Captive Care of the Snouted Cobra Naja annulifera

Information 

Captive Care of the 

Snouted Cobra 

Naja annulifera 

By Richard Mastenbroek 

Name: Snouted Cobra 

Continent: Africa 

Temp: 82-88 F 

Disposition: Semi aggresive 

About

The normal snouted cobra (Naja annulifera annulifera) is one of the most kept 

African cobra species, even when many snake keepers think that they keep the 

Egyptian Cobra (Naja haje haje) is it most of the time the Snouted Cobra. 

Length: 

Naja annulifera annulifera; The average adult size of this cobra is 150 – 220 

cm, maximum 250 cm, males are usually bigger than females. 

Naja annulifera anchietae; The average adult size of this cobra is 130 – 190 

cm, maximum 230 cm, males are usually bigger than females. 

Zoological Description: 

Naja annulifera annulifera; The head is large and depressed and slightly 

distinct from the neck. The neck from the Snouted cobra is dilatable like all other 

species of the Naja complex. The dilatable neck or also called hood can be 12 -16 cm 

wide. The snout of the Snouted cobra is just like the head moderately broad, but 

pointed. The eyes are quit big with a round pupil. The body of the Snouted cobra is 

cylindrical and stout with a long tail. 

In color are these cobras been found in many different varieties. Juveniles have a 

yellowish or greenish color, the scale often show a dark edging which looks like a 

speckled patron, in the neck do they have a broad dark band, the ventral side is 

usually yellow from color. Adults are mostly grey, brown, reddish-brown or black 

from color, but we also know a banded color phase which usually caries 6 – 9 bands 

on the body and 2 – 3 on the tail, these snakes have broad black and white cross 

bands around the body. The ventral side can be yellow or grey from color and can 

have speckles or a mottled patron. On the throat they have a broad dark band. 

. Naja annulifera anchietae; This subspecies is in morphology similar to Naja 

annulifera annulifera. The head is large and depressed and slightly distinct from the 

neck. The neck from the Snouted cobra is dilatable like all other species of the Naja 

complex. The dilatable neck or also called hood can be 12 -16 cm wide. The snout of 

the Snouted cobra is just like the head moderately broad, but pointed. The eyes are 

quit big with a round pupil. The body of the Snouted cobra is cylindrical and stout 

with a long tail. In color is this subspecies of the Snouted Cobra quite similar to the 

Naja annulifera annulifera except that this subspecies can also been found in light 

yellow and orange. They never seem to become black. 

Scalation Naja annulifera annulifera: 

- Dorsal scales on the midbody 19 (21) 

- Ventral scales 175 - 203

- Sub caudal scale is Paired 

- Sub caudal scales 51 - 65 

- Anal plate is Single 

- Upper labials 7 (8) 

- Upper labials to the eye 0 

- Preoculairs 1 (2) 

- Postoculairs 2 (1 or 3) 

- Lower labials 8 or 9 (10) 

- Temporal 1+2, 1+3 Variable 

Scalation Naja annulifera anchietae: 

- Dorsal scales on the midbody 17 

- Ventral scales 179 - 200 

- Sub caudal scale is Paired 

- Sub caudal scales 51 - 56 

- Anal plate is Single 

- Upper labials 7 (8) 

- Upper labials to the eye 0 

- Preoculairs 1 

- Postoculairs 2 

- Lower labials 8 or 9 (10) 

- Temporal 1+2, 1+3 Variable 

Geographic Range Naja annulifera annulifera: 

Southern Zambia , Malawi , KwaZulu Natal , Mozambique , Swaziland , 

Zimbabwe , Northern provinces of South Africa and Botswana land.

Geographic Range Naja annulifera anchietae: 

Northwestern Zimbabwe , Western Zambia , Northern Botswana land, 

Southern Angola , Southern Zaire , and Namibia . 

