Reticulated Pythons

Today's post is going to be dedicated to reticulated pythons as they are growing on me due to the variety of morphs and colour phases available. Retics are found throughout southeast Asia and can often be found living near water. Reticulated pythons are named due to the distinctive colour and pattern of its scales. The word reticulated means having lines inter-crossed forming a network. The scientific name for a retic is Python reticulatus.

Size

Reticulated pythons are the largest pythons in the world today and also have records for being the longest breed of snake, although the anaconda is the largest breed as they are more heavily bodied. Reticulated pythons or retics as they are known, average 10-20 ft in length. 

Platinum Phantom Tiger Retic by NERD

Diet

Their diet consists of mammals, mostly rodents in the wild and more domesticated animals such as dogs if they happen to wander into human territory in their natural habitat. The biggest prey item to be documented is a half starved Sun Bear, eaten by a 23 ft retic. As a rule of thumb, retics can eat prey as large as one quarter of their length and up to the same weight. Attacks on humans however are rare and far between.
 
As they grow, their prey item will need increased to reflect their size. For pythons, rats contain more nutrients but mice is also an option, especially as a change of food if they go off rats.

Eggs

After retics procreate, expect between 15 to 80 eggs per clutch. If you breed them, keep the eggs at 31-32 degrees celsius and wait 88 days for them to hatch (approx). You will find the hatchlings are 2 ft in length so you should take this into consideration regarding housing requirements. 

Retic Hatchlings

Safety

If considering keeping a retic as a pet, careful consideration should be given regarding safety. It is a good idea to keep smaller species in order to get a working knowledge of reptile keeping and generally work your way up to the larger species. When handling a large snake such as the reticulated python, ensure there are two or more people in the room with you, just in case the feeding response is triggered. There is a big difference from a royal biting you than a retic's bite! Retics are more unpredictable when it comes to their behavior than other snake species such as royal pythons. You will also need extra equipment such as a snake hook. Some shops train you how to handle large snakes responsibly using the hook method. Assuming a retic has bit you and latched on, the best way to get it off is to pour cold juice into their mouth. This is not harmful to them but they dislike the taste or temperature of the juice and will let go of you. Safety is key when handling a big snake.

Orange Ghost Stripe Tiger by NERD

Close Up of that Insane Contrast

There are other breeds of reticulated pythons such as the Super Dwarf retics which are purposely bred smaller. Males are roughly 5 ft and females are not much bigger. This means it is safer to keep this breed of retic all round. Reticulated pythons can live some 20-30 years and sometimes well over 30 years if their conditions are just right! So be prepared for the long-haul with these reptiles.

Normal Reticulated Python

Morphs

Like most snakes captive bred reticulated pythons can come with many different colours and morph options. These include: albino, albino purple phase, caramel tiger, pied, snow and sunfire to name a few. To see more morphs visit world of retics. 

Purple Super Sunfire

 

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago

can be found throughout Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago.

can be found throughout Southeast Asia. Their range includes the Nicobar Islands, Burma through Indochina, and Borneo, Sulawesi, Ceram and Timor in the Malay archipelago.