Nothing says Christmas like a Snake, Right?
Well, that’s exactly what went on at T&A Exotics this Christmas.
Why a Reticulated Python (Retic) you could be wondering.
To be fair, Taylor did want another Boa, but a Retic had also been on the want list for a while, so it wasn’t hard to get everyone on board.
It usually doesn’t take long after learning about snakes that you come across the giant species of snakes like Burmese and reticulated Pythons which also get in the teens in length, and can also weigh several hundred pounds.
Nothing catches peoples attention like a huge snake, right?
The first time we put hands on a Reticulated Python happened at a NARBC show in 2014.
We stopped by a booth named Jason Reeds Retics. What better place to stop and ask questions.
Flash forward to 2016, and we reached out to Jason, and ended up taking a Platinum SD (Super Dwarf) Reticulated Python home.
Wait, does that say “Super Dwarf”?
Yes, it does.
When most people think of reticulated pythons they are the ones that normally originate in the mainland of Southern Asia, thus them being referred to as mainlands. Many mainlands can reach the same length as a green anaconda (the heaviest snake species in the world) but only will reach half the mass of the bulkier anaconda.
When talking about a mainland Reticulated Python, it generally brings to mind a Giant of a snake. 15, to even 20 feet long, since reticulated pythons are the longest snakes in the world.
Featured is Medusa, the longest snake in captivity. She was measured at 25 ft 2 in in 2011. Learn more about her here
Obviously most Reticulated pythons will not reach sizes like This snake! Over 25 Feet, that is one big snake!
Since retics also come in Dwarf and Super Dwarf varieties as well, that fits our comfort level nicely.
Super dwarf and dwarf retics come from small islands off the coast of South East Asia. Many super dwarf and dwarf retics are referred to their locality rather than just super dwarf or dwarf.
A super dwarf or dwarf may only reach 6-10 ft and weight in the double digits rather than the hundred plus pounds of their mainland cousins.
We are new to the Species, so we are gradually learning about the worlds longest species of snake.
This is just a short introduction to Reticulated pythons. There are many more interesting things related to these snakes not mentioned here.
We look forward to having fun learning and working with the new animal (We’ve named Stretch) because of how long and slender she is.
If you liked the post, or would like to learn more about Reticulated Pythons, drop us an email, or feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you’d like to know!
Fun Fact
The “reticulated” net-like patterning gives the reticulated python its name.
Also, most herpitologists that work with Retics agree that they are the most intelligent species of constrictors.