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Can 3 short girls handle a retic?

9K views 60 replies 27 participants last post by  AB's 
#1 ·
I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. I just love reticulated pythons and would really enjoy owning one. But here's the thing... I'm 5'3''. It won't take long for that cute little baby to outgrow me. So obviously there's no way I could safely handle it on my own.

I live with my sister, and another sister of mine comes over all the time. So there could be three of us handling it when it gets let out of its cage. Our sizes: 5'3'', 5'4'', and 5'2'' and we're all small-boned and thin. Unfortunately, we're all currently single so there aren't any strong guys who could help out.

So could the three of us alone safely handle an adult retic?
 
#3 ·
Are you fit cos I'm a strong man 8)....
Joking aside i would advise against it to be honest, it wouldn't be much fun for you or the snake if you can't handle it by yourself.

What if for some reason you had to get the snake out for what ever reason and it was just you at home?
In my experience with anything is don't land yourself in a situation where you absolutely have to rely on other people.
 
#5 ·
Get a baby and as it grows so will your confidence and knowledge

Im 5ft6 and weigh 8st 6oz
Yet I relocate Wild Retics and Burmese every week
Usually by myself

There are many smaller locales and males are always smaller than females
So if you talk to a few breeders you can probably find a male that will max out under 10ft fairly easily
 
#6 ·
Thank-you for all the responses! What initially attracted me to the retic was its size, but I think I could go for a dwarf male. At least then I could really get a good feel for retics and then maybe one day I could handle a giant one once I had the confidence and experience.

I'm excited because I'll finally be able to get out of my rental situation and be in my own house this coming summer. I would love to then be able to add a large snake to the "family." I'll be in the country and I plan to raise rabbits, so the food issue will be covered.

:snake:
 
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#11 ·
I think you should post this in 18+ the answers would be hilarious
 
#14 ·
As long as you do your research, and your helpers are 'snake people', I can't see a problem. Go for a baby, and your handling abilities will grow with the snake.

Dwarfs are all well and good, but you appear to be more interested in normal sized retics. If so, then get a male. They're not as big as the females, but still reach a good size. Mine is 12ft at the minute, and my uncles 5ft 2in girlfriend easily handles him on her own.

Also, take extra notice to its behaviour. Learning how he responds to food, viv opening, handling ect. Tap traing will lower the chances of a feeding response bite, as will drop feeding.
 
#18 ·
the answer to your question really depends on your knowledge,handling capabilities and your physical strength,yes it would be possible for 3 women of your size to handle a near 20ft retic but should one of you become constricted would the other two be able to remove the constriction and the bite quickly,i guess these are the questions you have to ask yourselves,if the answer is yes then your more than capable between you as 6 hands are better than 2 if they are all capable and ready to deal with any situation.

as for people stating that you should buy a youngster and grow with your retic that can be poor advice as ive known many people who bought hatchlings that could never handle a fully grown adult particularly if it became aggressive,i own several big retics from those type of situations which were basically rescues
 
#19 · (Edited)
Thanks for the answers. :) Some of them were quite funny, lol.

I like burms, but there are various legal reasons why I can't have one.

What does it mean if an ad says a retic is 62.5% dwarf? I don't know much yet about dwarves. How big should that grow? It's a male.
 
#20 ·
Thanks for the answers. :) Some of them were quite funny, lol.

I like burms, but there are various legal reasons why I can't have one.

What does it mean if an ad says a retic is 62.5% dwarf? I don't know much yet about dwarves. How big should that grow? It's a male.
:hmm:
 
#22 ·
I'm in the US and you can't cross state lines with a burm anymore.

Now, obviously, I could probably get away with it, BUT if for some reason I didn't, it's a felony. That's a big deal. It's not just a matter of some fines and getting the snake taken away. I'll have that permanently on my record.

I'll be acquiring exotic mammals that require licenses from the state. I also wish to become federally licensed so that I can exhibit my mammals. With these licenses come inspections, and even animals that are not on your license are allowed to be scrutinized. So that means the snake would be looked into by the inspectors.

