Chances are anaconda snakes eating habits is something that did not mightily interest you before you saw the movie Anaconda. Indeed, why should you, sitting at Orlando or Oslo, be even bothered about the eating habits of this particular species of snake?

Whatever the reasons may be, anaconda snakes stands apart from most of the other species in the way they stalk, hunt, eat and grow. However, before we explain in details what tickles the taste buds of these serpentine creatures, let us stress that they are no compulsive man-eaters.

Such reptiles belong to the family of snakes called boas and use great physical strength and not poison to hunt down preys and savor them. They do have strong jaws as well as sharp teeth and can inflict a painful bite but these bites are never fatal, especially for slightly bigger preys like deer and dogs.

These teeth do not contain poison sacks beneath them and act only as a tool for the hunting snake to catch the prey and drown it or constrict it to death. However, it is the ultimate muscular strength of such interesting reptile that makes it such a string predator at any fortune place you get the privilege to see it.

Anaconda snakes eating habits are largely guided by the way they hunt and their appetite. As mentioned earlier, these reptiles kill by constriction, that is, they make coils around the body of the prey and squeeze. Every time the hapless prey breathes out and the chest deflates, the grip of the snake tightens, and finally crushes the prey. Given that a full-grown female this reptile can be as big as thirty feet and may weight well over two hundred and fifty kilograms, they need heavy food to sustain themselves.

Baby anaconda snakes prefer smaller and primarily aquatic preys like frogs, fish as well as rodents like mice and rats. Adult, fully grown anacondas prey on practically any animal it can overpower, and the kind of prey ranges from large rodents to fishes, turtles, sheep, dogs, fully grown deeps to even jaguars. Anacondas, however, are no habitual man-eaters and hence pose no special threat to humans populating the river basin.

As a matter of fact, human fear for these snakes is more than reciprocated by the serpentine species, and is known to have retreated rapidly when they faced humans.

Anaconda snakes, atypical to any other snake, do not chew or tear the flesh of the prey. They swallow the complete prey and then use muscular movements to gradually push the corpse down its throat to the stomach where the corpse is digested by enzymes secreted.

Their jaws are not fixed together but are loosely bound to its skull and this helps such reptile to unhinge their jaws and swallow preys that are much bigger than the size or its mouth. If you are disappointed from the fact that they are not fierce and despicable man-eaters and with anaconda snakes eating habits, you should blame the movie and not the snake.

Anaconda Snakes are scientifically studied predators being monitored in the Snakes Educational Center. You can also freely learn more in the center’s new topics, including videos and educational facts at http://www.anacondasnakes.org

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So you’ve decided to get a pet rat. There are many things you will need to decide on to prepare for your new pet. We’ll go over each of these items in this article.

The first decision you have to make is whether you want a male or female. There are a number of differences between male and female rats.

Males tend to mark their territory with drops of their urine. Because of this habit their cage will require slightly more frequent cleaning than a cage of females. Males are usually larger than females which make them easier for children to handle. Generally males are lazier and more relaxed than females. Most of the time males are content to just lay around most of the day. This makes them great lap pets.

Females will usually be smaller than males. They are also more active and will require a little more interaction and toys to keep them from being bored. Females tend to be more curious and inquisitive than males, so you will have to keep a closer eye on them when they’re outside of their cage. If you purchase a female make sure the pet store has the males and females separated or you could end up bringing home a pregnant rat.

The next thing you will have to decide on is how many rats you should get. Why not just one? The answer is that rats are very social animals. In the wild rats live together in large communities. Human companionship just can’t replace that of another rat, especially since you can’t be with your rat 24 hours a day. Rats tend to get depressed if they are alone. Together rats will groom one another, play together, and keep each other warm at night. It’s important that rats have companions and you will want to have a minimum of two rats.

You will need a place to put your new pet. Cages and aquariums are the two main options for housing. Most recommend a cage over an aquarium for several reasons.

Aquariums provide very poor ventilation. You would have to have quite a large aquarium to provide adequate ventilation for a pair of rats. If you must use an aquarium make sure you use a screen cover and not a plastic lid. A screen cover will allow better air flow.

Cages have great ventilation and air flow which results in less ammonia build up. You will find there is a large variety of cages to choose from both online and in pet stores. It’s recommended that you get a cage with a pan bottom. Constantly walking on wire flooring can cause a condition in rats called bumblefoot. For multi-level cages or cages with shelves you will want to make sure the floors are made of 1/2″ x 1/2″ wire mesh. Rats can get their legs caught in larger sizes such as 1″ x 1/2″ which can result in serious injury.

You will need to pick up some bedding to put in the cage bottom. Your choice of bedding is more important than you might think. Pine and cedar, which are extremely common in pet stores, are very dangerous for rats. There have been many studies done showing the toxicity of pine and cedar.

It’s very common for rats to get respiratory infections, so it’s important to provide a dust free environment. Consider this when choosing your bedding. If the bedding looks dusty, don’t get it! Some recommended brands include Critter Litter, CareFRESH, or paper based litters such as Yesterday’s News.

What else do we need? Your rats will need a water bottle. Most water bottles are made for cages, so if you have an aquarium make sure the water bottle you choose can attach to the aquarium side.

Your rats will also need a food bowl. Rats will chew whatever you put in their cage so a metal or ceramic bowl is recommended over plastic. They also like perching themselves on the side of the bowl. That will cause the bowl to tip over unless its heavy or attached to the side of the cage.

Last your rats will need toys! You will find plenty of things to choose from. Most pet stores have an isle dedicated to small animal toys. Rats love having things to chew on and climb on.

You now have all the basics covered and you are ready to get your new pets. The only thing you have left to decide is what to name them!

Scott McHenry and his wife have had a large number of pets of many different species. They have several years experience with pet rats and together run http://www.ratanswers.com a pet rat informational web site.

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