Experienced Yellow Anaconda keepers (Questions)

[Tawu]

By experienced I mean people that have owned this gorgeous specie, you don't need to be a sage

I already asked about Yellow anaconda on a finnish forum but all i could get was info I already knew and had found it by myself from google (even though I particularly asked for people that had own experience of the snake). No people that had own experience of yellow anacondas answered... So I figured I could find few here

My bf have been wanting a yellow anaconda for almost a year now and when we saw a few of them in reptile zoo, he kinda totally fell in love We have read about the yellow anaconda on different sites but it seems that the info on those sites is quite variable (especially about the size and temperament). So I thought hearing about personal experience of your yellow anacondas would help.

1. On some sites it says that the average size is about 9 - 13 ft on both genders, but here I read that average size is 6ft - 8ft on males and 8-10ft on females. Of course some inviduals might grow even bigger. So the question is, how big your snakes have got?
2. Growth rate. How quickly they have reached, let's say 8 feet?
3. We have been thinking of building a terrarium that's size would be about 6ft x 3 - 4ft if/when we get a yellow anaconda male. Does it sound too small? Height of the terrarium would be about 4 - 5 ft.
4. The only thing that keeps me from letting my bf have the snake is it's possible aggression. I have read that yellow anacondas can be very unpredictable and feisty. What have your yellow anacondas been like? And how well it can be avoided by proper and regular handling?

Thanks

[Neal]

Many different variables come into play with your questions, but I will answer as closely to your questions as I can.

1.) Males usually stay in single digits, although if I recall correctly once or twice they've gotten in double digits. Females of the boa species are larger then males. Females will get into double digits easier then males. I would say 8-10 is more like 9-11.

2.) Growth rate all depends on how often you feed and what not. You don't want to power feed, and you want to enjoy the snake growing over time, not just get it and attempt to get it bigger right away.

3.) The size of your tank would be rather big for a baby Yellow, as I would recommend you getting a baby and working with it from its smaller size. You generally want the tank to be at least half the length of the snake, and for these species, you should make sure it's wide also.

4.) It's temperment is soley based on you + the snake + the breeder. I wouldn't necessarily call them fiesty, more or less insecure.

Now I will tell you. I bought my first yellow anaconda as a baby, a few weeks after she was born. The only time she's ever bitten me was when that FedEx package came in the mail, and I took her out to admire her beauty, she nipped me 2x. Once when she came out of the pillow case, and again when I tried to move her to my other hand. That was my fault though as you aren't supposed to handle snakes right away, but let them get used to the environment first. So I set her in her tank which was already set up at the time, and I left her alone for 5 or so days, then I started handling her, and she's never bitten me since.

When I first got her, I would handle her like every day, except for after she ate, and about 2 days from that period as well. Lately I haven't been handling her as much, but we have trust established, and she never mistakes me for food. I even handle her when she's going in shed. I feed her in a seperate enclosure then what she lives in, so she doesn't assume the opening of the tank with food, some people will say this is good practice, others will say it's not needed. I still choose to do so regardless.

Glasscages.com have Yellow Anacondas, and if you ask them, if an anaconda doesn't bite you it isn't healthy, which is why nobody ever buys snakes from them, because they are moronic, as this is not the case. The problem is they have snakes, and they don't mess with them at all, or spend any time really caring for the snake, so the snake isn't used to human interaction, so when they've went to the New Orleans Expo, their yellow babies are nippy.

Fiend, mumps & myself all have yellows that are not aggressive at all, so I really think it's solely on how you take care of him from a baby.

Also if you're going to purchase a yellow, I would either recommend Ben Renick, or Matt Crews. If you need the link to either site message me, on the side note I purchased my Yellow from Matt Crews.

[Tawu]

Thank you very much

It's funny that the people that answered my questions in the Finnish forum said that yellow anacondas are extremely aggressive and would need like a garage or a whole separate room for the snake if I'd like to have one...

[Neal]

That's because they're morons. I'm about to post pictures of mine.

[mumps]

Thank you very much

It's funny that the people that answered my questions in the Finnish forum said that yellow anacondas are extremely aggressive and would need like a garage or a whole separate room for the snake if I'd like to have one...

Hahahahahaha, that's funny. In a sense. I know that a lot of the European keepers are not interested in "handleable pets" as they are in "naturalistic vivaria". So the handling is probably not a big deal?

Yes, I have a female 4 yrs. old and around 10 foot. She'll get bigger I imagine but more in girth than length. She ate well her first year and a half, but I believe the "grow years" are very important to animals - any animal grows exponentially in the first couple years of life. Mine was 6 foot at a year old. This I don't think is "power feeding" - a snake knows when it wants to eat - anyone with bps knows this.

I was bitten once by mine, the first time I held her at 3 days old. She came home with me that day, but I recommend you get one that has shed and eaten. I didn't bother because I have established tons of snakes and I got her for free, so what the hey?!

As for temperament, if you know how to establish trust with a corn snake then you can establish trust with a yellow anaconda.

6x3 for a male is a good size. If it stays at 10 foot or smaller, there is nothing wrong with that size, but DO NOT go any smaller. They'll climb too, just most people don't give them the opportunity to do so. They will, so make the cage taller if you can. Mine is in an 8x4x4, with a top and a bottom section. The water "pool" is on the bottom part, and she loves it after meals, but not as much otherwise as she used to. A couple hides and a large branch connecting the top to the bottom and it's great.

Good luck,

Chris

[Tawu]

Thank you
to me handling is a big deal, it would make cleaning anaconda's terrarium a lot easier and feeding too since I'm thinking of feeding him in a separate enclosure like I do with my other snakes.
Well we have to move to a bigger apartment if we want more snakes especially now with the baby on the way So I think that this summer/fall we'll start looking for a baby yellow anaconda

[FIEND_FO_LYFE]

As a side note...



Anacondas, whether greens, or yellows...
have a tendency to be marshmallow sweet, or chainsaw evil.

Males average: 7-9 foot.
Females average: 9-12 foot.

I think repeated gentle handling, and handling often has helped me with mine. Although, my male is far from full grown.

They are a very rewarding species to work with.
I suggest caging larger than bare minimum, but it is your choice.

They do not need a large water dish to soak, but they do seem to enjoy it.
high humidity is important.

They are know to have loss of appetite every so often...

mine was a pain to get established, but now he eats like a pig.

Get a Captive bred hatchling that has been feeding, and shedding, and id say you'll be set!

Hope it helps, and Grats on the baby on the way!



EDIT:

almost forgot, Ive been nipped a few times.. (under 10) but about 4 times it was my fault.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, A HAPPY ANACONDA, IS A WELL FED ANACONDA.

[Neal]

Yea, when I got mine, she hadn't eaten but maybe once, or maybe not at all. I had a difficult time getting her started, but I figured a good trick, I put her in a kritter keeper, and I completely covered it and I put a fuzzy, something smaller so she felt a bit more comfortable I guess? It worked, then ever since then she has aten. For awhile she got lazy and would just do a lazy coil, but lately she's been snagging it up as soon as it hits the cage.

[Tawu]

Thanks
Your posts have been very helpful.

When we get a baby yellow anaconda I think we are aiming for at least 7x4x4 sized viv (when he's big enough) so there's a less chance for it too become too small.

[Neal]

Good, just make sure you get from the right breeder. A lot of people sell them, and label them as CB, when they are really WC, or just captive born.

Like I said talk to Ben Renick, or Matt Crews.