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 #1439481


NICKNAME
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 Retic escape artist

my sons tiger retic has been getting out almost every day now . thankfully it`s in his closed bedroom. i always find her .she more restless than she used to be .
i`m wondering if it`s she`s still hungry and looking for more .
she`s about 6 feet , and i give her a jumbo rat . it is slightly bigger than her mid-section , but she`s looking for more after she eats that.
i just don`t know if i should be feeding her more.
retrics are always growing .
or maybe i`m wrong and she`s just wanting to wander . she`s is getting to the point she needs a bigger home ( she`s in a 30 gallon tank now)
can anyone give me advice

my son has been in the hospitol for 2 months . i just want to take care of her properly.
09/11/07  08:13am

 #1439632


Wild "J"
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1439481


 Retic escape artist

your "RETIC" must not be vary old. when they are a year of age is when they are growing the fastest. if yours is a tiger female it has the potential of getting 9 ft in its first year. they can do this because they have the fastest metabolic rate then any other snake in the world. so you should be feeding her once every 3 days, once she passes her first year cut back a little.
and for your caging i would build a cage. i did for all my giant constrictors. and it is much cheep-er the buying another cage.

good luck!!!!!



09/11/07  12:33pm

 #1440088


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Wild   In reference to Message Id: 1439632


 Retic escape artist

SHE IS LESS THAN A YEAR . MY SON HAS HAD HER SINCE SHE WAS ABOUT 18 INCHES. SHE`S HIS FAVORITE.
I GUESS I SHOULD FEED HER MORE. 2 WEEKS BACK I GAVE HER A JUMBO . I ALSO TRIED TO FEED OUR CARPET PYTON A MEDIUM RAT . HE WOULDN`T EAT. HE WAS STARTING TO SHED
I OFFERED IT TO "LUCY"( THE TIGER) SHE TOOK IT NO PROBLEM
I GUESS I`LL TRY TO FEED HER A SECOND ONE THIS WEEK . I JUST DON`T KNOW IF YOU SHOULD GO BY HOW MUCH THE SNAKE WANTS TO EAT AS OPPOSED TO A SPECIFIC AMOUNT GOING BY SIZE AND AGE.
I SEE SOME TRULY FAT SNAKES ON SOME OF THESE SITES
I DON`T WANT HER TO GROW ANY FASTER THAN SHE SHOULD . HOW DO I KNOW ?
ALSO IF SHE NEEDS TO EAT 2 JUMBOS , IS IT BEST TO GIVE THEM THE SAME DAY , OR WAIT AND GIVE THE SECOND 3 DAYS LATER?
09/11/07  07:36pm

 #1440309


Grunt
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1440088


 Retic escape artist

if she can take them without overdoing it I would just give em to her. I know you know what your doing and that she doesnt need to eat every 3 days. if you think 2 jumbos are a little much go with a lg and a jumbo or 2 lg. remember it is more important to have a healthy snake than it is to have the largest. they will get big anyway. most of mine are on a once a week feeding even as yearlings
09/11/07  09:28pm

 #1440338


Croc Attack
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1440088


 Retic escape artist

you dont want to feed them multiple times a week, its important to let meals properly digest before offering food again, you can build a good size enclosure for around $150 and try rearanging the cage funiture, sometimes they like a change.
Hope your gets better
09/11/07  09:45pm

 #1440340


Croc Attack
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   Message To: Croc Attack   In reference to Message Id: 1440338


 Retic escape artist

Hope your son gets better
09/11/07  09:46pm

 #1440898


Wild "J"
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   Message To: Croc Attack   In reference to Message Id: 1440340


 Retic escape artist

reticulated pythons are vary differnt then other snakes. what is power feeding to a burm or a red tail is standard for a baby retic. they digest food much faster then other snakes do to their metabolisum. where they are from there are lots of preditors, so they have evoloved to grow faster. there is not a hard fast rule about snakes it is all about knowing the individual speacies. after the first year their metabolisum slows down so you could start feeding them like a redtail or a carpet.
09/12/07  10:48am

 #1440999


Wild "J"
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   Message To: Wild   In reference to Message Id: 1440898


 Retic escape artist

you guys are right though. individual retics will have slight variations in the metabolic speed. so don’t feed them if they still have a lump in their gut from the last feeder item.
there are many things that effect rate of digestion. temperature, stress, if the animal was sick recently, the age etc..
so the retic owner must evolve the rate which the snake eats.



