Retic advice

[babyboa97]

I've got a baby retic about three weeks ago and it took allready to ft rat pups with no prob and shed perfectly. But it is very defensive outside and inside the cage. He is supposed to be cbb I know babies are defensive. But I want some tips on taming before it gets large. And I heard they get really big really fast. Will it ever be tame with reg handling?

[ErikBush97]

Retics are known to be s**t heads when they're little. I think.you'll be fine.

[MDT]

Babyboa...a couple of questions....and I'm not meaning anything snarky, just asking...did you research retics before you bought? Is it male or female? You said it was cbb, is it a normal, or any poss of dwarf/superdwarf?

Yes, they get big-fast. They can be snippy when young, just like any juvenile snake. They may or may not calm down over time. I have 3 juvenile retics, all are exceptionally calm and have never attempted a bite. Maybe luck of the draw? You can try hook training and acclimation to handling. Time will tell whether it will ease up on you. You do need to plan ahead very quickly or you'll get caught behind the curve. Think of housing requirements of a soon to be 7 foot snake. Think of how your husbandry will need to accommodate a snake that may strike out 3 feet at you when you're cleaning its enclosure.

Hope it calms down for you. Best of luck.

[babyboa97]

I did do a lot of research on these species in the wild as well as in captivity. Sex is unknown. It is a normal and it's not a dwarf or sd. It's a mainland retic

[MDT]

And I heard they get really big really fast.

This statement made me wonder...so, you're ready for the above even if it doesn't "tame" down?

Try hook "training"....coupled with confident handling. Hopefully that (plus, a little time) will chill your retic down a bit.

Keep us updated.

[shaunyboy]

it may also be hungry,as there's not much feeding in a rat pup mate

cheers shaun

[Sublimeballs]

Try hook "training"....coupled with confident handling. Hopefully that (plus, a little time) will chill your retic down a bit.

Keep us updated.

As MDT said hook training and slow direct movements; snakes know when you're nervous. My retic is a beast in her cage, she has one of the best feed responses I've seen in a snake. But all I have to do is(assuming she hasn't already launched out her cage for food that doesn't exist) slide her forward a few inches with the snake hook and her entire demeanor changes I can then grab her and pull her out. And she's one of my best behaved snakes out of her cage.

As for the growth if you go all out and power feed you could end up with a 10 foot retic this time next year; I don't advise this. If you don't overfeed you can expect anywhere from 5-7 feet in a year.

Do you by any chance know what local yours is? Post some pics it's always nice to see retics as they grow.

[Teal]

My amateur advice would be to start setting a routine now, with the plan that your snake will not tame down. Then if he/she does end up taming down, you'll have an easy go of it.

I was reading up on hook "tap training" with snakes that get so large it isn't always feasible to use a feeding area apart from their normal tank... where you tap them with the hook gently to let them know you want to handle them, rather than feed them. I've never tried it, so I don't know how well it works, but I am using a similar method of familiarization and routine with my blood pythons (especially my female because she's vile) of covering their faces with a blue towel for about thirty seconds before picking them up, and it's working well with them.

And yes, please do post some pictures! :)

[marvelfreak]

If done right hook train can work wonders for most snake. Then sometimes there's though snakes that are just some mean they will try biting the hook to repeatedly.