Taming tips for a retic?

I was wondering if anyone has some good taming tips for a retic? I use the snake hook and rub it across his back to let him know im taking him out, but yesterday after feeding him and using the hook to rub his back i went to pick him up and he tried to bite me. So i put him down and let him calm down, rubbed his back and tryed picking him up, same thing happend. after letting him sit for 5min i was able to pick him up and put him back in the tank.

I've always been told, especially with the snakes like retics and boas that can have strong food responses, to feed in the enclosure and then leave them alone for a day to settle down so you're not handling them while they're in "food mode".

I don't feed him inside the enclosure, after feeding him in his feeding tub I attempted to pick him up and transfer him back to his cage. When I kept trying to pick him up he kept trying to bite. I was told to use the snake hook to rub there back when you want to pick them up so they know it's not feeding time.

Originally Posted by bcr229

I've always been told, especially with the snakes like retics and boas that can have strong food responses, to feed in the enclosure and then leave them alone for a day to settle down so you're not handling them while they're in "food mode".

My boas are fed in their enclosures exactly for this reason. It can take a while for large boids to get out of 'feed mode'. By 'a while' I mean, 30 min or more. It's not recommended to feed large boids in feeding tubs for exactly this reason, it's the most common time for feeding accidents (getting bit) to happen.

Snake hook training takes time (getting the snake to understand the touch means - I'm about to pick you up). Even then, I still wouldn't do this during feeding day. just my opinion. My experience is with boa constrictors.

Stop with the "feeding outside the enclosure" thing. I've tried both, and there is no change in the animals reaction. All you're doing is stressing them out after they've eaten, by picking them up to move them to another cage. You'll get more regurges than "A friendlier retic" by doing this.

He's either striking because he's feeling vulnerable, after just eating, or he want's more food. Either way, leave him alone in his cage for a few days and let him digest the meal, then interact with him.

If he's normally just agressive, I've always found not caring, letting myself get bit, and still handling the animal is the best approach. Better to just get it over with, and not care than to be afraid of something that's going to happen anyway.

If it comes down to it, and he's just becoming agressive, while he's still smaller and the bite will suck less, just take it. One of my super dwarfs was wild and bitey, so I let her snag my finger, she bit and held on for probably 30 mins, and when she was done, she was done, and she's never bit or struck since.

Originally Posted by Utta

Stop with the "feeding outside the enclosure" thing. I've tried both, and there is no change in the animals reaction. All you're doing is stressing them out after they've eaten, by picking them up to move them to another cage. You'll get more regurges than "A friendlier retic" by doing this.

He's either striking because he's feeling vulnerable, after just eating, or he want's more food. Either way, leave him alone in his cage for a few days and let him digest the meal, then interact with him.

If he's normally just agressive, I've always found not caring, letting myself get bit, and still handling the animal is the best approach. Better to just get it over with, and not care than to be afraid of something that's going to happen anyway.

If it comes down to it, and he's just becoming agressive, while he's still smaller and the bite will suck less, just take it. One of my super dwarfs was wild and bitey, so I let her snag my finger, she bit and held on for probably 30 mins, and when she was done, she was done, and she's never bit or struck since.

The "getting the bite over with" method is how I have dealt with many a nasty young snake: eventually they figure that biting does them no good and stop biting.
If your goal is to have a tame retic, I would take it out on a daily basis for 30-60 minutes at a time (leaving it alone for a day before feeding and 2 days after feeding). Also keep up the snake hook/back routine. You will likely get bitten at first but if you keep up the routine the snake should calm down within a month. This seemed to work well for me with baby and young snakes; adult snakes will likely not tame down. It is also important that you handle the snake in a quiet environment (no more than 1 or 2 other people around); the more that is going on around them the more likely they are to bite out of fear.
Don't forget to have a second or third person around during handling/feeding/cage cleaning when the snake gets larger, friendly or not; safety first!

Now, when I dealt with a couple of baby rock pythons this did not work: some snakes are just hardwired to be nasty. Brian at BHB has a burmese named "Satan" who is a good example of a species that can go either way.

I also agree that feeding in the enclosure is best. I have done both in and out of the enclosure and was bitten more times than I can count when feeding outside the enclosure. I fed outside the enclosure years ago at a pet shop when I was taking care of a colony of carpet pythons that were housed together. I used to use welding gloves and a hook to avoid the bite of the adult carpets but if they grabbed the glove I would have to make sure they did not try to swallow it.
The only snakes that I still feed out of their tubs are my baby ringed pythons because they are on cypress mulch and I don't want them to eat it; I get bit every other time I go to put them back (but they are small so the bite is painless).

This is the first time he has ever tried to bite me! He's about 5' and he's always been fed outside of his cage. If everyone is recommending that I feed him in the cage I guess I'll give it a shot. Quick question, what bedding do you guys recommend?

depends on what you keep him in. Is he in a glass aquarium? a tub? a boaphile/proline/neodesha/etc?

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

My boas are fed in their enclosures exactly for this reason. It can take a while for large boids to get out of 'feed mode'. By 'a while' I mean, 30 min or more.

Thirty minutes is pretty quick. I have a female BCI that will strike the enclosure door for hours after being fed if you get anywhere near it, before she finally settles and heads off to the warm spot to digest. I feed her right before I go to bed so she has all night to chill out, and as Utta said, don't handle them for a few days afterward.

I keep my boas & balls on cypress for help with humidity in the winter, and newspaper in the warmer months.

Originally Posted by Utta

depends on what you keep him in. Is he in a glass aquarium? a tub? a boaphile/proline/neodesha/etc?

Right now he's in a glass terrarium but only for a week or two, Im waiting for the glass tracks to finish my cage!