Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read the posts regarding the green that would not eat and I was going through the exact same trouble. I aquired a 30 inch green for some copperheads. Its been a month or so and nothing, well I took a frozen chick my buddy had on hand and still nothing, then I turned the lights of and left the chick in there. About five minutes later I peeked in and she had the chick coiled and started eating. I am way to happy. All of your snakes are georgous and I look foward to posting here and sharing some pics. Jason

is typical of green behavior. Contrary to common thought, green anacondas are not a true nocturnal species in their natural habitat. They are actually more accurately described as crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dusk and for a short period after sunset. They seem to feed best at lights out or for an hour or two thereafter. Field studies have also shown that they are actually less active late at night than at any other time. Actually, from what I have observed in my own collection, greens are usually asleep late at night and early in the morning before dawn. Correspondingly, this is the period when I have found them to be the most easily startled. With regards to their affinity for chick feeding, it has been shown that the main diet of young greens in the wild, for their first 6 to 12 months, is young shore and wading birds. They are definitely programmed for birds when young, and are probably the most common prey item for their early habitat preference. Thanks for your update.

Kelly