Retic, with me holding him.  It's not easy to take decent pics with one hand while trying to control the movement of a snake with the other!  Retics are very active, and don't sit still like Boas do while out of their enclosure, but want to check everything out.  They're really nosy snakes, perhaps an indication of higher intelligence than most snakes have.













You gotta love the intricate pattern on these snakes!






pitbulllady


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## ballpython2 (Oct 20, 2008)

Well, i didnt get a retic yet but i did get this from a  craigslist user. enjoy the pictures and i dont know the sex yet. but i did put down a lot of news papers so the snake isnt directly on the UTH and tomorrow im going to buy a theromstat for it.













She also said (the woman i got him from; she said its a him) this stuff below:

He is approx. 6 years old (he is def. male, and is approx. 6 years old, I had a friend at the herp society sex him for me and get an approx. age.).

I feed him one adult rat every other week.

Does it seem right that this snake could be 6 years old and only this big??? do these snakes grow slowly? sounds like its growing as slow as a rose hair tarantula (and yes people i know these are 100% different animals no need to get into all that its just a general grow comparising.


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