Habitat: 

Snouted cobra inhabiting savanna grasslands, semi desserts, rocky areas 

but is also often found nearby humans in gardens and under houses. They will enter 

poultry runs. Snouted cobras will often occupy a permanent home in termite 

mounds, holes in rocks, hollow trees, and under dense vegetation. Snouted cobras 

are nocturnal but can be found basking on a rock close to there residence in the 

early morning. The snouted cobra is not a aggressive species but when cornered it 

will stand his ground by spreading his hood, while hissing load, when further 

provoked it will strike fast. 

Behaviour in Captivity: 

Snouted cobras can be very pleasant animals in captivity. They often calm 

down fairly easy but some will stay easy to irritate. When housed in a large 

enclosure will they show a nice active behaviour. Snouted cobras that are housed to 

small will rub there noses continuously in the corners of there enclosure which will 

damage there rostral scale. Even when they are nocturnal will they show there self 

in daytime basking under a spot. Snouted cobras are curious animals that spend 

many hours of investigate there enclosure and with digging in the substrate. When 

coming close to there enclosure will they watch carefully any movement. Snouted 

cobras can be best handled on the tailing method while supporting there body on a 

snakehook. 

Feeding: 

In nature feeds the Snouted cobra mainly on toads, but they will also eat 

small mammals, birds their eggs, reptiles including other snakes. Some wild caught 

specimens even ate puff adders (Bitis arietans), they will often enter gardens to 

search for food in chicken runs and under trash piles. My snouted cobras are fed with 

dead and live rodents and chicks. Dead prey items will be offered out of a long 

tweezer and will be taken slowly. When fed alive they will hunt there prey down and 

will bite them several times. I only feed my snakes live food in a bin. 

Breeding Snouted Cobras: 

Snouted Cobras are Oviparous and laying 8 – 34 eggs.The eggs measure a 

size of 46 – 55 mm X 24 – 32 mm). Snouted Cobras are easy to breed cobras when 

provided a large and wel setup enclosure. The animals in my collection mate in late 

spring or early summer (May, June) after a gestation period of 2 months do the 

females lay there eggs in special laying boxes placed in the enclosure. Mating can 

take a few minutes to several hours. I don’t give my Snouted Cobras a hibernation 

period, but in winter time will the average room temperature drop some degrees and 

the animals will not get as much food as in the warmer months. The eggs are placed 

in a dry incubator on sterilized sand. The temperature in the incubator varies 

between 27 - 30 0 C with a humidity level around 80% which can be adjust by 

spraying water. After about 65 – 90 days the eggs will hatch, hatchlings measure a

size of 22 – 35 cm in length. The hatchlings will shed for the first time after 8 – 12 

days. After there first shedding food will be offered. I feed my juvenile Snouted 

Cobras with baby mice, which most of them will accept the first time, hatchlings that 

not eat will be force fed till they start eating on there own. The hatchlings are kept 

separate in plastic boxes till they reach a size of around 70 cm. 

The enclosure: 

I currently keep two breeding pairs of Snouted cobras. The biggest pair is 

housed in a enclosure of 200 x 50 x 60 cm (length x wide x height), the other pair is 

housed in a smaller enclosure that measures a size of 150 x 50 x 50 cm (length x 

wide x height). Both enclosures are heated by floor heating and a basking spot the 

average temperature in the enclosures is 25 - 28 0 C and directly under the spotlight 

34 - 38 0 C in daytime. At night the temperature will drop a few degrees Celsius. The 

humidity is around 60%. 

As substrate I use a mixture of river sand and peat. As decoration I use Elephant 

trunk trees, rocks and some plastic plants. In both enclosures is a big 5 litre water 

bowl that is surprisingly used quit often for batting. The enclosures are build from 

chip-wood and can be opened by 6 mm glass sliding doors that can be locked with a 

glass showcase lock. On the cold site of the enclosure is a hide box placed where the 

snakes live in daytime when not basking under the spotlight.

Captive Care of the Snouted Cobra Naja annulifera

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