The Snake Guru
10-18-2007, 04:11 AM
So you wanna anaconda?
Anacondas are an extremely interesting yet all be it demanding captive. I don’t say this as a bad thing more of a word to the wise type of thing. They are a beautiful and fantastic snake, surrounded by myth and legend with just a hint of mystical wonderment. One tribe in the Amazon actually believes that “man” originated from an Anaconda that crawled on land shed it’s skin and became human.
Of the 4 subspecies of anaconda 2 are regularly available to the public; the Green Anaconda and the Yellow Anaconda. Of the 2 Greens are the largest and hold the record for the heaviest snakes in world exceeding 300 lbs in extremely large females. Yellows a smaller cousin to the Green, still get fairly large as well averages of 11 to 13 feet in females and bulkier than a boa constrictor these are powerful constrictors and command a great deal respect. There is also a huge difference in size between males and females of this species males tend to only get about half the size of females both in length and girth.
Both species care requirements are nearly identical with exception of space. Caging for a Green should be big, anyone who knows me, knows my thoughts on caging….big snakes require big cages! My personal opinion on a minimum size for a Green Anaconda cage would be the floor surface area of 12ftx4ft, height not being as important since these large snakes are suited more for a terrestrial/semi-aquatic lifestyle. Yellow Anacondas on the other hand could do well in an 8ftx2ftx2ft cage as a minimum for an adult. Temperatures in the range 79 to 82 degrees F for the ambient cage temperature with a hot spot of 90 to 95 degrees for either species seems to work well, though I tend to keep my hot side running around the 92 degree range. Cage humidity should be kept around 65% range, lower than what you expected? Anacondas love water, but kept in wet conditions for any period of time tends to cause a condition called “skin blistering” this is bacterial/fungal infection which sets in when they aren’t able to completely dry off. Greens seem to be more susceptible to this condition than Yellows, probably due to the fact that they tend to spend more time in the water when it is available to them.
“Water Boas” indeed they didn’t get that name for nothing! Anacondas love water, they love to swim. To that point you should try to provide them with an ample water supply, water is in their blood, and part of keeping is trying to provide them with as close to the conditions they prefer in the wild. To this point plan on large caging with a water area approximately 1/3rd the floor space of the cage provided. If that means cramming a 100 gallon+ stock tank into your cage….so be it! LOL
Temperaments:
Anacondas can have extremely variable temperaments, even on snakes generally considered docile. I’ve seen a supposed docile Green go from placid to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” mode in 1/8 of second with no apparent provocation. It’s something to be aware of. In general however Greens tend to be more amiable than Yellows, not always but as a general rule. Striking in anacondas is a bit different than the snake norm. instead of a forward lunging motion, anacondas tends to swipe sideways, and do so repeatedly if needed, it’s actually a fantastic adaptation that goes with that old saying “the closest way between point A and point B is…” So to this saying, instead of the normal lunge forward grab and pull, anacondas tend swipe sideways grabbing prey and sweeping it into the first set of coils in one fluid and purposeful motion. Anacondas also tend to be a “take no prisoners” constrictor instead of constriction with a few coils they more often than not wrap up the entire prey item. To the point of constriction anacondas are in my opinion one of the strongest constrictors out there, these snakes are built! I often refer to them as the “Bull Dogs of the snake world” they are simply a bundle of shear muscle, holding one you will instantly notice the double or so bulk compared to a snake of the same size in a different species.
Feeding:
Most anacondas are good to great feeders, imports of both young and adult snakes can be somewhat problematic at times. Captive bred snakes usually present no problems. Some alternate prey items I and others have had luck with include, chicks, ducks, quail or any bird type food, usually water fowl are preferred (ducks…water boa…yup you get the picture). Youngsters you can try ducklings, fish, frogs, again water boas, so try to focus on prey items found in that environment. Once you find a food they like it just becomes a game of scenting a more available prey item with a preferred prey item, takes time and a little patience but they do come around.
Another commonly overlooked feeding problem is easily fixed, the water bowl. More often than not anacondas will hunt by submerging in the water with only their nose and eyes on the surface. These are ambush predators, and they love to hide underneath floating vegetation, sunken logs, ect. So add some cover to the water dish, it may be just enough to make them feel secure enough to start feeding.
Anacondas are also one of the messiest damn snakes I’ve owned. They defecate frequently, and in mass. It is also some of the rankest smelling stuff that I have come across in the snake world….feeding a lot of birds or fowl in their diet only seems to exasperate the problem. Be aware you will be cleaning…..a lot! And may I suggest some rubber dish washing gloves!
All in all though I find anacondas to be a fascinating and fantastic snake, they are a pleasure to work with if you get the opportunity. However these snakes should not be considered by a novice keeper, anyone wanting to get into anacondas should have a good amount of experience with other large constrictors before getting into these.
Again I hope you enjoyed this article, and this is by no means a complete care sheet, please research your acquisitions before you bring them home!
