This was what a member over at red tail boa.com said about anacondas... and me have owning one for awhile before I had to give her up gave him a response... and a just want everyone else opinion on "big" snakes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by snake77 View Post
Just a question but why anacondas. why do people want condas they get enormous to where you can't handle them so what do you do then. not to mention temperment is not that great. I have a friend and he has two
one 7 feet and mean as **** and one 3 feet so far no bites. but he does live in the country and has built a large habitat for them what does everyone else do when they get huge and mean. Just curious not harping on anyone.
thanks



why do people want snakes period? rectics can also be aggressive.... i watch the snake master and he was holding an 18 ft. anaconda I believe??? and he tried to get to a 22 ft. rectic and it was so aggressive that he couldn't get near it at first. i believe it's all about how they are raised. like a pit bull. they are breed to be fighting dogs. but I own a pit and she is a big baby and has never even attempted to bite anyone. anacondas.... if they are nippy when they are babies it's gonna hurt because they are still 2 1/2 ft. long when born. you won't want to handle it as much. i believe it's just the reputation that they have. not neccesarily all anacondas are that way. you just need to take certain precautions like with all big snakes. if i'm wrong though I would like somebody to correct me. but that is just my opinion. i am fascinated with big snakes... and all snakes really. anything over 15 feet is awesome. and another question.... different topic and off subject but has relavence to what we are talking about... why do people keep T. Blonde (Goliath Bird Eating Spiders)? i would never want one. they are huge. mean. and they have hairs on their abdomen that irritates the skin and I think they are pretty venomous. it's everyones personal choice on what they like and for what reason. sorry this was such a long post.

I keep snakes because they fascinate me. They always have, even from childhood (much to my mother's chagrin!). And I can interact with species that I realize I would never get to see in the wild. They are a little bit of the natural world that I can bring into my own home.

As to big snakes, etc.
There is an allure to "big" anything,...big snakes, big spiders, or whatever. Its the same as venomous species. Theres just something very exotic about them. Unfortunately that same allure that intrigues the serious keeper, triggers the wrong response in some people. People get them just because they ARE dangerous and they can play Mister Macho with them. "Hey Dude! I got a Bad*** Snake that can kill someone!" Sort of like the article that was just posted where the Boa owner told the reporter that if he let the snake out it would kill the reporter before he could get out of the room.
This sort of snake owner just chaps my.........!
To be honest there are some species that are just not going to settle down. You compared anacondas to pitbulls. Thats sort of apples and oranges. Dogs of any breed are a domesticated animal and while they do have certain instincts the largest part of their behavior is based on how they are treated and trained.
A snake is a wild animal and is hardwired from birth with certain behaviors that have served its survival in the wild for millenia. A green anconda for instance is born aggressive and snappy and I have never seen one that wasn't.
Don't misunderstand me. There are a lot of good dedicated keepers who keep and study these giants for the right reasons. And unless you know them personally you might never realize that they even had such an animal.
Unfortunately it's the bad ones we see on the news.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

i see where you are coming from. and I do agree with you 99%. i believe with the time and patience almost any snake can be tamed. it'll still "wild" i guess but they won't look at you as a threat anymore. if you mistreat ANY dog... chances are it'll bite you.... if you mistreat/under handle a corn snake.... you'll get a little nip that feels like sand paper. if you mistreat/under handle an anaconda then it'll bite you and probably kill you or someone else. and in the wild a snake is looking for food if it isn't hibernating or digesting... in captivity the snake is on a schedule. it has a certain place to be fed. then back to the cage. i don't know if you understand what i'm trying to say but does that make any sense? and am I wrong?

Some species are going to continue to try to bite you no matter how they are treated. They are just that way. They are naturally highstrung and tempermental. Thats one of the reasons that certain species never become really popular in the pet trade(Watersnakes(nerodia) come to mind as well as green anacondas and african rock pythons). Unless they have some other redeeming feature that makes people want to take the chance by keeping them. Then the owner comes to realize that the chance of getting nailed are pretty good! There is a green anaconda at our Zoo who has been there from a hatchling that routinely chases the keepers out of the enclosure.
I know several people who just love retics. But they know the type of animal they are dealing with and that a bite is just a fact of life that they do their best to avoid.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

what zoo do you work at?

and I do agree with that statement. but I just believe that treatment and handling is alot of it. and that's just my opinion. am I all the way wrong though? or am I somewhat right?

You are pretty much wrong. There are species that do well with consistent handling and then there are those that are just naturally aggressive. There is always the exception to the rule, but the vast majority of the species, even with constant handling and human interaction will instinctively try to keep you away from them.

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.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

I don't work at a Zoo but I do tend to frequent ours The Oklahoma City Zoo quite a bit and talk to the keepers.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!