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Art Klass

Art Klass

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I just want to share something dumb that I have been doing. I have been keeping exclusively boa constrictors for years and have gotten accustom to their calm, relaxed demeanor and relative ease of care. Because of this I generally feed the boas in their own enclosure without ever any problems with aggressive behavior when I open their cages.

About a month ago I aquired a 7' male dwarf retic. Although the retic has a fine disposition..... it's still a retic. I've been treating it like a boa and feeding it in its enclosure. Now I can barely get it out.

So, I am going to be changing a few things. Daily handling and feeding in a different enclosure are certain. This should probably take care of my problem. If you have any other suggestions feel free to post them.

I thought you guys would get a kick out of this!
 
Art Klass said:
Although the retic has a fine disposition..... it's still a retic. I've been treating it like a boa and feeding it in its enclosure. Now I can barely get it out.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what you mean by "it's still a retic". I have kept a number of them over the years, and their dispositions have been pretty variable. I have also kept burms, Afrocks, scrubs, and a wide variety of smaller pythons...as well as boas, venomous, and colubrids. I have never used separate feeding enclosures and, quite frankly, I think they are a waste of time. I understand that many people swear by the practice, and have no issue with it or them - it just isn't for me (too much extra work). Sure, I have had some animals develop pretty wild feeding responses, particularly during periods of heavy growth (with my retics, that typically kicked in around 9ft, lol). It was so pronounced in one of my tigers that she would first follow me as I walked past her enclosure...bumping his nose against the glass. Then, she would do the same thing with her mouth open. Of course, I had a pretty big, and varied collection back then and was feeding something pretty much daily - the sight of the feeding bucket was all it took to get her going. When I was going in for cage maintenance, or to remove her for whatever reason - I used the butt end of a snake hook to touch her first, then hauled her out. If she was at the back of the cage, I used the hook end & then dragged her closer with it. I increased her feedings for about six months and she settled down nicely. I will note at this time that I have had similar experiences with a number of my '05 CH ball pythons, lol, not to mention a number of various other species (including some boas).

I'm not trying to dissuade you from your decision, but keep in mind that you will have to move it back into its enclosure later, lol. Also, my guess is that you probably shift the snake to another container when you do cage maintenance...what if he makes that connection? (I get moved, I get fed). Geez, I'm rambling, and not sure if I'm even still on track, lol...I'd better get back to cleaning so I can go to bed.
Good luck with the 'tic, Art
 
Points are well taken Harold. I was referring to his feeding response and behavior. He follows me around as I walk past his enclosure. When I open his cage, from the top, he comes out in a flash looking for food. I have conditioned this response in him a short period of time. He is very different than my boas, which is one reason why I wanted him. He is so alert, active and fast. I am in the process of getting used to him as well. I think a solution to this dilemma is to constantly change things up so he doesn't know what's coming. Maybe I should feed him more often as well. I am feeding once weekly. Perhaps every five days would be better.
 
Art Klass said:
I just want to share something dumb that I have been doing. I have been keeping exclusively boa constrictors for years and have gotten accustom to their calm, relaxed demeanor and relative ease of care. Because of this I generally feed the boas in their own enclosure without ever any problems with aggressive behavior when I open their cages.

About a month ago I aquired a 7' male dwarf retic. Although the retic has a fine disposition..... it's still a retic. I've been treating it like a boa and feeding it in its enclosure. Now I can barely get it out.

So, I am going to be changing a few things. Daily handling and feeding in a different enclosure are certain. This should probably take care of my problem. If you have any other suggestions feel free to post them.

I thought you guys would get a kick out of this!
Click to expand...

i have a lot of retics.... they are all hook trained. i have never had any problems with them.

one or two taps on the nose and they instantly know its time to come out... :)
 
I have to agree that in my opinion feeding in a seperate cage is a waste of time. With some of my snakes, it would be downright dangerous. Despite the normal calm demeanor of boa constrictors, I have three full adults that the scent of rodent in the room puts them into hunting mode and you do NOT reach into thier cage. They hit the door regularly when I walk by while feeding other snakes.
They also remain in feeding mode for a good while after consuming a rat. If they were fed in a seperate enclosure, you'd get bitten trying to put them back.

I always maintain that the key to not conditioning a snake to feed when the door is opened is to not only open the door at feeding time. Many people feed their snakes, and while they are constricting the rat they spot clean, change the water bowl, etc, and the cage is often not opened until the whole process is repeated a week later.
When you have a snake with a serious feeding response you don't want a routine. Handle him two or three times between feedings. Move him to a holding tub and clean the cage when no food will be offered. Just mix it up.

Of course I'm a good one to be saying all this. I'm as guilty as they come for only changing water at feeding time and rarely holding my snakes. As a result I have several that are quite unpredictable. I deal with it though, and I don't keep any snakes that will break 10 feet. I always tell myself that the next group of jungle carpets I raise up I'll handle them regularly, but I generally don't, and end up with a few more irritable pythons. It's just hard to handle regularly when you're taking care of 50-60 snakes or more.
 
i feed all my retics in the cage.. i have observed for one, if you take them out, some of the wont eat... they may bite and constrict, but don't finish the job.

also, feeding outside or where you would have to move the animal is dangerous. retics are usually very aggressive feeders.

everytime i open the cage door they expect to eat... if i tap the head or nose this turns off the feeding response. i condition all my snakes like this and it works very well!

i have found with retics being assertive is virtuous.
 
Thanks Brian and Clay. That's good information that I'll take to heart.

I use a folded piece of newspaper to tap my boas with on the nose when I get them out. My retic bit and constricted it. I guess I'll get my hook from my truck and start using it.
 
Art Klass said:
I use a folded piece of newspaper to tap my boas with on the nose when I get them out. My retic bit and constricted it. I guess I'll get my hook from my truck and start using it.
Click to expand...
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
no problem clay... your retic sounds hungry. :reddevil:

some of my baby retics did that for a while (bit the hook)... until they figured out that metal didnt taste so good, and it hurt their teeth. :ack2:

i am sure eventually you will be able to use a folded peice of paper with him... retics are fast learners.

come on Art, dont be a wussy... look at my girlfriend. jk :) :bawling: :) jk

she is a regular pro!!!! :rofl:

bc5d84c3.jpg
 
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thanks... we have come to an agreement.

i wont interfere with her skiing, and she wont interfere with my reptiles.

it took a while to get her use to the retics, but now i got her hook trained. :rofl:
 
sorry i guess i should have worded that differently... she knows how to use the snake hook when removing snakes from the cage. :)

... i have also tought my loving girlfriend how to clean cages with me too. :)

now THATS a keeper!! :) :) :)
 
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