Brad
~2007
Anacondas are an extremely interesting yet all be it demanding captive. I don’t say this as a bad thing more of a word to the wise type of thing. They are a beautiful and fantastic snake, surrounded by myth and legend with just a hint of mystical wonderment. One tribe in the Amazon actually believes that “man” originated from an Anaconda that crawled on land shed it’s skin and became human.
Of the 4 subspecies of anaconda 2 are regularly available to the public; the Green Anaconda and the Yellow Anaconda. Of the 2 Greens are the largest and hold the record for the heaviest snakes in world exceeding 300 lbs in extremely large females. Yellows a smaller cousin to the Green, still get fairly large as well averages of 11 to 13 feet in females and bulkier than a boa constrictor these are powerful constrictors and command a great deal respect. There is also a huge difference in size between males and females of this species males tend to only get about half the size of females both in length and girth.
Both species care requirements are nearly identical with exception of space. Caging for a Green should be big, anyone who knows me, knows my thoughts on caging….big snakes require big cages! My personal opinion on a minimum size for a Green Anaconda cage would be the floor surface area of 12ftx4ft, height not being as important since these large snakes are suited more for a terrestrial/semi-aquatic lifestyle. Yellow Anacondas on the other hand could do well in an 8ftx2ftx2ft cage as a minimum for an adult. Temperatures in the range 79 to 82 degrees F for the ambient cage temperature with a hot spot of 90 to 95 degrees for either species seems to work well, though I tend to keep my hot side running around the 92 degree range. Cage humidity should be kept around 65% range, lower than what you expected? Anacondas love water, but kept in wet conditions for any period of time tends to cause a condition called “skin blistering” this is bacterial/fungal infection which sets in when they aren’t able to completely dry off. Greens seem to be more susceptible to this condition than Yellows, probably due to the fact that they tend to spend more time in the water when it is available to them.
“Water Boas” indeed they didn’t get that name for nothing! Anacondas love water, they love to swim. To that point you should try to provide them with an ample water supply, water is in their blood, and part of keeping is trying to provide them with as close to the conditions they prefer in the wild. To this point plan on large caging with a water area approximately 1/3rd the floor space of the cage provided. If that means cramming a 100 gallon+ stock tank into your cage….so be it! LOL
Temperaments:
Anacondas can have extremely variable temperaments, even on snakes generally considered docile. I’ve seen a supposed docile Green go from placid to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” mode in 1/8 of second with no apparent provocation. It’s something to be aware of. In general however Greens tend to be more amiable than Yellows, not always but as a general rule. Striking in anacondas is a bit different than the snake norm. instead of a forward lunging motion, anacondas tends to swipe sideways, and do so repeatedly if needed, it’s actually a fantastic adaptation that goes with that old saying “the closest way between point A and point B is…” So to this saying, instead of the normal lunge forward grab and pull, anacondas tend swipe sideways grabbing prey and sweeping it into the first set of coils in one fluid and purposeful motion. Anacondas also tend to be a “take no prisoners” constrictor instead of constriction with a few coils they more often than not wrap up the entire prey item. To the point of constriction anacondas are in my opinion one of the strongest constrictors out there, these snakes are built! I often refer to them as the “Bull Dogs of the snake world” they are simply a bundle of shear muscle, holding one you will instantly notice the double or so bulk compared to a snake of the same size in a different species.
Feeding:
Most anacondas are good to great feeders, imports of both young and adult snakes can be somewhat problematic at times. Captive bred snakes usually present no problems. Some alternate prey items I and others have had luck with include, chicks, ducks, quail or any bird type food, usually water fowl are preferred (ducks…water boa…yup you get the picture). Youngsters you can try ducklings, fish, frogs, again water boas, so try to focus on prey items found in that environment. Once you find a food they like it just becomes a game of scenting a more available prey item with a preferred prey item, takes time and a little patience but they do come around.
Another commonly overlooked feeding problem is easily fixed, the water bowl. More often than not anacondas will hunt by submerging in the water with only their nose and eyes on the surface. These are ambush predators, and they love to hide underneath floating vegetation, sunken logs, ect. So add some cover to the water dish, it may be just enough to make them feel secure enough to start feeding.
Anacondas are also one of the messiest damn snakes I’ve owned. They defecate frequently, and in mass. It is also some of the rankest smelling stuff that I have come across in the snake world….feeding a lot of birds or fowl in their diet only seems to exasperate the problem. Be aware you will be cleaning…..a lot! And may I suggest some rubber dish washing gloves!
All in all though I find anacondas to be a fascinating and fantastic snake, they are a pleasure to work with if you get the opportunity. However these snakes should not be considered by a novice keeper, anyone wanting to get into anacondas should have a good amount of experience with other large constrictors before getting into these.
Again I hope you enjoyed this article, and this is by no means a complete care sheet, please research your acquisitions before you bring them home!
Brad
~2007