Picked up a couple today...at a local show - Page 2

jarich · 02-06-12, 08:07 AM

That Burm is beautiful. How much did you pay for them?

asnakelovinbabe · 02-06-12, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kayla90

Steph : The retic looks fine, its totally normal for retics to be that narrow at that age, all of their growing goes into length till about 9 feet, by then they are about the width of a pepsi can and the girth starts to go up more rapidly then before. To give you an example, my female is 10feet, and shes smaller then my wrist even though she is pounding more food then all the other animals in this house combine.

Sorry love but there is a difference between a snake that goes through a narrow stage and a snake that is malnourished... I could tell just by glancing at the fleshy portion on the back of the head, where the neck connects to the body, that area should look plump, not depressed in like it is. His body is also noticeably thin, you can see the skin sinking in. Like I said, the BURM looks great, it's beautiful and in wonderful shape. I think OP said that they were being housed together and that is probably the cause for this. The retic is probably stressing out about being housed with another snake. As long as you separate them ASAP he should turn around for you. Give him his own cage and some tight, secure hides and leave him be for a few days before you try and feed him. If you don't act fast though, you could lose him!

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 12:23 PM

It was near closing up time he had 95.00 for the Retic and 85.00 on the Burm I offered 130.00 he countered with 140.00...i took it...

Will0W783 · 02-06-12, 12:32 PM

That's definitely a good price on them, and the Burm looks great. I would get a fecal sample from both snakes to a herp vet ASAP to make sure the retic doesn't have worms. It concerns me how thin he is, although it could just be from the seller underfeeding him to save money.
I've been going to reptile shows for many years now, and I've learned to be extremely picky about which animals I buy. I used to look for great deals, but there are so many shady people selling animals these days that I now look at the condition of every animal on the table. If a seller has anything...ANYTHING...that doesn't look to be in great shape, I won't buy a single thing from him/her. I've had too many bad experiences from buying up tons of animals quickly and looking for the cheapest deals....some really heartbreaking things even.

I would say you want to separate the Burm and retic ASAP, if you haven't already. It will make both snakes a lot less stressed out and make it much easier for you to manage quarantine. I don't recall- are the new snakes in a different room from your others? If not, I'd move them right away. You can't be too careful with quarantine- the recommended period is 3-6 months (towards the longer end for boas because they can carry BOID without showing signs for a long time). I usually set up quarantined snakes on white butcher paper or paper towels, as it makes it easier to see any mites or ticks that come off and to collect their waste. You can also easily see the condition of poop and urates on white paper.

I think you'll be able to get that retic into great shape soon, just feed him a prey item that leaves a sizable lump in him once every 7 days until he's about 5-6 feet long, then you can slow it down to once every 10-14 days. Retics eat a LOT more than Burms, and they grow like weeds their first year. My female supertiger was 3 feet long when I got her in July- she is now over 6 feet long and has more than doubled in width. It's true that retics stay slender until they are almost their adult length, and then thicken up....but even a slender baby retic should be round and have good body tone. You should not be able to see the spine or the ribs jutting out, but should be able to feel the ribs slightly if you run your finger along the body with a tiny bit of pressure. It's really hard to make a baby retic fat- they will just grow faster.

Best of luck, Dale! And congrats on the new additions.

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 12:42 PM

Thanks Kim, I wasn't looking for a deal sort of speak...we walked around and I seen many other snakes that were appealing as well...I just got lucky on the deal...it was the end of the day kinda thing...I was hoping I could wheel and deal and I did...yeah I have the newbie's in our bedroom...the others are in the living room and our bedroom door is always shut...I have to wait until wed. to get a new enclosure...my vet has some freebies that people brought her...I get most of my stuff from her...I will do the fecal thing too...thanks again for the advice

Will0W783 · 02-06-12, 12:54 PM

Ok awesome, sounds like you have things set up well. Best of luck with the fecal test- hopefully it's clean and then you'll just have the task of feeding and feeding your new little retic. They're very rewarding snakes to own- I'm addicted to them. They have a ton of personality and are generally more curious and active than Burms.

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 01:22 PM

yes when I've had him out here taking pictures I can't seem to get him to sit still long enough to get a good one...he's a runner

Will0W783 · 02-06-12, 02:12 PM

Lol, that's a retic for you. They rarely sit still. Here's a picture of me holding my male purple albino, George. He had his head down on the floor about 30 seconds before this picture- then just lifted himself up and started going for the shelves.

One of my dearest pets was a super dwarf female named Baby- she would follow me around like a dog when she was out of her cage, and converted several of my friends and family over to snake-lovers with her sweet personality. I will never forget her, and she gave me a life-long love of retics.

Jenn_06 · 02-06-12, 02:25 PM

Isis is like that too, in one place then 1 sec later at the other side of the room. She does not know the meaning of sit still.

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 03:55 PM

Wow simply Beautiful my wife and I love him..do you have pictures of your Super Dwarf...

I took a few more pictures he was a little more cooperative today but still the lighting in my house sucks...and I took the pictures in the bathroom that has 3 100w bulbs in it...it's like sunlight in there...still dark pictures...he is very very silver/gray on the side and dark gray almost black on the top so I think unless I put a spot light on him he's takin dark pictures lol...got some of the Burm too

alessia55 · 02-06-12, 03:56 PM

They're real sweet, Dale... especially the burm

But since they're getting used to their new environment, I'd recommend not taking them out for photos or handling again until they've had a few meals.

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 03:59 PM

Yeah I know it's just so dang hard not too...

alessia55 · 02-06-12, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BurmeseGuy

Yeah I know it's just so dang hard not too...

I know, it's really really exciting- I totally understand that! But taking them out for photos and handling will only stress them out. They're already stressed because they're in a new environment with new sights and smells, and they're more stressed because you're still housing them together... They really don't need the added stress of handling right now. Let them settle in and eat first- that's what's most important.

BurmeseGuy · 02-06-12, 04:15 PM

I know, I know...I'm getting another small 10 gal for one of them and feeding them both on Wednesday...no more pics for a while...lol

KORBIN5895 · 02-06-12, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

They're real sweet, Dale... especially the burm

But since they're getting used to their new environment, I'd recommend not taking them out for photos or handling again until they've had a few meals.

Kill joy! You are right though........

Nice snakes Dale. Thanks for doing your tour.