Sav loves mouse

nepoez · 08-13-13, 05:01 PM

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 · 08-13-13, 05:21 PM

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 · 08-13-13, 05:30 PM

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

B_Aller · 08-13-13, 05:41 PM

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 · 08-13-13, 05:57 PM

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 · 08-13-13, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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!

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 · 08-13-13, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nepoez

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 · 08-13-13, 09:10 PM

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 · 08-14-13, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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!

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 · 08-14-13, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B_Aller

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 · 08-14-13, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

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 · 08-14-13, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakey-Jay

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 · 08-14-13, 12:28 AM

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

formica · 08-14-13, 05:56 AM

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

Pirarucu · 08-20-13, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

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.)