New retic owner seeking advice!

dastefster · 04-27-14, 05:30 PM

Hey guys, First of all I am relatively new to the forum, so hello! I posted a few weeks ago because my new baby retic was not eating, the users who replied with advice were awesome! I got her to eat a few days ago after not eating for a month! Anyway, I just had a few questions for all you experienced retic owners out there: First of all, any general tips/advice? Something maybe you wish you knew when you got your first retic? I own a few adult Boas but never a snake this large. Any advice on handling? how often etc? I don't want to stress her out but I also don't want a un-handleable 17+ ft snake on my hands some day. My last question (for now) is: any suggestions on temporary cages while she's growing? I have her in a 36" long plastic tub for now but that was literally the biggest they sold at my local home depot. She's about 3.5-4 ft and 470grams now, I don't know how long she's going to fit in there and I don't want to keep buying appropriately sizes expensive cages as she grows I want to keep it as cost effective as possible until she's ready to move into her final home, which will be an 8ft cage. So any suggestions on housing for the time being would be awesome! Thanks guys!

dastefster · 04-27-14, 05:38 PM

Oh and here's a pic of here when I first got her! Just cause..she's a beauty

jpsteele80 · 04-27-14, 05:56 PM

I knew they were smart but I wish I knew how smart they were, every snake is a growing experience so just have fun with her, not sure how much you feed her but she will probably be Ready for that permanent enclosure by the end of the first year.

dastefster · 04-27-14, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsteele80

I knew they were smart but I wish I knew how smart they were, every snake is a growing experience so just have fun with her, not sure how much you feed her but she will probably be Ready for that permanent enclosure by the end of the first year.

I feed her every 5 days for now. Obviously, that will change with age.

jpsteele80 · 04-27-14, 06:57 PM

Yeah if your feeding every 5 days that snake is going to hit 10 foot by the end of year 1, I'd extend that to ever 7 days

dastefster · 04-27-14, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsteele80

Yeah if your feeding every 5 days that snake is going to hit 10 foot by the end of year 1, I'd extend that to ever 7 days

oh haha alright, yeah I've always fed my babies less than weekly for the first year. Just a habit I guess.

jpsteele80 · 04-27-14, 07:13 PM

Lol yeah but a retic isn't your average snake, there monsters and if you feed it like that it will take off faster than any snake you have seen, plus you want t to give the digestive track a little rest time, every 5 days it's almost constantly going

dastefster · 04-27-14, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpsteele80

Lol yeah but a retic isn't your average snake, there monsters and if you feed it like that it will take off faster than any snake you have seen, plus you want t to give the digestive track a little rest time, every 5 days it's almost constantly going

well, thats exactly why I posted this thread! Cause I have no experience with them! haha this is going to be an interesting journey

jpsteele80 · 04-27-14, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dastefster

well, thats exactly why I posted this thread! Cause I have no experience with them! haha this is going to be an interesting journey

No doubt it will be an epic journey, out of every snake I've ever owned my retic was by far my favorite

dave himself · 04-27-14, 08:20 PM

As I said in your other post mate start tap training her now, and if she does tag you don't put her back into her viv straight away as said retics are smart. And you don't want her to get think that when she tags you she gets put back into her viv. I would give her short handling sessions to start of with and gradually increase the time you have her out. And be prepared for when her feeding response kicks in it took my little one about 3 months before she showed hers. Now when she smells rats anything that enters her viv is fair game. I've kept burms for over 8 years but if I could start over again I would have all retics IMO they really are the king of constrictors

dastefster · 04-27-14, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave himself

As I said in your other post mate start tap training her now, and if she does tag you don't put her back into her viv straight away as said retics are smart. And you don't want her to get think that when she tags you she gets put back into her viv. I would give her short handling sessions to start of with and gradually increase the time you have her out. And be prepared for when her feeding response kicks in it took my little one about 3 months before she showed hers. Now when she smells rats anything that enters her viv is fair game. I've kept burms for over 8 years but if I could start over again I would have all retics IMO they really are the king of constrictors

yeah, I did tap training on my motley boa and I got really good results with him. So I will definitely try that with her. Since she just got through mites, then not eating for a month I think I'll give her a week or so to herself to digest this mouse and get back to normal before I try to handle her again

Sublimeballs · 04-27-14, 09:07 PM

What Dave said about tap training. Get started on tap or hook training; I rub mine with a snake hook and they lose the feed mode almost instantly, it's really quite cool. I only have pure dwarves so hook training is feasible for me but I'd go with tap training in your case(mainlands).

Also if you build an adult cage for her build a small feeding door into it so she doesn't associate the enclosure door opening with food. Or if you buy a cage simply use one door to feed and one to let the snake come out, spot cleaning, etc...

For safety get used to keeping a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her cage incase she gets you and you need it to get her off when she's got some size on her.

As for the cage for the time being I'd get a 48"x30" pvc cage for her for now. It can be used for a wide range of reptiles when she goes into her adult cage. Kinda expensive for a cage but over the Xmas tree tubs all cages arnt going to be so cheap.

I wish I knew that Retics are like chips. You can't just have one. They truely are the king of snakes. A very rewarding animal to have the pleasure of working with.

Teal · 04-27-14, 09:55 PM

Your baby is gorgeous!

I don't think it can be said enough how smart they are. When my boy watches me, I know he's evaluating everything and learning. I am very lucky in that he doesn't have an insane feeding response as soon as the door is opened... he will come out slowly and check out my hands, then give me puppy dog eyes because there is no guinea pig lol. But if I were to start over with a youngster (I got him as an adult), I would definitely do tap training and a feeding hatch. As it is, I toss in food for Manny on the opposite side of where he's facing so he isn't watching me do it. The good news for you is you have, oh, about 10 months? to learn before your snake is large

lol

Tonka14 · 04-27-14, 10:14 PM

What Sublimeballs said about the feeding door is one of the best things I would recommend, or doing something specific every time you feed. Right now I go from one side and only do a partial open of the enclosure so I don't get hammered every time I mess with him.

MCB · 04-28-14, 03:44 AM

As the guys have said tap training is a must, they are clever and won't take long to cotton on. I adopted the left side for play/handling/cleaning and the right for feed, I'll use this method for all my future boys and girls as it works really well. Just pick a side for non feeding that he spends most of the time at as it'll be much easier when he's full size.
You'll get to see when he goes 'hunt mode' and is switched on to feeding, mine spends about 80% in this mode LOL! Just don't over feed especially at an early age, keep feed/weight records if you can as it's always good to keep track.
You'll be fine, and most of all ENJOY it!