Retic: Male or female?

[Trollbie]

I want a retic. First I'm gonna do a lot more research to make sure that I'm ready for one, but I'm curious about the temperament of yall's retics based on sex... I want a male, but I'm hearing that males tend to be more aggressive. I'm not trying to dispute that or prove anyone wrong, I'd just like to hear personal experiences to either talk me out of getting a male or to assure me that I'll be fine with a male :)

I've only been up close and personal with a couple babies and only one adult retic. The adult is a male and is pretty mellow (except during feeding time, naturally) and handleable. But one snake is obviously not enough to make assumptions about all of them...

Anyway, I fell in love with lavender albinos so that's what I'll to get if I do end up getting one. :)

[stephanbakir]

Males tend to be a little more defensive, and during breeding season they can be a hell of a handful. (By handful, I mean stay the hell away or your liable to end up in the hospital) but overall they make fine pets outside of breeding season, and they stay much smaller.

Females tend to be more mellow, but they get much larger.

[Trollbie]

The fact that females get bigger is what makes me want a male more. And also the fact that I only have 1 male in my critter collection of 6, but that's not that important lol.

Are all males a "handful" during breeding season?

[stephanbakir]

Not all... But its pretty common. They see you as competition. It's much more rare in collections without females, or without multiple males...

[Trollbie]

Not all... But its pretty common. They see you as competition. It's much more rare in collections without females, or without multiple males...

Females of all species? Or just retics?

[stephanbakir]

Generally, tics. Snakes generally need to be conditioned to crossbreed, your male shouldn't have any interest in snakes of other species

[moshirimon]

If its size thats pushing you towards getting a male, go with a dwarf female. they can still get pretty big and do come in morphs, depending on where you are and the breeders around you.

I wouldnt worry about a male's overall aggression as much as i would be of the way their teeth are shaped and placed in their mouth. Ever seen a combat bite by these guys? can be brutal.

But they are very intelligent(a little too intelligent lol) and if you dive in the right way, you will really enjoy owning this species.

[Trollbie]

If its size thats pushing you towards getting a male, go with a dwarf female. they can still get pretty big and do come in morphs, depending on where you are and the breeders around you.

I wouldnt worry about a male's overall aggression as much as i would be of the way their teeth are shaped and placed in their mouth. Ever seen a combat bite by these guys? can be brutal.

But they are very intelligent(a little too intelligent lol) and if you dive in the right way, you will really enjoy owning this species.

Stephan gave me some great info and advice. And showed me a combat bite lol. Definitely want to avoid those :)

I live in California which is supposed to be full of retic breeders, right? I'll for sure look into dwarfs.

[moshirimon]

Stephan gave me some great info and advice. And showed me a combat bite lol. Definitely want to avoid those :)

I live in California which is supposed to be full of retic breeders, right? I'll for sure look into dwarfs.

Yea, whatever you do, I wish you luck. These are some of the most rewarding of all snakes to keep. And remember dwarfs can still get some good size to them. You'll be able to get a better idea on the individual snake depending on its parents

[Ivanator]

My males are definitely more aggressive than my female especially during feeding time or breeding season. I totally agree with moshirimon on getting a dwarf female if you want more mellow. Just keep in mind that dwarfs can still get pretty big if properly taken care of. There's a thread somewhere in here of a guy's 16' or 17' jampea. Or you can get a super dwarf. Just check the percentage of it.

[MikeM77]

I have a 6 year old male. He is very laid back. He did get a bit excited when I moved ny female ball into the same room. Had to leave him alone for a few days before he calmed down. Other than that he is great. Very easy to handle.