View Full Version : Sav Mauling Horn Worm
a few weeks ago.
8b32bhdPMeg
Awesome vids (despite those horrid sounds lol) I love watching these little guys hunt. I remember when my little guy would run around fighting crickets... now he just inhales medium rats.
smy_749
05-09-13, 04:57 PM
Funny how that same black beetle is casually cruising, making an appearance in both videos lol Make sure he is there when you make your next update as well.
Pirarucu
05-09-13, 08:58 PM
He certainly seemed to enjoy that Hornworm, keep the vids coming! What where those obnoxious sounds though?!
Funny how that same black beetle is casually cruising, making an appearance in both videos lol Make sure he is there when you make your next update as well.
lol I'm not sure if it's te same one, it'd be a heck of a coincidence if that's the case. I think I must have close to 100 beetles living in there cleaning up after the guy. I started by dumping superworms in the cage.. then they turned into beetles.. then there's babies.. now there's almost adult superworms again.. so I think soon there'll be a 2nd generation haha.
But I'm sure every video I make from here on will show at least 1 beetle. Most of them hide during the day tho...
Also.. these horn worms seem to digest real quick.. must be all water. If I feed him an adult mouse, he would be full for 2-3 days and not really move that much..but he ate 2 horm worms yesterday and was pretty full but this morning he's already hungry again, sprinting around sticking his head under logs to search for crix.. I kinda like letting him not get too full with a single meal too often so he stays active.
Looking good. Id recommend getting some leaf litter and ground cover in there though. Will help with your soil moisture retention and bioactivity.
Pirarucu
05-11-13, 12:58 PM
Also.. these horn worms seem to digest real quick.. must be all water. If I feed him an adult mouse, he would be full for 2-3 days and not really move that much..but he ate 2 horm worms yesterday and was pretty full but this morning he's already hungry again, sprinting around sticking his head under logs to search for crix.. I kinda like letting him not get too full with a single meal too often so he stays active.It's much better to feed them smaller prey more often instead of very large meals. It's easier to digest, and less stressful on them.
It's much better to feed them smaller prey more often instead of very large meals. It's easier to digest, and less stressful on them.
From what I observe I believe it's true. I think I'll be keeping things small from now on.
From what I observe I believe it's true. I think I'll be keeping things small from now on.
You do not have to. Proportionately, the bosc monitor can take larger prey then any of the other monitors. Daniel Bennett wrote that a Savannah Monitor can consume prey specimens 1/3 their own body weight. Just make sure you provide a basking temp hovering around 140 degrees F and you will be fine.
Pirarucu
05-12-13, 08:06 AM
You do not have to. Proportionately, the bosc monitor can take larger prey then any of the other monitors. Daniel Bennett wrote that a Savannah Monitor can consume prey specimens 1/3 their own body weight. Just make sure you provide a basking temp hovering around 140 degrees F and you will be fine.Proportionally yes they can, and it is of course a good adaptation in the wild where they may not eat again for a while. In captivity however, with a continuous supply of food, it just puts unnecessary stress on their their digestive system as well as being stressful to swallow if they have to sit there trying to force the food down their throat for ten minutes.. So yes they can, but there is no benefit in doing so.
NextMorph
05-12-13, 10:46 PM
Nice videos. It's funny how he proceeds to attack that horn worm instead of just eating it.
too bad I didn't get the beginning part on video. When he first saw it, he would keep his mouth closed but use his head to roll it back and forth really rapidly. It looked really funny and cute.
Mark Taylor
05-13-13, 02:13 PM
Always a next time:)
Pirarucu
05-13-13, 07:15 PM
too bad I didn't get the beginning part on video. When he first saw it, he would keep his mouth closed but use his head to roll it back and forth really rapidly. It looked really funny and cute.He thought it was a millipede. Most savs will do this with millipede shaped prey, and the theory is that as they eat a large portion of millipedes in the wild, perhaps rolling them is a way to get them to release any toxins they may have as a defense mechanism.
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