New pics of my female.

[stephanbakir]

Haven't had time for photos, my female is easilly 9 feet now, the male hasnt changed and hasn't eaten in a few months so hes still about 4 feet and thin as a twig (healthy twig mind you) just going to include photos of the girl.
She is DEEP in shed in these photos so looks pretty dull, you should see her freshly shed its impressive (she gets darker when in shed)

[lady_bug87]

wow steph she looks great.. hopefully the male will eat for you once this pesky mating season is over

[BarelyBreathing]

She's beautiful. Something about reticulated python eyes make my heart melt.

[Norm66]

She's beautiful man.

[millertime89]

Gorgeous bud, did you ever try breeding the male?

[CK SandBoas]

What a gorgeous girl, and her eyes are stunning!

[stephanbakir]

Gorgeous bud, did you ever try breeding the male?
Toyed with the idea but quarantine would last at least 5 months and the breeding season is shorter then that, and I'm leaving the country in August so there is a good chance I wouldn't be here for the eggs to hatch... it just didn't look like a good idea.

My male is about the girth of a soda pop screw top, the female is the girth of a baseball, lol. She was smaller then him when we got her.

[stephanbakir]

She's beautiful. Something about reticulated python eyes make my heart melt.
Walk around a retic thats sitting on the ground, its eyes follow you around but the body wont move a millimeter. You might think they are sleeping but they are acutely aware of everything going on around them.

[Swany]

Beautiful girl :-)

[BarelyBreathing]

Walk around a retic thats sitting on the ground, its eyes follow you around but the body wont move a millimeter. You might think they are sleeping but they are acutely aware of everything going on around them.

Oh, I've definitely noticed. I've been toying with the idea of getting a retic for a while, but I am running out of space.

[EasternGirl]

Very stunning!

[Rogue628]

She's so pretty! I've been wanting a retic for years, every since I read they were basically satan's spawn....mean and ill tempered. I never believed it. Since getting back into keeping snakes, I've wanted one even more!

Thanks for sharing the pics. She's stunning!

[stephanbakir]

Keep in mind that they can and will climb ANYTHING, I've had her climb telephone poles, door frames, windows (by pressing herself against opposite sides) and even a SINGLE STRAND of paracord she wound the silly thing around herself and went up... do I think it was a conscious plan... no but it was impressive. if they get loose before they are massive... good luck finding them, and if they get loose once they are massive, the damage will be impressive lol.

[Rogue628]

lol

I've had a love for retics since I first discovered them '96 I think it was. Saw one somewhere and fell in love. What little I was able to dig up on them was all negative. Basically they were mean, ill-tempered animals that weren't handleable and only for show. Not to mention their monstrous size made them seem even more mean. Shortly after I ran across a guy who had one. He was about 10 ft long and was nothing like what I had read about them. His size made him intimidating to me but that was the first large snake I had handled. I'm a sucker for underdogs, the outcasts, the sick, (anything that's not 'normal')....I already had it in my head that all they needed was a handler who handled them often and actually understood the snake. When I spoke with this guy about his as he let me (with his help) play with his retic, what I had originally thought was exactly what this guy had done and was doing with his animal. He handled him often and learned his animal well. What really interested me in his retic was not how docile he was (especially after all I had read about them) but how he would look at me and watch me. It wasn't defensive or aggressive, nor was he really curious. I couldn't pin point it then but I know now it's how when he looked or watch, there was an intelligence there I had not seen in any of my animals.

Their size doesn't bother me aside from how much they're capable of eating. I can deal with an aggressive eater as my last burm would try to come after me if he smelled food and I wasn't quick enough lol His meal NEVER hit the floor before he had it and wrapped it.

I REALLY want to work with one. I have a healthy dose of respect for them which I think is a good grounds for owning one. A retic is my dream animal, the ultimate of all snakes for me. I want a hatchling so we can grow and learn together. Hopefully I'll be able to have one in a couple of months as soon as a clutch I'm waiting on hatches. I'm sooo excited!

Until then I live through retic owner's discussions and pictures of them, learning everything I can from others experiences until I have my own :)

Sorry for rambling, but out of all snakes and probably most animals, retics are my absolute favorite, aside from a Komodo Dragon, which I know is impossible to own and why it's not number 1 lol.

[stephanbakir]

It's possible to own, depending on where you live, not too hard to get permits for komodos. The hard part is actually getting them, but again totally not impossible :P PM me for more info :P Again, expensive animals to feed.

My pair of retics could potentially be exceptions to the aggressive feed mode snakes, my female rarely strikes at all, and my male has refused food prettymuch since I got him 5+ months ago, but once breeding season is over I'll know for sure :)

[Rogue628]

If and when I ever have conditions that will be able to meet the komodo's needs, I'll definitely remember you. That's one animal that if I do ever get a chance of owning, I want to make sure I have and will continue to have the means to meet it's every need. Even at that I'll need a mentor first. I want to learn to work with one and see if it's truly an animal I want to own and work with or one I'd rather just appreciate at a distance. :)

[red ink]

She's a very pretty snake mate.

[millertime89]

I would love to own a Komodo one day as well, maybe some day...

[stephanbakir]

Kyle, did you watch the documentary on komodos by Brian? Head of venom labs in Australia. It was impressive to say the least. Did you know they had less jaw power then an average housecat?

[Rogue628]

I didn't see that one. Do you remember what it was called? I'd like to try to find it so I can watch it.

