New CAGE AGGRESSIVE addition..

[JustMeNmySnakes]

This past Saturday I attended the Monthly Reptile meeting with my Retic. I took her to the show for some experts to answer some questions. A raffle was being held for various items, but one caught my interest. A Male Titanium Tiger Retic which was the grand prize.. I was convinced there was no chance with 100+ in attendance and most were trying for the Retic.
I won him and he is beautiful, but I'm trying to stick with super dwarfs and dwarfs. He's a 2014 and as small as he is, I thought maybe he is a sd or dwarf, but Prehistoric Pets Mrs Brewer said, he's a mainland retic..
He's cage aggressive like I've never seen. Prehistoric Pets slow fed him from what I was told to control his size, but he's nowhere near the size my sd/d is.
Could the controlled feeding and minimal human contact be why he's always striking or ready to when I open the enclosure?
I assume the only contact he got was feeding and cleaning and as many Retics as PP hatches, I'm assuming they're not taking these hatchlings and juvenile snakes out much if any at all.
From all your experience, could he become more docile.
I open his enclosure and I'm not sure if he's expecting a meal since he just got his second small rat yesterday and I've only had him 5 days or if he just doesn't like humans. He strike at me no matter what I'm doing or where I reach in his enclosure. I'm building a set of large enclosures.
Another concern.. If I decide to keep him, is it best to keep him in a smaller tank till he settles down or put him in the larger enclosure?

[JustMeNmySnakes]

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[JustMeNmySnakes]

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[JustMeNmySnakes]

Above is a pic of the new titanium tiger and my female. She's so much bigger than the mainland male and they're both 2014. My female is October.. The new male, waiting to find out what month. Regardless, if the tiger is a mainland, no matter how slow he was fed, he should have more size on him unless he was starved to slow growth. And if that's the case, I'd be pissed and bite everything too.

[JustMeNmySnakes]

thanks for all your help!!

[Minkness]

Wow! He's really beautiful. I hope he chills out and you decide to keep him. Wish I had more to offer but I know nothing about retics. Hood luck!

[Tsubaki]

Pretty retic, congrats! PP does this often, their idea of slow feeding a female is one mouse every 2 weeks. No idea how little this guy has been fed, i would personally start feeding him normally. I strongly dislike slow feeding animals just because it's easier, male retics are known to become aggressive during mating season and they don't want to deal with that. I've seen a mainland male fed so slowly, he maxed out at 8,5ft. Anyway, it is very possibly he is so fiesty because of a lack of interaction, combined with hunger. I would suggest tap training immediately. Also give him a larger terrarium asap if you're keeping him, easier for you to maneuver. Provide some hides, might calm him down some more. But really, if you're not prepared or at least willing to deal with a potential real giant with attitude, no matter how pretty it is and how i understand it's a shame. I will advise to sell him. He could change, he Might not. Always be prepared and ready to accept the worst possibility. Good luck!

[JustMeNmySnakes]

Thanks for the compliments, advice, and honesty!! Always appreciated. I'm going to commit and give him the home and nutrition and attention he deserves. If for any reason he was just born aggressive and doesn't want or welcome human interaction, I'll cross that bridge when I get there, but for now...his home is here.
Thanks again!!

[millertime89]

He's most likely not cage aggressive, he's probably cage defensive, there is a difference. Defensive snakes can be worked with, aggressive ones are much more difficult. When he comes out does he calm down? Many retics are cage defensive, it's mostly a feed response, they ALWAYS want to eat. You just need to use a hook to break it and they usually come right out. The feeding schedule probably didn't change his behavior, but the lack of handling may have. MOST retics will relax with some work.

[Mmrseed]

I have two small retics and although neither has ever struck at or bit me I can honestly say without a hook to tap them they very we'll might. I've never seen such hyperactive snakes in my life. I only feed them once a week but I can tell they would gladly eat once an hour. As soon as I walk in the room they both come to attention in their respective cages. If the snake is aggressive when held you have a lot of work ahead of you then you should be ok. What I did initially since the snakes are so active anyway is slide the glass open and their curiosity led the to the front of the cage where I slowly removed them. Might develop more trust than reaching in and grabbing.

[Klaire]

He's most likely not cage aggressive, he's probably cage defensive, there is a difference. Defensive snakes can be worked with, aggressive ones are much more difficult. When he comes out does he calm down? Many retics are cage defensive, it's mostly a feed response, they ALWAYS want to eat. You just need to use a hook to break it and they usually come right out. The feeding schedule probably didn't change his behavior, but the lack of handling may have. MOST retics will relax with some work.

i second this, well put 100%

[JustMeNmySnakes]

Millertime89, that makes the most sense...
Thank you! I'm going to keep working with him.
I'm sure he'll calm down..