Quote:
Originally Posted by dannybgoode
Like people some snakes are just smaller. Looks healthy to me so I wouldn't worry about size...
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Danny is right on the money here. It is silly to be dogmatic about what size a snake is "supposed to be." Your anaconda looks very healthy, and its actual size is really secondary.
Regarding the "taming" of this snake: like all snakes, anacondas can be conditioned to a number of things. While many individuals may never be fully trusted, most can be conditioned to tolerate handling, at least to some degree. Since snakes are creatures of habit, it would be a great idea to develop a routine every time the snake is being removed for maintenance. This can involve something like nudging the snake with a hook prior to removing it from the enclosure, for example. Obviously, the later in life that conditioning occurs, the more difficult it can be to achieve the desired results. I've worked in the past with adult wild-caught boas that seemed nearly impossible to condition, at least short of making that a full-time effort. This is going to vary by individual, but chances are that you are able to at least produce some improvements.
Lastly, about the use of hooks on large constrictors: most hooks do not offer a substantial amount of surface area, so if the body of a large constrictor is resting on it, it places a lot of pressure on a very small part of the body, which can be problematic if it occurs for a significant amount of time. That said, large adult constrictors are not easy to hook in the first place, because they are a) heavy as hell, and b) extremely strong, and can easily wrestle the hook away from you. The temptation to use a hook in a manner that is detrimental to the well-being of the snake is therefore pretty limited. Also, a 5-6 ft individual does
not have the amount of mass to make handling with a hook a significant risk factor. As a suitable alternative, you may want to consider a hook that is specifically designed for that purpose, such as the
python hook produced by Midwest. It is a beast of a hook, and makes you look like you're ready to invade Russia, but it does an okay job at what it was designed for.
Personally, my preferred method of handling large anacondas is to use a hook and let the snake know that it is about to be handled (rather than fed), then use it to pull the tail toward me. After I have control of the tail, I gently begin to pull the snake's body (by hand), which causes most individuals to look for an object or part of the enclosure to hook onto and keep from being moved. If the snake begins to get defensive and strike, I use a long hook to try and discourage the head from launching into a strike. This works well for individuals up to about 10 ft in length, and does so without resting any significant portion of the body on the hook. After that, I like to have a spotter available who can take over the job of watching/controlling the head.
Hope this helps.
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