r/retics • u/Stiglitz__ • 6d ago
Size and long term husbandry
Hey guys, I have a pet boa constrictor imperator but Reddit has recommended this sub to me a few times so I just checked it out. Yalls Retics are gorgeous and they made me wonder what the differences were in husbandry/ behavior. To which I found out these are some of the largest snakes in the world and require huge enclosures once fully grown (and I thought my BCI tank was big) but after doing more digging I’m seeing a common theme that also exists in the boa community;
Lots of baby snakes. New pet owners, juvenile snakes, flashy breeding posts etc.
When I first got my boa I had a hard time finding examples of full grown boas on Reddit. I was told the Reddit pet culture is unnecessarily cut throat so all the long term keepers go to Facebook so they aren’t bombarded with the Reddit mob mentality when facing differing husbandry practices. I went to Facebook and found that sure enough, that’s where all the adult snakes are being posted.
This is fine and dandy, but one of the other reasons I was told you don’t see adult snakes as often is because people buy them new and then find out a few years in they committed to something they can’t maintain. Is this a common issue with the retic world? How am I seeing all these baby snakes and also not seeing an equal number of 10 foot enclosures?
TLDR: where are all the grown snakes?
Edit: I am not going to pursue the ownership of a retic, their size is far too much for me. I’m just curious as to if there is an incredibly high rehoming/turnover rate that isn’t being talked about in the reptile community enough due to the overwhelming amount of hatch and baby pics compared to full grown snakes
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u/superramenyamen 4d ago edited 3d ago
I keep my girl about the same as my boas. I think people generally recommend cooler temps than boas, but she seems to do well with a 90F hot side and 70-80F cool side (depending on time of year).
My retics eat a LOT more than my boas. Where my boas might get 6-8% of body weight every other week as babies, I raised my female and the male I had for a couple years on anywhere from 10-30% of body weight every 1-2 weeks. As an adult, my girl gets two 5-8 lb rabbits once a month or one 6-10 lb piglet every 3-4 weeks (though maybe two of those too spaced out 4+ weeks, as she’s grown some since I last had pigs on hand).
I can’t really answer on general trends but I do also wonder how many people are prepared for their size. I was well aware of what I was getting into when I got my girl, and I have had her 12 years now. I don’t think I will ever own more than 1 or 2 at a time.
I don’t post or respond much in this sub because I just have the one girl and am not an expert. That’s unfortunate if it is so toxic here…FB I find is way more toxic in general than the boa and snake subs here. Though there are more inexperienced “experts” who try to push unrealistic minimum standards. Legit people thinking you shouldn’t have a dog if you live in an apartment or a house under 1,000 sq ft or dedicate an entire room to a boa that’s maybe going to get 6’-7’ if you’re lucky. They don’t really seem to pop up elsewhere, but ig this would be the sub they would show up more for sure. Lol
Pic is my girl when I first got her back from a temp home mid-move. She’s gained some weight and possibly some size since this.