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When a anaconda bites. I was wandering if there was any truth to bending the tail up and the anaconda will let go or any boid snake for that matter ?I ve been bit once by a ten foot burm an it took about 5 minutes to let go and it healed with in 3 days. Had my whole right hand in his mouth
an it was my fault "was cleanin rat cages an forgot to wash hands"this happened about 7 years ago an never been latched onto by a anaconda been nipped at but nothin else!

` I'm sure if you bend their tail up it will get their attention. Then, you're likely to get Hell of a lot more than a feeding bite. It can also injure them permanently. Besides the vertebrae, muscles and nerves to injure, there is a tendon in the tail which affects the cloacal muscles. When just forcing the cloaca to evert, to determine sex, it is easy to damage that tendon. It's a permanent injury.
` When you're handling a constrictor big enough to get the better of you, always have something with alcohol available. Mouthwash, rubbing alcohol, even liquor will do. It takes just a FEW DROPS in your palm, then slap the snake across the snout. Remember that the alcohol is even more noxious ( poisonous ) to them, than it is to you. I've done this on several occasions, over the years, with large Boas and Pythons that got out of hand, it works. However, if you get sloppy with alcohol, it will shock them and kill them.
` I've never seen a Boid, in contact with alcohol, do anything but try to get away from it. I have seen Boids, bite the faces of drunks, who were holding ( forcing ) them up to their faces, and breathing on them, on more than one occasion.
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After reading Rich's post, I feel I should make a comment about his reference to everting for the purpose of sexing snakes, specifically with green anacondas. I believe he is addressing the practice of applying pressure to the base of the tail in order to evert the hemipenes in the male, a practice commonly called "popping". He makes an excellent point about the possibility of permanent damage. Experts with this procedure can safely perform this with young colubrids and newborn small pythons and boas species. Real experts can even pop the newborn young of larger python species, such as burmese and retics, without causing any harm whatsoever, if done within a few weeks of hatching. However, green anacondas are so large, and have such significant muscle mass in the tail region, even at birth, that they should never be sexed in this manner. I have seen young three foot male green anacondas with serious hemipene damage from being popped by an eastcoast importer who was an "expert".
Probing is much safer and more accurate, if you know how to do it correctly, and spur sexing is obviously the safest of all with boa constrictors and anacondas if one has the experience with it. The only problem when it comes to green anaconda probing is that the technique is different than for all other boas and pythons and requires a little more practice, or all will probe out as females. The probe must first enter the left or right side of the cloaca perpendicular to the plane of the snakes body. The probe must move almost halfway through the tail before it is angled back through the tail toward it's tip. Females will probe to a depth of 2 or 3 subcaudal scales, males four or five times this deep. This must all be done very carefully, and never force the probe when you feel resistence. It takes some practice and does require an assistant or the use of a restraining tube.

Kelly

Kelly

` I too, use the spur method for sexing Anacondas, both Yellow and Green, and other Boas. I use a jeweler's eyepiece loupe, and have both hands free to expose the spur.
` I have found, however; that with baby Anacondas, and other Boids, massaging the subcaudal area will often make them voluntarily, or reflexively, evert their cloaca, exposing their genitalia. If they resist, I do not force them, nor any other snake. Forcing will not only damage the genitalia, but can also cause prolapse of the cloaca, and even the rectum.
` My area of interest in herpetoculture lies more in behavior than breeding, these days. I have found that, especially with tame Anacondas, tubing and bagging, can reduce the potential for pet-grade behavior. It can also reverse established pet behavior. You haven't had your chimes rung, 'till you've had your head swatted by a big Anaconda in a PVC tube, I know!
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I agree, I would never recommend tubing an anaconda or boa for probing that was over 4 feet, as they could be easily spur sexed above that length. However, if a person were sexing young snakes by themselves, that was not adept at spur sexing, a restraining tube would greatly facilitate the probing process. I would not expect, nor have I seen, tubing alter the pet-grade behavior of a young snake as it only needs to be done for only a few minutes one time in it's life. If for some reason this was done repeatedly, I could see it being a definite issue. I am glad to see that you have the expertise to spur sex boids, as this is the least stressful way for both parties involved.

Kelly