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It is a good question you raise Paul.
I do not consider myself "ready" for a Giant constrictor such as a burm, retic, afrock, anacond et al.
I think that each person considering such a daunting animal should consider the following factors:
1. Do I have room for this animal? As we all know, any snake capable of getting as large as the Giants do needs a lot of cage space. The size enclosure we are talking about takes up a lot of physical room space. I personally do not have the kind of room needed to house a giant constrictor AND the rest of my collection.
2. Can I afford this animal? While the actual cost of these snakes is usually relatively small, the cost to house, feed, and mantain the health of these giants can be as big as they are. Just for one part of this point, let's assume that your adult Giant is going to be eating one of RodentPro's Colossal rabbits every two weeks (I know... they will probably need larger prey items than this eventually, but go with me here). They cost $8.00 each. That's $208.00 per uear. Let's assume that your snake exists at its adult size for 15 years. $3120.00 over the life of the adult snake. Compare that to an adult boa that would be eating, let's say, one Colossal Rat ever two weeks. A Colossal Rat costs $3.28 each. That's $85.28/year or $1279.20 over 15 years. That means that an adult Giant costs about 60% more to feed than adult Boa. Again, this is without factoring in housing or medical.
3. Can I handle this animal? There will be times that your snake will have to be moved. These snakes can way in the 300 pound range. How many people does it take to move a 300 pound snake? More than two I am here to tell you. Do I feel like I can call all my friends over every time I want to take Monty the Python out of her cage? Probably not.
4. Why do I want this snake? Very much like venomous snakes, this is a hard question to answer. This is something every keeper has to consider on his or her own. Is this for show? To impress my friends? Love of the species? Education? Just weigh this factor into your final decision.
I know... I did not exactly answer your specific queston of "When am I ready for a Retic?". I won't answer that question for you. You have to make that call. All I can do is give you some more factors to think about and this is by no means an all inclusive list... this is just what I could think of off the top of my head. If you have already weighed these factors in and have decided that you are ready, then GO for it!
-Your Sick Uncle Morti.
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