Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI I am thinking of getting an green anaconda and i want to make shore I am ready. I know i can care for one because i have 6 burmese pythons and 2 big redtails so i am not new to the big boids but i have heard that anacondas will bite at anything and dont make good pets. My question is are ancondas like burmese pythons, they bite but with the proper care and attention they make good pets? thank you the pic is of my two babies

The green Conda's that I have dealt with are all pretty agressive, but they are also very impressive. Mine have about the same temperment as my retics so.......... I dont think that they will ever be as good as a burm, but if you have the space (they need more than a burm or a retic) and you have a good set up with alot of water (they like to swim) then they are a very impressive display snake. If you are looking to have one that you can handle a lot, you should pass. You might also look into getting a Yellow Conda, as they are a little better tempered that the green.

My yellow anaconda is the tamest snake I've got. It is by far
my favorite. I've got 5 other different boas and I've had
plenty of other snakes but the Yellow is the coolest I've ever
had. Thanks......tc

` My Anacondas are the tamest and calmest snakes I've kept since I got my first Boa, 40 years ago. I've also worked in retail Herps and have seen some really tame snakes, but none as tame as the Yellows I got from NERD.

-----

To Buddhist hot dog vendor. "Make me one with everything."

I have not had a Yellow, but my Green was born this year, and hasnt struck once, not even right out of the bag it was delievered in. If snakes are going to be agrressive, they are right from the start, or you have to never handle them/abuse them. Try to get a male Green and you will be amazed, mine is so sweet and gentle, he just hangs out and slides up towards my neck and moves around. He has never even made a quick movement. He was stuck in my shirt and I had to run to Walmart, and he came out while I was looking at some games, and I was holding him and TONS of people were looking at him and saying stuff and walking up and petting him, and he LOVED IT!

Greens are AWESOME and Beautiful

Phil

I want to start out by saying that I respect the opinions of those that have posted, but I also think that the purchase of a green anaconda is a decision that requires a serious amount of forethought. While I am not an expert, I do have several years of anaconda experience and own both a green and a yellow anaconda. Both are females. My green is over 11 feet and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 95 to 100 lbs (it is extremely difficult to get an accurate weight on her) and she is around 3.5 to 4 years old. I have her in a 96 in. Neodesha with a 4 ft heated garden pond and overhead basking lights. This is the minimum for this snake, and keep in mind that she will need a much bigger enclosure with a much bigger pond as a full grown adult. I am just now in the planning stage for a "reptile house" in my back yard so that she can have the 10X8 foot enclosure with 300 gallon pond I feel would be appropriate for an adult that will be 16 feet and weigh another 50 to 100 lbs more. The point here is that a female green anaconda is a very expensive snake to house, feed, and maintain. Much more so then snakes of comparible length such as retics, Afrocks, and burms which can, in most cases, get by with a 96, or so, in cage. Also, anacondas are messy with a capital M. I also maintain several retics, African rocks, scrubs, and work in the reptile department at a zoo with large crocodilians, a retic over 20 feet, etc. and in my experience nothing comes close to what a green anaconda produces as far as feces. It will test your gag reflexes, trust me! However, on a positive note my green is very docile, and has never tried to bite or strike at me. She is also a very spectacular animal and is my favorite snake. I love her to death, but I also know that she could be exceptionally dangerous if provoked, so safety needs to also be in the forefront of your mind if you decide on a green.
Yellow's are smaller and have most of the same positives as greens, but with much smaller accommodations,expenses, etc. Case in point my yellow and green are around the same age but my yellow eats one 2 lb rabbit every 2 weeks and is barely 6 feet long. My green pounds 6 to 9 lb rabbits every 3 to 4 weeks and would gladly eat more if I let her. Yellow's, as great as they are, are not greens and if you must have a green go with a male as it will be a much smaller snake. Also, go captive born only, as you will get a much more docile animal without as high a risk of parasites, disease, and maladaption to captivity.
Best of luck with your anaconda,
Shane

Shane,
I totally agree with the majority of your post but I need to disagree with the maintenance issue. I have been keeping large constrictors since the mid-70's and in my experience, green anacondas are no more maintenance intensive than any of the other large constrictors. I cage them in the same manner as the larger python species, even to the point of using only a water bowl instead of a large pool. The only exceptions I make are a slightly higher humidity and a substrate temperature that is a little lower than one would use with a reticulated or burmese python, (except for a small basking area). I know it is contrary to common thought, but they do not appear stressed by the absence of a large pool and they have even reproduced for us without access to one. While on the maintenance issue, I have noticed that size for size, green anacondas on a dry substrate produce the least amount of fecal material than any of the other large python species. Also, I have never noticed it to be any more malodorous. The anaconda you referenced could possibly have an intestinal bacterial imbalance.
The green anacondas I have are all docile snakes, but an excellent point you made was the respect you must show a large green. They have at least twice the strength of an equal sized python of any species and care must be taken at all times when working with them. Thanks,

Kelly

I do not have your experience with anacondas, but I tried the "dry" accommodations with my green and she was definitely stressed, spending most of her time coiled by or on her water bowl. This was even with humidity kept at between 75%-80% at a temp of 80 degrees. After about 5 weeks of this I went back to the old set up with the pond etc., but it may be that I didn't let her "adapt" to the dry situation. I know the yellow I have spends very little time in her water dish, and could easily go without a large water source, my green however really seems to "like" having access to a large heated pond. Maybe individual variance or my over nurturing, but I will probably stay with my set up. I have, however used your method of warm moist towels over a heat source with great success in my retic cages (as a means of upping humidity) so I appreciate your expertise. As for the intestinal bacteria, I'll get her to the vet for a culture, but I did notice that when she was kept without a large water source that her fecal was way less "messy", so it may have something to do with her always being in her pond. Anyway, thanks for the info, I appreciate it.
Shane

Shane,
Thanks for your response. I am curious as to whether your female green was acquired as a young animal or if you got her at a year or two. I would think that if a green was raised with water access and then had it removed, this would more than likely initiate some stress. All of our adult greens were acquired as neonates of less than a few months of age and were never given access to water containers they could enter. The greens that were born here never had access to water they could enter from the first day. The water bowls they had initially were of a size that they could have probably squeezed completely into them if they had tried but they never made any attempts to do so. Even at almost two years of age, the few young I kept, and also the adults, have never shown any interest in water other than for drinking. Years ago we had the feeling that water was not a requirement for successful maintenance of greens that were raised without it and this reproduction of captive bred and born young seems to have proven it. Another reason I feel they are not stressed when started this way is due to all of their docile natures. Although this is mainly attributable to their genetics, this would probably be over-ridden in anacondas if they were under some degree of stress. Thanks,

Kelly

Kelly,
You are right, although I purchased her as a neonate over 3 years ago, she has never not had access to a large heated water source. You seem to have had great success with the "dry" maintenance of greens, so if I ever purchase a male for pairing her, I will definitely raise him without a large water source, as this would seriously cut down on the time and cost in maintaining these amazing snakes. Thanks, again for your input, it is always nice to see progressive thinking in herpetoculture.
Best Regards,
Shane

Shane,
Thanks for the comments. Greens are my favorites and they are in a class by themselves compared to the other boids. You are correct in that keeping them in a "standard" set up makes the maintenance many times easier and makes them much more enjoyable to keep.

Kelly

and try to tame him/her. thanks again.