[stephanbakir]

BBC Two - Natural World, 2011-2012, Komodo - Secrets of the Dragon (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013sgpk/hd/Natural_World_20112012_Komodo_Secrets_of_the_Drago n/)

Brian Fry is a pretty awesome guy, I've never met him but he has written some really interesting stuff.

[stephanbakir]

Just noticed how I spelled his name rofl, its actually Bryan Fry, not Brian fry :P

[KORBIN5895]

Stunning! Simply stunning!

[BarelyBreathing]

Speaking of komodos, my brother is about to jump on a project studying them in the wild. I envy his career.

[stephanbakir]

Likewise, closest I've come to a komodo was at a zoo, about 6 inches away through glass and I still envy'd the people standing 20 feet away without the glass between them.

[BarelyBreathing]

He's got this amazing five year project coming up studying monitor ”venom”. He starts with komodos, then he does several species of tree monitors, and ends with aussie monitors.

[shaunyboy]

nice big chunky girl you got there stephan

mr twig best catch up,or she may mistake him for dinner,come breeding day:yes:

she's looking good in the pic,so can't wait to see pic's after she sheds mate

cheers shaun

[stephanbakir]

I know people who have bred 3-4 foot "twig" males to 18+ foot females lol. Those lil guys still know how its done :)

[shaunyboy]

I know people who have bred 3-4 foot "twig" males to 18+ foot females lol. Those lil guys still know how its done :)

i would be scared the female thought,the little males were a snack and ate them mate:no::yes::eek:

cheers shaun

[Kayla90]

His female really is an amazing retic to start off with.. the perfect teaching snake.. I've done so many things that Steph has said to me "If that was any other retic your hand would be lunch XD" But I'm learning slowly but surely.. She is quite the impressive lady, I have amazing respect for you. You can see her intelligence when she looks at you..

[stephanbakir]

i would be scared the female thought,the little males were a snack and ate them mate:no::yes::eek:

cheers shaun

The big risk is getting crushed, when a female tic isn't interested in breeding you KNOW it, hissing is rare but it happens, they tail wag, blow urine (not always a bad thing, they could just be clearing the pipes) and rarely they gape... but its generally obvious.

[millertime89]

Kyle, did you watch the documentary on komodos by Brian? Head of venom labs in Australia. It was impressive to say the least. Did you know they had less jaw power then an average housecat?

BBC Two - Natural World, 2011-2012, Komodo - Secrets of the Dragon (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b013sgpk/hd/Natural_World_20112012_Komodo_Secrets_of_the_Drago n/)

Brian Fry is a pretty awesome guy, I've never met him but he has written some really interesting stuff.

I did not, thanks bud.

Likewise, closest I've come to a komodo was at a zoo, about 6 inches away through glass and I still envy'd the people standing 20 feet away without the glass between them.

Yeah no joke, I saw them at the San Diego Zoo and they're just mesmerizing.

[Trent]

awesome snake

[scottyy]

wat a beautiful looking feamale. i would really like to see some pictures in the sunlight. then the colors will really pop. i know they do on my girl

[millertime89]

its a little too cold up there for outside pictures with her.

[stephanbakir]

I took 3 photos before the batteries died, i'll try for more tomorrow in the sunlight (there is a greenhouse of sorts here)
pretty terrible photos but its been cloudy all day, tomorrow should be sunshine.

25lb weight for size reference. she was about 3.5 feet when i got her 09-17-11, maybe 4 feet at most.

[exwizard]

Beutiful Retic. Youre so lucky to be able to have somthing like her. :)

[lady_bug87]

how's the male doing?

[stephanbakir]

Male is at home (I'm on "vacation" till this weekend, and the person taking care of my snakes cant handle something her size) He's doing fine, once breeding season ended he started pounding food as expected. Hes past 6 feet, probably pushing 7 and still as cage defensive as ever.

[lady_bug87]

Glad he's eating and bulking up for ya, I know it was a bit of a struggle at first. Will you be pairing them together next season?

[stephanbakir]

Agewise, she will be ready by next season, I'm not sure she will be up to size. Her current growth is pretty intense so I'm optimistic, but i wont breed her till shes ready.

[marvelfreak]

She looking good and getting some nice size to her.

[scottyy]

she looks great in the sunlight.

[stephanbakir]

None of those photos were her in sunlight, in sunlight they shine blue all over. I'll try to get a sunlight photo when weather permits.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

25lb weight for size reference. she was about 3.5 feet when i got her 09-17-11, maybe 4 feet at most.
I know this is random but when I saw her next to the the weight the I'm sexy and I know it song popped into my head, you know that part: "Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out
Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out"
:wacky::wacky::wacky:

[Kayla90]

LMAO that's hilarious. Now that you pointed that out.. I can't un-think it.

[*Don't Mind Me*]

hahahahahaha, me to

[stephanbakir]

I know this is random but when I saw her next to the the weight the I'm sexy and I know it song popped into my head, you know that part: "Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out
Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out"
:wacky::wacky::wacky:
No idea what you're talking about rofl

[Kayla90]

No idea what you're talking about rofl
Bahaha that makes me laugh even more :P

[drama x]

I know this is random but when I saw her next to the the weight the I'm sexy and I know it song popped into my head, you know that part: "Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out
Girl look at that body (x3)
I work out"
:wacky::wacky::wacky:

Haha that made my night!