Firstly, good call on being responsible about size, however, genetics is about 50% of the snakes size, the rest is up to you, a lot of people get retics because they want a monster, so they feed it big meals sometimes twice a week all its life, these snakes will get big!!!! If you feed it a meal NO thicker than the largest part of its body once a week til its 1, then move it to every 10-14 days, a male retic is going to only get 10-15ft, (thats the range is where genetics kick in) males rarely get over 16ft either way and stay quite slender, don't get me wrong these are still powerful snakes and should be shown respect, but i will comfortably handle a male alone (but i am a big guy). Females on the other hand, rarely stay UNDER 16ft, and are very heavy bodied. So what i'm saying here is, don't rule out mainlands, as you can get a lot more variety morph wise for a lot less than dwarfs and super dwarfs.

Secondly, retics have this strange aura around them for being "snappy", well all snakes can be snappy, retics more so? Not really, its just thats its a lot more dangerous when they are because of their size. They do however have a WICKED feeding response, they expect food 24/7 so i suggest hook/touch training them. But most importantly, handle and pay attention to your baby BEFORE you buy it, if it has an attitude as a baby, it is more likely to have one as an adult.

Ok rambling over, onto what you actually want to know D and SD sizes:

Super Dwarf: males 5-8, females 6-9
Dwarfs: males 6-9 females 8-12

Hope i have cleared some extra things for you


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These 2 threads are worth a read if you're new to retics....

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

http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/467392-reticulated-python-locales-explained.html

 

I have a couple of dwarves (kayuadi) and they aren't snappy at all. They have a wicked feeding response. But as said above, size really comes down to diet. Watch this video: Monster Mainlands - YouTube

 

In reference to the above video, that man is Jay Brewer, along with Bob Clark one the biggest retic breeder in world, knows his shit, he does several videos about small mainlands.


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Will be following this thread as am currently researching Kalatoa's for the end of the year, Retics look like amazing snakes

 

Retics ARE amazing snakes, so curious, always thinking very intelligent. Most snakes just do there own thing and are pretty jumpy, retics are brave and interact with you, love my big boy to bits, always said its unfair for me to pick a favourite from my collection but to be honest my male retic takes it hands down, he has such a strong personality, super super tame too.


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well thanks for all the advice & if i do get one i will definitely try get a mainland and follow their feeding schedules very carefully!

what size vivs does everybody keep them in? just so i can get it all together, as i currently only have a rack system consisting of mainly neonate bci & 2 carpets, spotted, rainbow boa, sand boa & a king snake (all small at the mo)

cheers guys!

 

gooread id like to know how guaranteed can super dwarfs be? id love a 6footer but no more than that really

 

Well i'm in the same boat as you gchannon :lol2: dwarf retics are amazing. But as a world of warning look out for the jampea locality, Because they will get over 10ft in length. The localities that stay under 10ft as males but not sure as females are kalatoa, kayudi and madu. Look up 'the reptile shop' on facebook or 'prehistoric pets' for info on dwarfs. Hope this helps!!

 

That information is technical incorrect. I had a male kayuadi at over 10' but I also have a male 5 year old jampea at 6'. The jampea is on a large/xl rat every 7 or 14 days, but simply doesn't get bigger due to his genetics. The kayuadi used to take rabbits.

Whatever you're buying, it can be a good idea to ask about parent size, and feeding regime for the parents.

 

You asked about viv size. Retics can become territorial, so they are generally kept in smaller enclosures. The general rule is all 4 sides = length of snake. Example 10ft snake in 4x2x2.

 

So a 12 footer would be ok in a 4x2 then ??

 

ok cool thanks mate!

really appreciate anything you guys put on here, so i can gain some knowledge as what to get so i can finally own a retic!!:2thumb:

 

Not in my opinion, going to have to heavily disagree. Yes retics CAN be territorial, but they are very active and will use as much space as you give them, for me 10 square foot is minimum for an adult mainland, male OR female, so 7x3 or 8x2. They tend to be territorial when the are in a full habitat, so if you put them in a huge viv with a few hides, logs, they 'can' become defensive of it, but as alway, depends on the individual. Mine is puppy tame and has huge habitat, not defensive at all. So as i always say, handle your snake before you buy, it may be cute when little retics get brave and take a pop at you but it is certainly not cute when they get over 10ft.


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You do realise all 4 sides of an 8x2 adds up to 20ft, about the size of an adult mainland... So like I said, all 4 sides add up to length of snake.