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Reticulated Python - the locales explained

71K views 192 replies 62 participants last post by  HerbsParents  
#1 · (Edited)
Hi guys, I am constantly asked about Retic locales and more specifically the sizes that they attain, so I have decided to write this thread to help people understand the different forms of Retic that are available on the market today. I will also try to include morphs where possible. Please note that I haven’t owned many of these locales / morphs so much of the information is through my own research and is by no means a one stop shop for Retic info! This thread should help point you in the right direction if you want to get into the wonderful world of Reticulated Pythons... Remember that for each locale, females will generally get bigger, and for the giant locales, they get truely massive:

Dwarfs:

Jampea 6-12 ft the largest dwarf locale

Kayuadi 6-10ft these ARE NOT ‘Super Dwarves’!

Madu 6-10 ft

Kalatoa 5-8 ft these seem to be the smallest dwarf locale, and I have read Bob Clark say on this forum that these are the island that the ‘Super Dwarves’ originated from, they also seem to be less commonly available than the other locales...

‘Dwarf Morphs’ are in their infancy, commonly in Tiger or Albino, comibinations of these morphs are very rare at the moment...

Genetic stripe is a true dwarf morph, which hasn’t been crossed with mainland types like the above mentioned...

More perspective on the true size can be seen on this thread:

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/snakes/294227-how-big-do-dwarf-retics.html

Mid Size 10-15 ft:

Bali yellowhead

Thai yellowhead

Selayar

Bicol – this is a new locale and not much is known about them. They are from the Phillipenes and so far seem to have the growth rate of a mid sized retic... We will only really know how big they are when the first generation reach adulthood...

Golden Child – this morph is said to have come from Selayar island...

The Big Boys – these snakes will attain massive sizes, up to or even over 20 ft:

Borneo

Java

Ambon - will reach 16-18 ft, an attractive yellowhead locale...

Sumatra

Sulawesi / Makassar – Makassar is a port on Sulawesi, which is why I have put these together

Tiger – this morph is known to get very large indeed. The largest snake in the world is a tiger, named Fluffy, which was bred and raised by Bob Clark...

Sunfire - the sunfires I have seen have a quick growth rate, but I haven’t seen any examples over 17 ft...

Albino – these get large, but don’t tend to break the 16 ft mark for some reason...

Please note that many of the commonly available morphs have often been bred to large locale femalesin order to yield large clutch sizes, unless told otherwise, expect your morph Retics to get BIG!

Vivarium Sizes:

Dwarf Retics at adult sizes a 4x2x2 would be adequate for most snakes, although a large female may need a 5x2x2 or 6x2x2 for an exceptoinally large female...

Mid Sized Retics will require a 6x2x2 or 6x3x3...

The Big Boys will require a 6x3x3 or 8x4x4...

retics are active snakes and will appreciate a bit more room. Obviously the size of the viv needs to be easy to maintain for the sake of the keeper, and therefore a compromise between the two should be met...

I hope this thread helps a few people out, my aim is to show that retics come in many different shapes and sizes, and shouldn't all be thought of as 'monster snakes', many of them don't get much bigger than a coastal carpet python.

Thanks for reading, if anyone has anything to add, such as pictures or corrections then they are more than welcome, but lets keep this thread on topic people!
 
#2 ·
Does anyone have any photos of dwarf morphs at all?
 
#11 ·
nice one mate, good to see some decent info on retic morphs and locales!....i always thought the thai yellowheads were the bigger yellowhead locale and the ambons were between them and balis! see i have leared something already! :2thumb:
Thais may get larger than Balis But I have definitely seen some some larger ambons such as this one, I haven't seen any Thais this big:

Image
 
#12 ·
Does anyone know if you can get silver phase SD. kalatoa locale in the uk?
 
#15 ·
im ordering a male white phase albino from bob clark all being well (as long as still there when paid in next couple of days) apparantly a big 20ft female mother and not sure on the father. any idea on size he will get? (i know this is what you are trying to avoid by this thread lol sorry about that) but roughly, 10-13 ft? if your saying not many albinos get past 16ft and hes a male so slightly smaller?
 
#17 ·
Its hard to say really, retics grow their whole lives, so if the parents are big, then it is more likley to get big... If you feed it sensibly in the first few years you will have a much steadier growth rate.

I have a friend who has an ambon on here and it's quite a big snake have not seen it in the flesh yet but i think he said it was 8 years old and 13.7ft i think so will probs get quite big
We need pics! Sounds like it will get to a decent size :2thumb:
 
#28 ·
I doubt it man, theres a what is the best starter snake question posted at least 1239 3423414 times a month haha.
 
#29 ·
to primalurges sadly female retics dont grow all their lives they seem to stop on average in my experience around 11 to 12 years sometimes earlier rosie seems to have stopped now and she is approaching 13 years old but all my others have stopped earlier than she did this is obviously based on experience with mainlands i cant comment on dwarfs mate.in the wild they grow slower than most captives so i think this is where people get that idea from
 
#30 ·
Quick question for when i do think about a retic the smallest locale is Kalatoa but this is a rarer one to find so I'd be better off with a Kayuadi or Madu
 
#47 ·
Quick question for when i do think about a retic the smallest locale is Kalatoa but this is a rarer one to find so I'd be better off with a Kayuadi or Madu?
Would I be right in thinking this or am I being dumb again?
 
#32 ·
Its like everything else, as soon as various differences are noticed in a particular thing it gets broken down and renamed over and over. Look at music, there are so many genres now that are almost the same its rediculous. I dont understand why it isnt simple either.
 
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#35 ·
Good thread mate! I'm sure jamps can get bigger than 12ft though cant they? I had a female that was fast approaching 10ft and she was only just over 2. Id like to get another, a dwarf tiger if possible. What size do they tend to get?
 
#41 · (Edited)
Jamps can exceed 12 ft, the same way a mainland retic can exceed 20 ft, most of the big Jampeas I have seen have been under the 12 ft mark, there are always exceptions to the rule, such as this monster Jamp, which topped out at 16 ft (which I am pretty sure had been power fed) this snake certainly is an exception to the rule:

Image


good thread just the info i was after on retics hope this becomes a sticky topic as its well informative
Nice 1 :2thumb:
very cool information. funnily i was just saying tonight i had no idea which locality was which lol!

one day i hope i can get my greedy mits on one of these beauties, but it won't be til i'm sure i can house it and look after it!!! but to my eye they are one of the loveliest snakes out there, and the challenge of a large to massive snake is one i definitely want one day.

thanks for a wicked thread!
nice one mate :no1:

Thanks guys! Glad to help : victory:
 
#36 ·
Anybody got any madu pics? Quite like the look of them too lol. Man, i tell myself no more snakes except royals....then a week later i'm planning my next retic! It really is an addiction :lol2: