I received your e-mail and tried to e-mail you back last night but got an error message saying that it could not be delivered. Feel free to contact me directly at: kelhal56@hotmail.com



You are correct in that there is a lot of mis-information about green anacondas on the internet. Most people handing out care info on the net are just passing on what they have heard and have no direct experience with keeping greens for any length of time. It will help you to follow this Forum as there are many people posting here that can give you more valuable captive care advice on anacondas than you can get just about anywhere else.



Well documented growth data on captive raised greens past one year of age is almost non-existent. Jud and I have however, kept records on several adults for quite a few years that we have raised from newborns and kept on consistent, but controlled food intake. We have found that greens grow fairly steadily for the first 3 years, usually putting on 2 to 3 feet per year the first two years. Both sexes usually grow at the same rate the first year after birth, but during the second year, the females begin to pull away from the males. Growth starts to slow just slightly the 3rd year, and around 4 years of age they start really slowing down, with the male growth rate dropping more dramatically than the females. Between 5 and 10 years of age, females are down to around 6 inches per year, the males even less. After 10 years growth is very slow, even in females. A pregnancy would also slow the growth of a female for that year. Jud's large male, and my large females at 10 years and older are growing at around an inch to three inches per year. Additionally, Jud’s male is unusually large at about 13 feet. I have a younger male that is his son that is 7 years old and a little over 10 feet. These are just general growth rates which will vary by individual and feeding regimen. Our greens are well fed, but definitely not overfed, and none of them are anywhere near overweight. Captive males are generally a little larger than their wild counterparts, and male greens in the wild over 10 feet are extremely rare. Females over 15 or 20 years of age are probably down to a growth rate of around an inch per year. This would give you some indication on the extreme age of a 20 to 25 foot female in the wild.



Just as an example, the photo below was taken of one of my females when she was 4 years of age. Her body mass is about right on for a female of this age and length.



Kelly

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