09/12/07  01:12pm

 #1441359


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Wild   In reference to Message Id: 1440999


 Retic escape artist

i came home and she was on top of her tank , looking to be fed
i fed her a jumbo whic she grabbed quickly
afterwards i put on a glove to pick her up , and she tagged me good . she ripped through my glove and tore my finger up
i have no hard feelings, she has never tried to bite me before. i guess i`m gonna have to feed her a bit more and a bit more often.
you know grunt , i don`t know what i`m doing . i have had snakes my whole life
my son elected to have retics and burms . and now that he`s in the hospitol , i`m learning i can easily get in over my head
this weekend i`m going to have to build 2 enclosures for these 2 big guys.
i am a contractor , and a finish carpenter by trade , so i know i can build a nice enclosure
and i`ll start asking more questions to you guys who`ve had them for a while
i respond to a lot of peoples questions on alot of these threads , but truly just because we have retics and burms , i`m learning it doesn`t mean we`re experts. i have to learn how to be an expert on " lucy " and "ethell" my sons babies till he gets out. thanks for the advice
09/12/07  06:37pm

 #1441649


I have cobras
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1439481


 Retic escape artist

Jumbo rats for a 6’ retic ? They must be some small jumbos then, I mean retics can eat some big stuff but the jumbos I get are huge and my tic that is 8 foot or so couldn’t handle them, she isn’t near thick enough. I would also say it is an overstatement to say that a retic has the fastest metabolism of any snake in the world. I know my cobras digest a lot faster then my retics.
09/12/07  09:59pm

 #1441829


NICKNAME
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   Message To: I have cobras   In reference to Message Id: 1441649


 Retic escape artist

NO THESE ARE TRUE JUMBOS . MY RETICS PROBABLE ALMOST AS BIG AROUND AS A COKE CAN .
OUR 7 MONTH OLD BURM IS EVEN THICKER. THEY HAVE BEEN EATING JUMBOS FOR OVER A MONTH NOW.
09/12/07  11:58pm

 #1442185


Forsaken
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1441829


 Retic escape artist

Well, I’m new to Retics and studying on them. But I’ll tell what I know. You can and possibly need to feed her a Small Rabbit every 10 days. If you feed her a Jumbo and she bit you then you fed her again, she will get used to biting you. You can’t keep feeding her every 3 to 4 days because they can grow fast. It is IMPORTANT for them to build muscle and not body fat. What I hear is she wants a bigger cage to roam around in which is common. Your building a cage which is good:)
Hold her often. 2 days a week, Feed her 1 Small Rabbit every 10 days to give her Nutrition and satisfy her hunger. Also what’s the temps? Just in case it can be the prob if it’s too hot or too cold she would want to get out. Hope this helps.

Elvia.
09/13/07  12:12pm

 #1442817


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Forsaken   In reference to Message Id: 1442185


 Retic escape artist

thanks forsaken ;
i just saw my son tonight , and he said what you did ..
he said try feeding her a rabbit , as they are thicker , and have more fat , and also it works out cheaper. the rats are $8 each , so instead of 2 rats , he said feed her a rabbit , which are$10 for frozen
man they do grow fast ! and yeah what appetites they have
i will try to take her out and handle her more .. she`s a beutiful snake , and has always been mild mannered

thanks for the info
09/13/07  10:17pm

 #1443600


Nova*
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1442817


 Retic escape artist

If you need help feeding or building the new enclosures let me know... I’d love to help
09/14/07  04:28pm

 #1443861


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Nova*   In reference to Message Id: 1443600


 Retic escape artist

thanks nova nick , i might just take you up on that
09/14/07  09:22pm

 #1445317


Claw
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1443861


 Retic escape artist

you all have great points and tips on retics. remember these snakes do need to eat much more then any other snake through their infancy. and the tip on feeding once every 3 days is accurate without power feeding, however it all depends on the size of the feeder. you could still stretch the snake, and feed that often. but if you feed it a super large item you could hold off for a bit. as a retic owner you must be able to adapt.
09/15/07  11:50pm

 #1445390


Grunt
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1441359


 Retic escape artist

Quote:

i fed her a jumbo whic she grabbed quickly
afterwards i put on a glove to pick her up , and she tagged me good . she ripped through my glove and tore my finger up
i have no hard feelings, she has never tried to bite me before.



Remember they can stay in feed mode sometimes for a couple of days and this is when most accidents happen. handling after feeding is not always a good thing, that is one reason feeding in the enclosure is important . cute down such accidents and stress on the snake.
09/16/07  01:55am

 #1445630


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Grunt   In reference to Message Id: 1445390


 Retic escape artist

i see what you mean . she was definetly in a feeding mode when she tagged me
i just cleaned her tank yesterday and she was just mild mannered like usual.i`m gonna try and get her out every couple days ( my son always did )she hasn`t been handled much lately.

my sons also got a beautiful selayers( there`s pics of her under this thread under his name " duude" ) i have to giver time , along with his albino burm , and his coastal carpet.

back to what you said about feed the snake. do you feed yours in the enclosure ? my son always took them out and fed them elsewhere.
whats your logic on this . i know i`m gonna get alot of different answers on this one.
what`s best, and why



09/16/07  11:01am

 #1445662


Claw
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1445630


 Retic escape artist

i always put large constrictors in a different feeding enclosure.
09/16/07  11:24am

 #1445984


Grunt
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   Message To: Claw   In reference to Message Id: 1445662


