Yellow Anaconda Care Sheet

[Wolf777]

Yellow Anaconda Care Sheet

Latin or Scientific Name: Eunectus notaeus

Distribution: Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and as far South as Northern Argentina.

General Info: Yellow Anacondas are CITES Appendix 2 animals and are generally considered as uncommon throughout their distribution range, higher concentrations may however occur during the mating and wet seasons. They together with the following make up the four species of anaconda:

The Green anaconda (Eunectus murinus), the largest of all boas and probably heaviest of all snakes.
The Bolivian anaconda (Eunectus beniensis)
The Dark-spotted anaconda (Eunectus deschauenseei)

Like most anacondas, yellow anacondas are considered to be quite
agressive but this is usually caused by feeding the snake in the cage and little handling.
They can become as tame as any boa but all snakes have different personalities, and
there are individuals who defy the norm that will probably never calm down. That said yellow
anacondas are more aggressive than your average corn snake and are not for beginners.
It is highly recommended that keepers have some experience with other boids like boa constrictors before moving on to yellow anacondas. Hatchlings all tend to be nippy but with frequent handling this should change. If your afraid of getting bitten, you can always use gloves whilst handling an overly aggressive individual.
These snakes, like any reptile or wild animal should always be treated with respect as even the tamest animal can turn.

Caging requirements: Yellow anacondas should be housed seperately in as large a cage with as much floor space as possible. I try to house all my snakes in cages that the snake can stretch out it's full length in, with big snakes this is not always possible but the bigger the better. Another must have for these snakes is a large water bowl with clean water, as these snakes spend most of their time in water. The water should also not be too cold otherwise the snakes might avoid soaking altogether, or become sick. Cages should preferable be water proof due to spillage and humidity. Cages and especially water bowls should be kept clean, I clean my cages once a week.

Size: Neonates range from +/- 17cm - 61cm. Adult males reach can atain lengths of +/- 1.8m - 2.4m, while adult females may grow to anywhere from +/- 3m - 3.6m with a maximum length of approximately 4.6m, but this is a rare occurence and anacondas reaching this length are almost unheard of.

Lifespan: Yellow anacondas may live anywhere between 10 and 30 years in captivity.

Temperature and Humidity: Ambient air temperature should be 23 - 29 degrees Celcius, with a basking spot of 32 - 33.5 degrees Celcius. Humidity should be between 50% - 60%. Yellow Anacondas are more resistant to low temperatures than other boids but the ambient air temperature should not drop below 23 for extended periods of time.

Lighting: Supplemental lighting is not necessary for these snakes, but if you want to bring out their "true colours" it can be used. If this is the case then the lights should be put on a timer on a 12/12 hour cycle.

Substrate: There is a multitude of substrates that Yellow Annies can be housed on. Some of these include newspaper and even cardboard. More natural substrates include spaghnum moss, peat moss. A mixture of potting soil, coco fiber, bark chips and mosses could also work. Note the more natural your substrate and therefore your enclosure, the more it takes to clean it. News paper and other substrates when wet or damp should be changed frequently enough in order to prevent the growth of moulds.

Feeding: One adequately sized (not bigger than the thickest part of the snakes girth) should be offered between every 7 - 10 days, skipping every fourth feeding. Like most snakes, Yellow annies can become overweight and it is thus very important to monitor your snake's weight closely. To avoid your snake becoming overweight you can skip a feeding here and there, add a few more days to your feeding schedule or just provide smaller meals. A bigger cage and regular handling would also provide the snake with some exercise. Yellow anacondas may sometimes refuse to eat. Skipping a few meals is not a problem and as long as the snake does not lose condition, it should be fine. It is recommended that your snake is fed outside the enclosure so that the snake does not confuse everything (such as your hand) entering the cage as food.

Breeding: Yellow anacondas are the most frequently bred of all the anaconda species. They typically reach sexual maturity anywhere from 18 months in males to 4+ years in females. Males usually become ready to breed at lengths of 120 +cm, while females are ready at 180cm and larger. Breeding may be induced by lowering nighttime temperatures to 20 - 22 degrees Celcius and by reducing the daily photoperiod to 8 hours if lights are used. Misting the snakes with warm water might also help. The gestation period ranges from 115 - 135 days. Females give birth to litters that may contain up to 40 young.

Conclusion: Yellow anacondas are often labelled as a boring, cheap and an extremely aggressive species. Experience has taught me that this species is anything but another cheap and boring snake, they are awesome animals with an amazing personality. They are underrated, sold to cheaply (most corn morphs are more expensive than a yellow anaconda) and mislabelled in my opinion. If frequently handled and all the basic requirements are met, you will end up with a reasonable pet and very nice display animal, providing a rewarding experience for both keeper and snake.

Divan van Dijk


Let me know what you guys think.

[Graeme]

That's a damn fine care sheet man. I only don't keep them because the caging space is out of my range.

[ocean/blue]

Thanks for sharing, lots of helpful info.

[Westley Price]

Very well done.

I wish more people (myself included) would take the time to do this.

You will be amazed how much this will help newbies....if they bother to look here.

[Wolf777]

Thanks for the kind comments guys.

[Fooble]

Nice read Divan,

It's refreshing to see your intrest in a species which most disregard.

Hopefully ill get some motivation and create one or two for some of my gecko species.

Well done.

[Wolf777]

Thanks Tyrone. Yeah you should deffinetely do some for some of your geckos.

[Redmachine]

Excellent care sheet wolf,well done.
How big are your yellow Anaconda's?
I'm thinking of Getting myself one next year But i can't decide on the green or yellow..
Green grow alot bigger than yellows but yellows are more aggressive?

[Bushviper]

Good luck trying to find a green anaconda.

[Redmachine]

BushViper,I'm pretty sure the last SOS reptile expo had some.
I think the Snake City stand (Hunyani) were selling.
I'm not really sure though,but i remember they had anaconda's.
By the way,wolf said You skip a 4th meal,i've been doing it with my boa for a while now but i still don't understand Why.Can anyone enlighten me with this?

[Leon_Kun]

I`ve only heard about one guy that had two green ones in Gauteng.
And my fav of all the heavy body`s is the anaconda ( i have two yellow`s again).
But the one I trust(it`s the one thats bitten my now a couple of time) but the other one(new one) has not bitten me yet and thus I don`t trust her, it doesn`t make sence I know, but she feels more sneakier then the one that`s bitten me(he bit me last night again, but it`s not an aggresive strike, it feels more like a gentle bite because it barely drew blood, i think it`s like a dog just nobbling every now and again to say "Hi, i`m here, loe you")

[Redmachine]

Nice Leon_Kun.
How big are they?I'd love to see some pictures,maybe you can post some here or make a new post with some pictures?

[Leon_Kun]

Mine are about 50 to 70 cm now, I will post some pics again( I have posted some before).
But I love anaconda`s, especialy green anacondas because of the orange marking on their face.

[Wolf777]

Hi thanks for the compliments.

I have two males, the biggest being about 115cm. Green's grow huge and way too big for me at the moment. Like Bv. said finding a green will in any case be very hard.

Skipping a meal every now and then ensures your snake doesn't get fat, most pythons and boas are "lazy" heavy bodied snakes, so without regular exercise they may become obese.

[Redmachine]

Leon_kun,looking forward to seeing some pictures.
Wolf,Thanks for the care sheet.I'll be tryin to get a yellow anaconda,this care sheet will be most helpfull.