Need help i just stumble on a Retic!!!!!

[CichlaRyan]

yoyoyoyooy

well i was at my lfs for herps and well hes closing down =[ but he had something to tell me so he took me to the back and in this 60G was this 1 Reticulated Python about 2ft long and in perfet confditions all around and he told me you can have this guys for free since no one will buy him and i need to clear out fast. so he gave me the 60G and the snake and all his supplies. i set it up and know i need to know how long will he be able to live in this before ill have to upgrade it im currently feeding 1 large fuzzy every 11days. will i need any tool out of the ordinary for this snake?

 

[ryanc2106]

lift some wieghts to get ready for his stregnth, DD can give you alot of input on these since he has a handful, and is very knowldgeable,

but i dont think he is no beginer snake, and you will need a fairly large enclosure, and feed 1 rat a week instead of every 11 days, my brother in laws ball python eats a md. rat every 6 days! and the ball is about 2 - 21/2 feet

 

[rmorse]

Good luck.

Post before and after pics. Well, you may have to have your family post the after pics....

 

[Miguel]

If you have no experience with snakes you should start learning NOW. That is no toy snake, so be prepared for a load of snake and a load of snake pooh.

Get it hand tame asap.

 

[Berber King]

A 2ft Retic should be taking a medium/large mouse every 7-10 days whilst growing.Unless its one of the island dwarf species,ur gonna need a big enclosure pretty soon.Id recommend feeding outside of the cage,and maybe tap-training the animal,as they are incredibly powerful snakes.

 

[reptech]

hope your ready to get bit lol and this snake will grow over 20ft so i hope you have a extra room ready

 

[CichlaRyan]

yea i heard thought id hear big numbers in length the taming is no prob i can hold him he wont bite (yet) but to take percautions i look at some vids in youtube about this beasts and how to keep emm. i just noticed what a big job i jsut jumped into maybe even bigger then my cichla!!! as for location i might make a reptile home outside made with a material that can hold heat in and stand strong i was thinking acrylic or plexiglass not too sure >.> but if i could ide make it 16ft 10ft 6ft that shoud hold him for life?

 

[rmorse]

Best cage for a snake is long enough where he can stretch completely out in, and not touch either end. Minimum tank: Perimeter = double snakes length.


That being said, use your best judgment...

 

[CichlaRyan]

what is the chances i got a SD od D?

 

[CTU2fan]

what is the chances i got a SD od D?

Since he was free pretty slim, though you could post a pic and we could guess at locale.

My first snake was a retic and I never regretted it, they can be incredibly rewarding animals to work with. They have a particular awareness that you don't see in lots of other snakes, my old retic would watch people throughout the room and could recognize people; when certain people passed her enclosure she'd try to bust out and kill them, notably my ex (hahaha).

Enclosure: You're going to need a bigger one, and quick. That snake should zip past the 10' length in a year, easily. Not sure how much room you have for an indoor enclosure (what you've planned for outside will be great for him, but triple-check your design for weak spots as they're incredibly strong and adept at finding escape routes). They're pretty active compared to some other big constrictors like burmese or boa constrictors.

Feeding: Yeah fuzzy every 11 days isn't going to be enough. Go with a weekly adult mouse but that'll be a rat very soon.

Watch your humidity, keep it up so you don't have shedding problems. Not sure what your heating setup is but best bet is some kind of reptile heating pad/heat tape with a thermostat rather than a basking light. Good that you can handle him now with no problems, keep it up and you should have a fantastic big snake.