 Retic escape artist

I always feed in the enclosure, all my snakes are hook trained no hook means feeding time with hook means handling time and I have never had any issues using this method. It is easier on the snake no snake especially a large one wants to be handled after it eats. I have learned this from all the big breeders I deal with . remember these snakes will for the most part stay in feed mode normally for a day after feeding.
09/16/07  03:51pm

 #1446087


Claw
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   Message To: Grunt   In reference to Message Id: 1445984


 Retic escape artist

its all just what you are use to doing. I’ve never been bitten with a outside enclosure.
09/16/07  05:32pm

 #1447489


NICKNAME
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   Message To: Claw   In reference to Message Id: 1446087


 Retic escape artist

I LIKE THE HOOK MEANS HANDLING METHOD .I MIGHT AS WELL TRAIN HER FOR THAT . IT DOES TAKE A LITTLE WORK GETTING USED TO THE HOOK .
THANK YOU ALL
09/17/07  08:50pm

 #1447513


I have cobras
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   Message To: NICKNAME   In reference to Message Id: 1447489


 Retic escape artist

With the hook training method there is really nothing for you to get used to, the snake just has to get used to it. All you do with the hook it just reach in the cage with it and touch the snake on the back a few times or rub her back with it. You could hook her behind the head and move her a little and then just reach in and take her out if she doesn’t try to bite the hook. Then during feeding just offer her food, she will get to know when feeding time is and handling time.
09/17/07  09:04pm

 #1447581


El 3men2
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   Message To: I have cobras   In reference to Message Id: 1447513


 Retic escape artist

hook training is the best. Works great and it is absolutely necessary.
09/17/07  09:36pm

 #1448772


I have cobras
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   Message To: El 3men2   In reference to Message Id: 1447581


 Retic escape artist

I love the lack of good info on this site. Like when someone tries to tell me about what it is like to keep hots but has never been close to one except at the zoo with a piece of glass between them and the animal.

It is absolutely necessary to hook train a retic ? That is complete B.S. info right there. It is a good idea, but it is not absolutely necessary. 2 of my retics have never been hook trained and have never tried to bite me, the other one I currently have I couldn’t tell you if he was hook trained or not but I reach right in his cage to get him out without the use of a hook, and he has never gone after me either. My tiger female used to come out of the cage to me when feeding her, ignoring the rat dangling in front of her face and crawling into my hand that smelled like a rat and she never bit me. A buddy of mine swore his male tiger tic would bite me if I didn’t hook it first and that it would also bite me if I went to pick it right back up after putting it back in its cage. Never got tagged by that snake either, he is the reason I got my female tiger. His tiger was as laid back as a lazy boa or ball python. This doesn’t hold true for all retics, some are just plain old nasty, cb or wc. Most of the nasty tics though are wc animals that have had snares, tongs and what not used to catch them and went through a grueling shipping process.
09/18/07  11:02pm

 #1448903


Wild "J"
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   Message To: I have cobras   In reference to Message Id: 1448772


 Retic escape artist

there is no one way to do things, i feed in an outside box and they never try to bite or fight.
what ever works for me may not work for you. its all about personal experience
09/19/07  12:42am

 #1449597


Grunt
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   Message To: Wild   In reference to Message Id: 1448903


 Retic escape artist

Quote:

My tiger female used to come out of the cage to me when feeding her, ignoring the rat dangling in front of her face and crawling into my hand that smelled like a rat and she never bit me.

.

It only takes once with some of these snakes. We have 10 retics and I would love to see you even think of reaching into any of their cages at feeding time. even as gentle as they all are feeding time is no time to FN play games and try to hand feed any of them. most of them can have their feed responce turned off with the hook but my 17 ft yellow head will try and take any warm thing that enters her cage. I have seen many people say , my snake wont bite me I know its to well and those are the people that always end up with nasty bites. So when you get bit we want to see pics..

By the way how big and how many retics do you do this with? because anyone with enough experience knows bite are inevitable , during feeding time thats why we call these bite , bites from S,H,E


Quote:

what ever works for me may not work for you. its all about personal experience


No truer staement could be made. but some chances just arent worth taking
09/19/07  06:58pm

 #1449643


Wild "J"
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   Message To: Grunt   In reference to Message Id: 1449597


 Retic escape artist

could you post some pics of your 17ft retic, that would be nice.



09/19/07  07:20pm

 #1449703


Grunt
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   Message To: Wild   In reference to Message Id: 1449643


 Retic escape artist

at this moment all I have are older pics and she is in with my male but here is one of the older ones just so its known I am only trying to hold her head out for the pic because she was trying to climb and we couldnt get a good pic she is no where this small anymore. she is a thia from Bob clark

this pic is from jan she has grown quite a bit.
I will try and get some new pics this weekend when I get back from NY
09/19/07  08:05pm

 #1449812


Wild "J"
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   Message To: Grunt   In reference to Message Id: 1449703


 Retic escape artist

thanks for the picture.


here is my two year old male at 10ft 10in. Felix
09/19/07  09:01pm
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