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Dwarf Retics

torsten

torsten

Too many yet too few!!!
Hi all,

i recently (and stupidly) read a post about some dwarf retics... and have now become interested in them:awcrap:

first of all i don't want this to become a debate on what counts as a dwarf etc. Perhaps it would be better worded as on average retics that are smaller.

I have seen some 'Jampea' retics, and they look very pretty but apparently the grow on average to between 10-12', is this true?

ideally i would be looking at retics which don't grow to more than 10' on average preferably smaller.

What size retic is the largest you would consider it safe to handle alone?

I have heard and seen pictures of some Madu/Honey Island Retics which apparently don't get very small and i know there are other smaller retics about. So please could you enlighten me as to what smaller retics there are, and how large they get preferably including pictures and approximate prices.

Any details on viv sizes and food sizes and temps would also be appreciated.



Thanks
Torsten
 
> I have seen some 'Jampea' retics, and they look very pretty but apparently the grow on average to between 10-12', is this true?

Yep.

> ideally i would be looking at retics which don't grow to more than 10' on average preferably smaller.

Then you want super dwarfs and not regular dwarfs. Those come from some of the SMALL islands around Jampea - but not from Jampea itself.

> What size retic is the largest you would consider it safe to handle alone?

Not sure how to answer that, but SD are safe alone - as ssafge as a pig bullsnake, anyway. Some dwarfs can be scary when FULL GROWN.

> Any details on viv sizes and food sizes and temps would also be appreciated.

I'm keeping my SDs in 4x2 foot Boaphile cages, and they are lost in them compared to the BCC and larger BCI.....lol. Temps are the SAME as you would fro regular retics. Follow those care guides - I am. My adults are on "large adult" rats. That doesn't mean much, though, since everyone uses different names. Call it the average female rat that has had a few litters already. I don't have any reason to feed those little guys anything larger.
KJ
 
Hey KJ,

I had forgotten that you had some Retics.

I assume that Madu?Honey Island Retics come from an island near Jampea then?
Any idea on sizes for them?

Do the retics eat quite large meals compared to their size then? how often do you feed them?

Thanks
 
> I assume that Madu?Honey Island Retics come from an island near Jampea then? Any idea on sizes for them?

Wish I could help you, but I'm really only knowledgeable about mine....and how they compare to the Jampeas...... There is a paper out there that might interest you, though. It's the study that put the Jampea retics as their own subspecies. They didn't really look at the other islands too heavily, though. Anyway, I haven't read anything about the Honey Islands that you haven't already seen online. Sorry. :(


> Do the retics eat quite large meals compared to their size then? how often do you feed them?

Only according to their girth since they are long and thin. I've never had a reason to push them on meal size. Shrug? Still, those big heads eat something a lot larger than a colubrid of the same size (i.e., GIRTH) would take easily. When growing up over the last 2 years, we fed them twice a week hoping to push them bigger than expected. They stayed small. Fingers crossed this means they will ALWAYS stay small. Anyway, I feed them once a week now that they pretty much stopped growing. I might bump the female up to every 5 days since it is almost breeding time. Remember I'm not giving them LARGE meals even if they can take it. Shrug? On the male, I'm keeping him on once a week right now (and he is putting on a little more girth under that regime) since he often skips meals while blue. I'd hate to spread meals out much longer right now on him, but I'm watching his body form to make sure he retains proper condition while growing slowly. (He's a little smaller than ther female already.)
 
I haven't read anything about the Honey Islands that you haven't already seen online.
Click to expand...

That is the trouble, i can't seem to find anything out about them!!

do you know the names of any other the other small island localities?
 
Apparently Madu/Honey island retics reach about 6', does anyone on here have one or any pictures?

apparently Kaloatoa and Kayuadi retics are also small, does anyone know how small? anyone have any pictures?


Thanks
 
I had a Jampea female several years ago. Her mom was 12', and she got to 10'. Unfortunately, she died in an accident when put with a larger male for breeding.

She was extremely tame, and I understand that is common for c.b. and raised babies, but not w.c. If you only want one, go for a male as they usually stay smaller.

I had several 12 - 13' + Burms and retics over the years. I always felt comfortable handling them alone, but most people feel that anything over 10' requires a back up person, and of course, better to be safe than sorry. I really liked my "little" retic - she was so active and alert compared to a Burmese that size. But I doubt that I will keep anything bigger than boas in the near future. It just requires more time, space, and effort than I am willing to give at this time.
 
One thing odd about the smaller island retics is that they don't seem to bite from aggression. They would rather RUN than attack. They are more flighty than mean. Obviously, this is pretty much the opposite of mainland ones......lol. I'm talking about wild ones as Kathy mentioned, of course. Domestic ones aren't that flight, and I'm not sure I could easily MAKE mine bite me unless I smelled like a rodent. They DO have the typical retic attitude of anything coming into the cage must be food, though. Still, they are not quite as food aggressive as regular retics seem to be. I've never personally kept a big retic for any amount of time, though.....
 
From the pictures i have seen i think the Kalatoa retics seem to be the prettiest of the dwarf localities. Does anyone know how large they get?
 
Yes, mine was always on the move. Not a couch potato like a BP. And a great feeder - I definitely did not get in between the snake and its food! But in the several years I had her, she never bit me, not even once. That is more than I can say for a number of my corns, lol!
 
I know how you feel, I love Kayuadi retics such cuties, I've promised my other half that one day he can have one (means I can have more snakies hehehehe). But I've not seen other dwarf rectics, tbh I proberly have I just dont pay enough attention.
 
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