All you retic owners that raised the babies! - Page 3

**millertime89** · 11-08-12, 11:46 AM

Sunshine is gorgeous! Is she gravid? Albino supertiger? Sorry Kim, even the people that I know that powerfeed, don't get their retics that big that fast, I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. 12 ft and 3 years is, IMO, a perfect size and growth rate. They don't need to be monsters to lay. In fact, the people that do have obese retics seem to have problems getting healthy eggs because the snake isn't healthy. A retic is not supposed to look like a burm.

I wish Thingy were mine, amazing little paradox tiger het purple owned by Shane Costello.

Metalserpent · 11-08-12, 12:44 PM

Straight up. I could not care less if someone thinks she could be bigger. Sunshine is healthy and thriving. I am not in a growth rate contest. I do not push my snakes for growth. I never will. This whole concept is the reason I do not post on retic forums. When I do breed her she will be ready for it. I don't care how many eggs as long as the clutch and the pair that produced them are healthy and strong.

Sunshine is a white phase albino sunfire super tiger. Produced from a suntiger het and a lavender tiger.
She came from my good friend Jim Jolly of Lancaster CA.

**millertime89** · 11-08-12, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by millertime89

I wish Thingy were mine, amazing little paradox tiger het purple owned by Shane Costello.

I mispoke, Paradox Suntiger het purple, or maybe she's a purple paradox suntiger, not really sure how that plays out honestly.

Metalserpent · 11-08-12, 01:08 PM

Sunshine came from a clutch of 24 eggs. There was one purple paradox in the clutch. I forgot who has her. I also have a female purple from the same clutch. She is about a foot longer than sunshine.

**millertime89** · 11-08-12, 02:15 PM

Was she from Bob Clark? If the paradox was a male it was I think I know who has him.

Metalserpent · 11-08-12, 03:39 PM

No, this clutch was produced by my good friend Jim Jolly of Lancaster California, hatched in March of 2010. So they are old enough to breed in the spring. I know who has the paradox from that clutch. I see him at shows out here at Jim's booth. Can't remember his name. God I gate getting old.

lemon · 11-08-12, 04:39 PM

I think also some of the misinformation comes from people not really knowing the age of their snakes.

I have many retics. A guy I know has a Sumatran retic and it has managed 11 foot in one year ...................BUT.......that's 11 feet in the one year he's had her it doesn't mean she's a year old. As she was wild caught even though she was only around 3-3.5 foot when he bought her and a year later she is around 11 feet she could easliy be 1.5 years old or even upto 2 years old etc. Yet he commonly states he has a retic that got to 11 foot in her first year, which is sort of true lol, but she isnt a year old :-)

Within my collection I have 2 baby wild caught sumatrans, they were around 2 foot when i got them in July this year so I'm guessing they were a couple of months old, one is now over 5 foot so by april/may next year when she will be roughly be a year old she could be 9-11 foot, but this is still exceptional and she is a fantastic feeder, female and the largest retic local there is. Her sister on the other hand is just under 4 foot and she was slightly larger when i got them both.

I also have a 6.5 year old that is 16 foot and a younger 6 year old which is just over 19 foot. They all grow at different rates and some grow for longer. I know of a retic that as only 16ft at 5 years old and is now nearly 22 foot because she grew slowly but surely all her life.

iBaman · 11-08-12, 04:46 PM

I know Pajamas was a very late 2011. Here's a pic of him in march:

And a pic of him today (he's wrapped around me twice, and this is his skinny parts..I'll post a sized pic of him later today)

Metalserpent · 11-08-12, 05:28 PM

Very cool Lemon. Thanks for posting that.

Metalserpent · 11-08-12, 07:01 PM

Nice lookin tic Baman

iBaman · 11-08-12, 07:07 PM

thanks =3 I think he's gorgeous.

Relentless · 11-09-12, 07:03 AM

That's because he is gorgeous!

nick654377 · 11-13-12, 06:00 PM

they have an albino purple retic where i got rocky from. so purdy!!

reptileexperts · 11-17-12, 09:29 AM

I think this post missed a good chunk of the OP's question - I start / started my retics in 32 qt tubs, which then got moved into 41 qt tubs, and then they go into 4', or 6' Vivs. These are Dwarf Species though that are of the Jampea Local mostly. My Superdwarfs go from a 32 qt, to a 4x2 PVC when they are ready and do well like this. When they are young I truly think they benifit from being in a tub versus a custom enclosure. You want to maximize your ability to raise these animals without always changing tanks or providing too large of an enclosure too quick that can stress the animal as well. Also note with Juveniles, it is MUCH easier to control the humidity and sheds with a tub, as well as get started with hook training early on if you want to instill this in your reticulated python.

As far as growth rates grow, it varies and there is no set limit, only the limit of the snakes geneitcs and ability to grow. You can provide plenty of large meals and get to a larger snake faster. But this doesn't mean that it's a good thing, but let me examine a slighty off base but interesting comparison:

People were stating in the US that children were reaching sexual maturity faster due to possible chemical interactions or "toxins" that we eat in certain processed foods. They were finding out that girls were able to become pregnant and have a child at the age of 10. . . Which is unheard of right? We'll, a little more research has been done in the matter, and the reason this is now able to happen is because 10 year old girls are getting quite large quite quick. All the abundance of fast food / junk food pushes the body to sexual maturity faster because there is enough resources available within the body. If we apply this sort of thinking, you CAN breed reptiles at younger ages if the weights are up to par, but it does not mean that it is the thing to do. When people discuss sexual maturity we use to think in terms of age because it was when we knew it happened in the wild. But places where food is more scarce tend to be able to breed at a smaller size, but relatively same age. Take in contrast, if you have that same speices, give it ample food, its body will physically be able to reach sexual maturity faster, but at a price for sure. We do not know the consequences of early breeding / power feeding other than the fact it typically leads to obessity and a weaker individual over all. But for the sake of a scientific standpoint - Sexual maturity is reached when the individual animal is capable of reproducing, which does in turn link back to certain weight and body mass requirements - this is why people have succesfully bred 18 month old ball pythons and retics, and is why people will continue to do so. Everyone is always looking to get a faster ROI and that's their business, I'm not for nor against this. Just stating a few facts that may be misleading in this thread.

Cheers

iBaman · 11-17-12, 09:43 AM

you should totally post more =3