Where to find reasonably priced SD/dwarf retics?

[rachmangler]

Anyone know of any good breeders I should be keeping an eye on? I'm not very picky on insane morphs. I just want a big, adorable retic that stays under 15 feet or so...and stays under the $1,000 mark.

[rmfsnakes32]

Any of the big reptile shows should have what your looking for

[millertime89]

Mike Chambers has some gorgeous SuperJamp retics for around 300. He's in Colorado and I can get you his number if you're interested. They should stay under 10 feet knowing the parents.

[Snakeman8]

at an expo i went to they had a baby albino dawry for only a feww 100.
though i was suspicous that maybe it was being sold falsely.

[millertime89]

at an expo i went to they had a baby albino dawry for only a feww 100.
though i was suspicous that maybe it was being sold falsely.

That sounds a little too good to be true, but not totally out of the realm of possibility.

This last weekend at the KC Expo I ran into someone who had a retic on his table listed as 100% superdwarf 100% het albino. It can't be both, and it didn't look like a SD either. I asked him about it and he swore left and right that that's what it as. Bob Clark was there vending as well and he confirmed what I was saying. Moral of the story, sellers: don't lie at an expo about animals that one of the world's foremost breeders is also at when its something that's easily refuted, and buyers: always ask questions, you never know when someone is lying. This pisses me off, it makes SD people look like they're lying.

[Rogue628]

Ownage by Bob Clark . . . lol

[Lankyrob]

My 100% Sd cost me £500 (roughly $800). Havent found many cheapere than that in the uk :)

[reptileexperts]

There are plenty of options out there below 1k in the US, and they are GOOD lines of Dwarf and Super Dwarf. The best thing to do when you consider one is always ask for parental percentages and size. By Percentages, I mean what % was mom and dad in relation to superdwarf or dwarf blood. You CAN NOT have a 100% Super Dwarf morph . . . just is not plaussible. The only known morph in Super Dwarf is Anery, and the only known morph in Dwarf in Genetic Stripe.

Bob Clark has pure Jampea available, if you want to stay sub 15' just get a male Jampea and go. Should not exceed 10 feet, and heck should actually stick around 8. But if you over feed a snake, even dwarf retics will tend to get on the larger size. Then you can start considering whether or not you're attracted to the morphs. Keeping in mind that the Super Dwarf blood will literally change what a morph looks like (diffuses it in a way). Lead by example right?
http://reptileexperts.com/_DSC2080.jpg
This is an F3 Tiger 50% Superdwarf Reticulated Python. This is part of a third generation of 50% outcrosses with the Tiger gene, thus reducing their size greatly. This picture is at 1 month of age, and the coin in the image is a dime. One of the important things to look for in dwarfs of all locales will be the face. They just have this LONG face with a pointed snout and seemingly small facial scales. Next would be the neck, just behind the head is where most of the diffusion occurs, makes it appear almost granite backed (Het Anthrax), but don't let that confuse you, especially if you try and deal with a sleezy seller who may try and tell you that his super dwarfs are het anthrax :shocked:.

http://reptileexperts.com/_DSC2058.jpg
This is a side profile of a First Generation Tiger 50%SD, 25%Jampea, 25% Mainland. Mother was 50% Jampea 50% Mainland, father was 100%Pure SD. He's 6 years old now and is pushing 9' in length.

Here are a list of breeders I trust:

Home - The Snake Pusher (http://www.thesnakepusher.com) - Stephanie is ridiculous helpful, and is producing the only 50% SD Amel Retics (the ones offered by Jay are her line) - she specializes in Dwarf Retics, Purple Albino included, as well as Genetic Stripe

Travis Kubes Pythons (http://www.traviskubes.com) - high end super dwarf with deep lines back to super dwarf outcrosses, this means smaller and smaller snakes every year he produces. You can get an F2 Tiger 50%SD tic for around $450

Bob Clark (http://www.bobclark.com) - email him for more information on his SD's that he has ready to go. I KNOW he has SD Fire (het BEL) for around 1k, and he has SD Fire Anery for 2500. His name says it all when it comes to trust

PrehistoricPets (http://www.prehistoricpets.com) - last resort. Jay's a cool guy but some of his ethics have been questioned numerous times. It's hard to support everything that he does. BUT know that you will get a top quality animal, and his SD are usually high percentages (67.5-75% SD mainly). And he has the largest assortment available - but he does demand a lot higher price tags.

Any more questions feel free to drop me a message.

[millertime89]

All great info. One thing that I like to encourage is to ask for the locality of the superdwarfs when shopping around. Kalatoa will stay the smallest, they the line that Bob originally imported and most of Travis's SD stuff is that same locality. Bob only just recently found out the locality since his importer didn't tell him until last year so Travis will usually just tell you its the Bob Clark line.
Honey Island and Madu are the next two smallest, Honey Islands look quite a bit like the Kalatoas (really light with high-silver sides). Kayuadi SDs get the biggest and look the most like Jampeas. I know a pure Kauyadi male that hit 12ft but he's the exception, not the rule.

I would add Mike Chambers, Jason Reed, and James Mitchell to that list of trusted SD breeders, if they don't have them they'll send you in the right direction. Travis is who I've gotten all of my SD stuff from and I'm going to add a Kalatoa female from Mike in the spring if he gets eggs.

[rachmangler]

Thanks guys! All of this was super helpful. My main concern was knowing for sure if the retic was actually a dwarf or not but being positive on parents % seems really secure. Or just going with one of the big snake breeders...

in any case, hopefully i'll be able to save up some funds and find a cute baby once I move!

[Rogue628]

All great info. One thing that I like to encourage is to ask for the locality of the superdwarfs when shopping around. Kalatoa will stay the smallest, they the line that Bob originally imported and most of Travis's SD stuff is that same locality. Bob only just recently found out the locality since his importer didn't tell him until last year so Travis will usually just tell you its the Bob Clark line.
Honey Island and Madu are the next two smallest, Honey Islands look quite a bit like the Kalatoas (really light with high-silver sides). Kayuadi SDs get the biggest and look the most like Jampeas. I know a pure Kauyadi male that hit 12ft but he's the exception, not the rule.

I would add Mike Chambers, Jason Reed, and James Mitchell to that list of trusted SD breeders, if they don't have them they'll send you in the right direction. Travis is who I've gotten all of my SD stuff from and I'm going to add a Kalatoa female from Mike in the spring if he gets eggs.


I did not know any of this about the dwarfs! Good stuff to know. Thanks for sharing the information!