kingsnake.com - reptile and amphibian classifieds, breeders, forums, photos, videos and more

return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research  
click here for Rodent Pro
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Indigo . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Apr 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - Apr 26, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - May 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - May 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Exotic Pets Expo - Manasas - May 05, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - May 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - May 12, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 

Re: Retic Room and Ambush Behavior


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Reticulated Python Forum ]

Posted by murdoch on April 19, 2003 at 20:04:43:

In Reply to: Retic Room and Ambush Behavior posted by tango on April 17, 2003 at 06:12:55:

I have kept retics both ways, walk in room with giant snakes, and cages with side and open top enclosures. My biggest retic female was dog tame, but had a voracious feeding response as an alpha predator. Back in the late 1970s I would feed her groundhogs, chickens, and rabbits and geese. I had a window on her cage, and would never open the door without knowing exactly where she was. I kept a broom, trashcan lid, ski jacket and gloves, and my highschool lineman cage faced football helmet next to the door and when i had to clean the cage, i would don the gear in preparation for her feeding response. whenever the door opened, she would bull rush the door, open mouth strike at whatever came into her cage, and on several occasions, stream open mouthed out the door after me. Once she realized from being blocked with the trach can lid, and gently tapped in the head and neck with the broom that there was no food coming, she would pull back to her resting place and let me come in. I would then undo the gear, and walk right in in my shorts and tshirt. She would neck lift and look me in the face, and crawl onto my shoulders for a play session. My friends would think i was absolutely nuts, having just witnessed the feeding response. I was unaware at the time just how dangerous my 20+ft retic was, and would usually clean and play with her alone. Never again would i even think about that now! I had the curator of reptiles from the philly zoo over at that time, and seeing her size, he insisted that i get rid of her, euthanize her or donate her to a zoo asap as he considered her a timebomb waiting to go off. Ah, the good old days...

Small opening cage door is a whole lot easier to monitor!

Winslow


Follow Ups:




[ Follow Ups ] [ The Reticulated Python Forum ]