Posted by:
Kelly_Haller
at Fri Dec 15 17:15:40 2006 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Kelly_Haller ]
Brandon,
I will assume you are talking about a green anaconda, but yellows preferences are very similar. My first question would be in regards to your comment about her being active. If she is active in the cage very frequently then she is stressed, as they are typically very sedentary when acclimated. Frequent movement around the cage and vibrations can stress un-acclimated anacondas, as they are more easily disturbed than other boids. I would be curious about her cage setup, as in temps, hide box, substrate, etc. If the captive environment issue has been covered and is sufficient, then food type can be addressed. Probably 90% of healthy, acclimated greens will take live and/or thawed chicks without hesitation. When this fails, about 99% will take a duckling immediately when offered. If this doesn't work, you need to consider health issues or cage environment again that could be causing the problem. Is this a young anaconda or an older wild caught? If this is a young snake, usually only about 25% of them will take mice or rats in the beginning. It would be extremely unlikely for a green to eat fish, but you could try it. Contrary to popular thought, fish are very rarely eaten by greens in the wild. Another idea is to feed within the first 30 to 60 minutes after lights out, as later in the night greens sleep and are easily startled. Greens are known for extended fasting, especially when very young or with wild caught specimens. You just need to get the conditions right and keep offering food on a regular basis and wait them out. I have never seen a healthy green starve itself to death when in the proper setup. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Kelly
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Starting anacondas..... - Kelly_Haller, Fri Dec 15 17:15:40 2006