Plus, I think it's just best overall to do everything legally. Illegal ownership of an animal reflects very poorly on the exotic animal community as a whole and creates negative attention to the industry.

You wouldn't believe how many hoops I had to jump through to keep my fox legally in the state I'm in. I don't believe in owning anything illegally and I discourage it whenever anyone wants to try.

You are still legally allowed to cross state lines with a reticulated python since they were not added to the Lacey Act. They almost were, but thanks to the efforts of a lot of people, the proposal was rejected.
 
#28 ·
I'm sure there are burm breeders in the state--mostly hobbyists. No big reptile companies though. So I could easily find one from somebody if I looked around. I just wouldn't be able to take it with me if I left. Sadly though, there are going to be fewer and fewer breeders since they can't cross state lines. It really restricts the sale of them. So I wouldn't be able to buy from the big breeders like Bob Clark.

Yeah, my sister and I will be moving out together. We'll still be about the same distance away as the other one (just add on about ten more minutes), so yep, there'll still be three short girls. :)

Thanks for the concerns though. Lots of times people don't think of things like that and they get into trouble.

So does anybody know about how long a 62.5% dwarf male will get? I'm not quite sure what the percentage means.

Thanks again.
 
#33 ·
I'm sure there are burm breeders in the state--mostly hobbyists. No big reptile companies though. So I could easily find one from somebody if I looked around. I just wouldn't be able to take it with me if I left. Sadly though, there are going to be fewer and fewer breeders since they can't cross state lines. It really restricts the sale of them. So I wouldn't be able to buy from the big breeders like Bob Clark.
So uhm.. why would anyone want to buy from a big time company if there still are hobbyist breeders around? In a way, that law could be a blessing in a disguise.

I do get the moving point though. And also appreciate the fact that retics are far more interesting than burms :)
 
#32 ·
I've never kept really big snakes myself, so naturally I can't answer the question, but I just happened to read this page about handling big snakes earlier today:
http://http://www.anapsid.org/handling.html

They reccomend 1 person per 5 ft of snake (per 3 ft if the snake is nervous or agressive) for snakes longer than 8 ft. Following that rule of thumb, 3 people should be enough. But I think I would personally be worried enough myself about investing in a species that gets so strong and heavy, and is rumored to often be a bit on the agressive side, that I would personally visit someone with a fully grown one, along with my helpers, to see if we are strong enough to lift and carry it (those monsters can be squirmy when they have to be carried somewhere and decide they'd rather not - I know there's a limit to how much one carries a retic around, but it may need to be taken to the vet, weighed or similar), "unwrap it" from something and generally maneuver it.
 
#34 ·
I've never kept really big snakes myself, so naturally I can't answer the question, but I just happened to read this page about handling big snakes earlier today:
http://http://www.anapsid.org/handling.html
That also says:

"The Reticulated python can reach a maximum length of over 30 feet;"

- which is completely unsubstantiated BS. Not saying the whole thing is, they make some good points about safety and how careless actions affect the wider community.

"A rough guide recommended by most experienced snake keepers is to have one handler for every five feet of snake (every three feet is suggested for nervous or aggressive species such as Reticulated Pythons or Anacondas)."

- ime, Retics are neither nervous or aggressive if cb, handled regularly and with respect from a young age, and are adequately fed. Interestingly they did not mention the Amethystine Python here, as they do tend to be more nervous and aggressive. (which is usually more than likely food or defensively driven) And for a 30ft snake, you would need 10 handlers :lol2: Interestingly they did not mention the Amethystine Python here, as they do tend to be more nervous and aggressive. (which is usually more than likely food or defensively driven)

Even articles with good info on them seem to have silly parts to them, which is a shame. It's always a good idea to read multiple sources and also speak to those who are involved in keeping whichever species you are thinking about keeping. Again, the more the better : victory:
 
#54 ·
To the OP I am 5ft3 and tbh I struggled handling retics. And I was with the owner, male and over 6ft who is used to handling them. He was fine of course. But the weight alone was difficult to manage. So as much as I love retics I would advise against it. Dont get me wrong I might just be a runt and a weakling and you might be mrs muscle :lol2:
 
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