# A little information on the yellow anaconda



## Twilight (Sep 9, 2012)

I will be using my yellow anaconda as an example here but always make sure you read several care sheets and more importantly the natural history of the animal before buying one. Much of what I say here about captive care is how I feel about the animal.

The yellow anaconda is a semi aquatic snake found in the hear of south america. It is both diurnal and nocturnal and can also be found in tree's where it not only eat's birds but fish, turtles, lizards and rodents. In captivity various sized rats work and once adult medium rabbits will do fine.

These medium/heavy bodied snakes reach a size of 9-10 feet for males and 11-13 feet for females. Adequate adult caging is 8'x2'x2' for male and you can add another 6 or so inches to the width of the cage for females if you wish. A large water bowl is a hot topic about these animals but in my opinion and after working with 5 individual anacondas (2 yellows and three greens) a large water bowl that the animal can completely fit in with ease IS A MUST! This is for various reason that I will not get into detail just yet BUT, I am working on making a video on my youtube channel on why this can and is beneficial for the animal.

At this time I use a heat pad but a radiant heat panel also works wonders and a pair of halogen bulbs will also heat up your snake nicely. 90f on the hot size, and 82f on the cold size works fine for these animals. Make sure the cage is well ventilated to prevent the grown of mold in your cage. Humidity should run around 60-75%.

Now here is my snake. His name is Duck, I have owned him for 3 years now and I suspect he is 3 and a half years of age. He is currently around 7 feet long and weighs maybe 10 lbs(4 kilograms). This animal even though looks small when curled up in a ball looks small and harmless but great caution and respect is always to be had when working with him. He is extremely powerful and could take me down in seconds. I never forget what "could" happen when it comes to working with animals. This goes for small or large. This snake has not bitten me in a very long time but it has taken his entire life to tame him down this far. Not all anacondas will tame down, never expect one too when purchasing a baby, this goes for any animal.

Here he is in his bin. I put him in this while I clean his cage. His cage is currently 6 feet long, 30 inches wide and 18 inches tall. He will have a large cage as he grows.










On this half of his cage he has his large water bowl. You can also see the ventilation. Please note that these vents do not do what I need them too and larger ones are in the works. The light is to keep his ambient tempurature up. his cage is in a basement and on the floor. I need all the help I can get getting his cage up to temp.










This is the other side, under the news paper I have a large heat matt for him to lay on that is controlled by a thermostat.










Here he is crawling up my arm.










And getting back into his cage. As you can see I use sliding glass doors instead of flip down, I like it much better. The glass thickness is 3/16 or 5mm.










I hope everyone enjoys this post, I am very knowledgeable about anacondas and other snakes and will happily answer your questions about them.


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## Ben J (May 18, 2013)

Sweet anaconda! What's a good relatively inexpensive snake you would recommend as a first snake?


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## Twilight (Sep 9, 2012)

Ben J said:


> Sweet anaconda! What's a good relatively inexpensive snake you would recommend as a first snake?


Well in no way would I recommend a snake like this as a starter but I can give you a few here to start things of.

Corn snakes
Milk snakes
King snakes
Ball pythons
Childrens or Spotted python

Remember, the initial cost of the animal is nothing compared to the cage and care of them. Spending a bit more right away can save you a lot in the long run. You must also look at the size of the animal you want once it is adult. Everything I listed will range in between 3 and 6 feet for the most part.


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

Ben J said:


> Sweet anaconda! What's a good relatively inexpensive snake you would recommend as a first snake?


If you want good information from a good snake forum (the best, actually), check out http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/

They can help you pick out a first snake.

Garter snakes are also a great first snake, but you're less likely to find CB garter snakes in the GTA. Black milk snake is a terrific first snake. It can be kept with no heating at reasonable room temperature.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Ball Pythons are always a great starter snake, especially if you're nervous about being bit. They're very timid and, as the name suggests, curl up into a ball when startled.


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## mistersprinkles (Nov 4, 2013)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> Ball Pythons are always a great starter snake, especially if you're nervous about being bit. They're very timid and, as the name suggests, curl up into a ball when startled.


Ball pythons require that attention and care be paid to their humidity requirements, or they can develop respiratory issues.

I think there are better first snakes out there. Also, there's no need to worry about being bitten. Even venomous snakes with fangs don't hurt when they bite you. The only thing that's going to hurt when it bites you is going to be a very large snake, like, say, 12 foot burmese python. And even then, its not from the pressure (snakes can't bite down and put pressure on their jaw), but rather from the lacerations.


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## 12273 (Nov 3, 2012)

Hey that's an awesome snake! 

Since about the age of 5 or 6 I started keeping reptiles. Well, started with turtles but from than to now I've had almost all reptiles LOL. 

My first snake not including the garter snakes I would catch was a Texas rat snake! Big no no for beginner lol. I've had mexican black. California king. Surinam red tail. Colombian red tail. Snakes are certainly unpredictable and should all be given respect no matter the size. My rat snake did some damage to my arm and he was only 3 feet long or so. 

Your anaconda is beautiful! I love the boa family and find them to be some of the most tame and easy going. Pythons tend to be temperamental. 

I looked at your cage and can I make a suggestion? Snakes can be very active as you know when it's shedding, hungry or gets the feeling it's gonna make a run for it. I noticed your light is on the inside. Are you worries about it busting the light? It could expose the wires and break the glass and cut itself. 

I know how hard it can be hard to contain a large snake and they are amazing escape artist LOL. I finally built one that housed my male and female Colombian. That light make me nervous though . I believe I still have some random reptile stuff at my moms stored in the top of her garage. If there is something you need PM me and I'll see what I can dig up. 

I miss reptiles sometimes but my wife can't stand them . 

My reptiles were donated to reptilia zoo and I'm sure my breeding pair of columbians and bearded dragons are still there. The dragons were like dogs. So cute and smart.


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## irminia (Dec 10, 2011)

Wow, that's an absolutely beautiful specimen, and you really don't see them being kept too often, especially in our area!



Twilight said:


> I will be using my yellow anaconda as an example here but always make sure you read several care sheets and more importantly the natural history of the animal before buying one. Much of what I say here about captive care is how I feel about the animal.
> 
> The yellow anaconda is a semi aquatic snake found in the hear of south america. It is both diurnal and nocturnal and can also be found in tree's where it not only eat's birds but fish, turtles, lizards and rodents. In captivity various sized rats work and once adult medium rabbits will do fine.
> 
> ...


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