Sav loves mouse

[nepoez]

My sav will go after crickets, and worms and other food with glee. But when it sees a mouse it would not just go after it, it will go after it as if its life depended on it. Never can a mouse last more than 1 second in the cage. The sav would dash at full speed with aggression that it doesn't show when feeding on other foods. It would jump for a worm if he's pretty hungry, but when it comes to a mouse it would be able to jump much higher and faster, again af if it's life depends on it!

Is this the same for other sav keepers?

[Toothless]

Yuppers!! I'm thinking that it may be because the monitor knows there's more calories in one mouse than a bunch of crickets and of course there going to wan't to maximize their calorie intake while minimizing the effort spent, but I'm just speculating :).
My guy has a pretty strong food drive as it is, but on chick and gerbil days, he is one 'can of worms'!

[infernalis]

I have made the same observation, mice, rabbits, rats and chicks seem to really perk up the food drive.

[B_Aller]

Ever tried feeding a katydid? or a moth? Bet you'd be surprised at the reaction of exanthematicus when offered, I know I was!

[Toothless]

I fed mine a large dragonfly once- my son spent an hour catching it for our guy so I couldn't say no. lol The reaction was priceless.

[nepoez]

Ever tried feeding a katydid? or a moth? Bet you'd be surprised at the reaction of exanthematicus when offered, I know I was!

I giant horn worm moth emerged from the soil one day and the sav did feast upon it, but it was not the way he goes after a mouse. It's more like a normal person going after a burger vs a crack addict going after some crack(no i don't do drugs).

It just makes me wonder. Is it the size(as someone suggested nutrition per volume) that drives them? Or is there something else. If I had an insect as big as a mouse would they go crazy like this?

[B_Aller]

It just makes me wonder. Is it the size(as someone suggested nutrition per volume) that drives them? Or is there something else. If I had an insect as big as a mouse would they go crazy like this?

Not sure, but when I fed my exanthematicus katydids they went ape sh%^t
even more so than for mice, close to the same reaction for moths and scorpions. Snakes will elicit an interesting feeding response from them too, even dead ones.

[Starbuck]

i imagine its a combination of size and learned association... if you had a choice of going for a small bowl of m&ms or a super-sized chocolate bar; each has the same amount of chocolate by weight, but i for one want to candy bar! in addition, once they know that weird white thing (even though it isnt moving) means deliciousness, i'm sure its a self-reinforcing pattern of interest.

i think its very interesting what you sav keepers have noticed with the large moths/locusts etc as well... i know a spider biologist who kept colonies of huntsmen spiders, and they would always go nuts over the small moths she fed them v.s. the crickets (they were mostly visual based hunters), i wonder if theres something about the wy moths fly that makes them really appealing?

[infernalis]

Ever tried feeding a katydid? or a moth? Bet you'd be surprised at the reaction of exanthematicus when offered, I know I was!

I know what you mean, Those big brown flying grasshoppers are a riot too.

Thing is, My lizards reflexes are so damn quick, even those don't get chased for long before it's over.

I spend 10 times the energy netting one with a big butterfly net, and a lizard nails it in a second or less.

[infernalis]

Snakes will elicit an interesting feeding response from them too, even dead ones.

I have a couple snakes in my freezer (passed on captive colubrids) that could make an interesting video, bet the youtube responses would be interesting. ;)

[SnakeyJay]

I have a couple snakes in my freezer (passed on captive colubrids) that could make an interesting video, bet the youtube responses would be interesting. ;)

I bet it would be very mixed reactions... personally id find it fascinating mate.

[infernalis]

I bet it would be very mixed reactions... personally id find it fascinating mate.

been called names on youtube before, I'm immune / amused by it.

[SnakeyJay]

It wouldn't bother me either mate, sad people with a closed mind im afraid.

[formica]

mines the same with mice, i'm finding it a great way to tame my monitor, in a week he's gone from being a grumpy little *** that wouldnt give me the time of day, to perching on my arm, letting me scratch his head while eating, and today he even stuck around for a scratch for a few minutes after wolfing down 2 fat hoppers, wondered off for a minute to investigate a locust, then came back to perch on my hand and stared at me haha - amazingly he's now chasing locusts around his enclosure again, i think they have a Tardis for a stomach :D

[Pirarucu]

I have a couple snakes in my freezer (passed on captive colubrids) that could make an interesting video, bet the youtube responses would be interesting. ;)I vote in favor. I'd love to see more videos of different/unusual food items and the responses. (Both from the monitors and people commenting on the videos.)

[fuzzhc]

I vote in favor. I'd love to see more videos of different/unusual food items and the responses. (Both from the monitors and people commenting on the videos.)

This. Lol :D

[Toothless]

My guy goes ape s*** over gerbils. He normally has a strong feeding response, but this is crazy :).
Enjoy...
**feeding is only until 00:20- after that is me trying to pet him for the first time

Not an 'unusual' food item, but I'm thinking about getting videos of his reactions to different prey items and compare them. (obviously I have too much time on my hands...)
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