The way the topic changed throughout the body of this thread was hilarious. But the consensus on the original question was great. I don’t believe I would personally ever force feed a boid for any reason. The stress on the snake and the high probability of permanent damage is too great. If an anaconda is not feeding, there is a reason for it and force feeding is really not the answer. Force feeding will actually compound the problem in many cases. Ruling out an illness, if the environmental conditions are right, a healthy anaconda will eventually feed. Just try the different feeding scenarios mentioned in the above thread. The key is once you get the anaconda feeding in some manner, stick with that technique for a while until the snake becomes a consistant feeder, before making any needed switches. As Rich stated, a larger individual, (over 6 or 8 feet), could easily go a year without feeding. I would not be too concerned until 4 to 6 months had passed, and then I would re-evaluate my caging setup if it still wasn’t feeding. On the teeth issue, I have seen the teeth of larger anacondas with the sheaths pulled back, and they are impressive. Definitely longer than those of most other boids. A hit from a large one would ruin your whole day without a doubt.



Kelly

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