The Adventures of THING: *DU Warning

We had Thing out to visit yesterday, snapped some pics, I did include a few older pics though as I had not gotten them posted until now:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/DSCN2325.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/DSCN2321.jpg


Yesterdays pics: Hide and Seek
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/DSCN2384.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/DSCN2385.jpg


Where did Thing go?
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OHHH! There he is!
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And more for fun!
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very nice. probably one of the many reptiles i intend on investing in one day...i'll do my homework :)....nice pics!!!

Great looking Sav! Great color and nice pattern.

....I thought about getting one.....but instead I got a few of something else.....they should be here tomorrow too :D

He's very cool looking!!! How big will he get?

i thought they were... NOT friendly?

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Originally Posted by JLC

He's very cool looking!!! How big will he get?

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Everything I have read is all over the place in how big he will actually get, 3.5 foot to 5 foot is what I have read... although 3.5 feet is supposedly about average.... ehhh, we will see though.....

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i thought they were... NOT friendly?

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I dont think it is neccessarily all savs.... I think it also depends on how much time you spend with them....

Thing is a sweetie as you can see, he will spend hours laying on my chest if I let him, he loves riding on my shoulder around the house... when he does get on the floor, it is usually not long before he is looking for me to climb back up my leg, up my body, and back onto my shoulder...

Thing is hand fed EVERY morning, has been since the day I brought him home (I spend at least a minimum of 2 hours a day with him)... he is very gentle when he takes his meals from hand, and has never even acted like he considered biting.... in fact, I am amazed at how gentle Thing can actually be, you would think because of his species he would have a knock out killer type feeding response, so far though, the only time I have seen that type of feeding response is feeding him live rat pinks or small mice, however, I dont feed those by hand just because he gets pretty aggressive when being fed live rodent... but anything else, he eats right out of your hand and as gentle as can be.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

Great looking Sav! Great color and nice pattern.

....I thought about getting one.....but instead I got a few of something else.....they should be here tomorrow too :D

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Alright Daniel...what goodies are coming your way?????

wow 2 hours a day... that's a huge commitment! https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/7/hobbes.gif

For those of you curious:

Honestly, I did alot of homework before purchasing this guy... but let me tell you, no where in all my homework did it ever talk about how much this species consumes in one sitting on a daily basis... all I did find was 10% of thier body weight.... I have been weighing him empty at the beginning of the week and measuring him, plus I keep records of how much he is actually eating because I was curious to find out actual weight amounts.... believe me, he can easily consume 10% or more at a feeding... he so far is gaining an average of 2-3 ounces every two weeks in weight alone, and gaining an average of 2.5 inches in the same amount of time. It dont seem like alot, but it is...

I personally love this species, and am enjoying the experience of having Thing in our household, however, they do eat alot, more than I think most ppl realize before they buy savs... thier feeding is what makes them a bit expensive, not so much anything else.

From what I can tell, it is very very hard to get captive born savs, and the healthy ones are few and far between in the imports I have personally seen.. as far as thier temperments, I think it is probably 50/50 on if it is gonna be friendly like Thing or not... plus, spending time with them alot helps build trust and probably goes a long way in making them more friendly.

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

Alright Daniel...what goodies are coming your way?????

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I have 3 varanus storri being delivered tomorrow :D Nothing like some fiesty monitors that do not get bigger than a bearded dragon to liven up a collection ;)

I took off work tomorrow morning so I can be there and snap some pics when they arrive. So be prepared to be dazzled by my monsterous 6" long, 1 month old monitor lizards ;) LMAO :D

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

wow 2 hours a day... that's a huge commitment! https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/7/hobbes.gif

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Yeah, thing has been a MAJOR commitment for me, I dont mind, in fact, I love it, it is so worth it when you have a sav thats easily able to be handled and tolerates things that others may find stressful. I probably dont have to spend so much time with Thing, however, I made a commitment to Thing by bringing him in my home, and the time I spend with him is very enjoyable and I always said, "the next time I get a sav, I am going to put alot of time into it so it does turn out to be a pleasure to have, rather than a monster you cannot get near".

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

I have 3 varanus storri being delivered tomorrow :D Nothing like some fiesty monitors that do not get bigger than a bearded dragon to liven up a collection ;)

I took off work tomorrow morning so I can be there and snap some pics when they arrive. So be prepared to be dazzled by my monsterous 6" long, 1 month old monitor lizards ;) LMAO :D

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Ohh Daniel! I cant wait to see your new babies!

I thought about getting a smaller monitor species, after I made that comment, my hubby has since fallen in love with Green Tree Monitors... so , I suppose that is what he will have.... after I save a butt load of cash since they are pretty expensive at this point.

Wow.... I think Thing is the best looking Sav I've seen!!! Awsome colors! And obviouslly, VERY pampered! lol :P

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

I thought about getting a smaller monitor species, after I made that comment, my hubby has since fallen in love with Green Tree Monitors... so , I suppose that is what he will have.... after I save a butt load of cash since they are pretty expensive at this point.

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WOW.....a Green Tree Monitor....that is definately a step up on the husbandry conditions from just about every other monitor around ;) ; however, I have been reading about much more success with tree monitors lately.....seems like some of the 'bugs' with tree monitors in captivity are being worked out.

I really want to go VERY small with the monitor species....hopefully, I will be able to obtain some v. kingorum and v. caudolineatus in a year or so...

...but first I need to see if I can keep v. storri without having them eat each other :)

Daniel, AWESOME!! TOTALLY AWESOME!!! now howcome i was not pm'ed with this news? LOL, just kidding. thats great. definitely send some pics my way if you can.

nice looking sav Jeanne. i love his light colors. what are you feeding him? might want to think i about more insects in his diet if he's feeding on rodents very much. he looks chunky.

Very nice THING!! :)

beautiful little sav . he looks to be quite content .

Good looking Sav Jeanne! He looks nice and healthy. I finally, FINALLY, got Daniel Bennet and Ravi's book "The Savannah Monitor Lizard" in the mail today. I ordered it about two months ago. I've been thinking about monitors for sometime now, just keeping up with my research.;)

Daniel, Storrs are cute little monitors, little being the keyword! I saw a trio for sale at NARBC in Chicago going for a price of $600 from Chicago Reptile House I believe....not too bad of a deal, but didn't have that kind of cash with me. Definitely post some pictures when they are all settled in.

I wouldn't mind having a "few" different varanids eventually.

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Originally Posted by JBallPython

Daniel, Storrs are cute little monitors, little being the keyword! I saw a trio for sale at NARBC in Chicago going for a price of $600 from Chicago Reptile House I believe....not too bad of a deal, but didn't have that kind of cash with me. Definitely post some pictures when they are all settled in.

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$600 for a trio?? That is insanely cheap for baby storri....especially since most people are afraid to deal with them due to their hostility toward one another. LOL....I would have bought half a dozen if I could have gotten them for $200 each ;)

sorry to hijack your thread Jeanne :) Seeing that great looking monitor of yours just got me all excited about the babies on the way :D

They are really neat but they need a great deal of room. One of my friend's has one. The cage is large enough that two people could fit into it standing, and still have room. Her green tree monitor uses every inch of space.

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Originally Posted by mr~python

what are you feeding him? might want to think i about more insects in his diet if he's feeding on rodents very much. he looks chunky.

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Marshall, Thing does not touch any type of insect...period.... I have tried several, but they are all no go.... except earth worms... and even then, he dont LOVE them or anything... he gets rodents 2 times a week... along with all the various things we discussed on another thread about him.

Thing "looks" chunky, b/c in the pics he is actually laying sprawled out flat on my bed, on top of a thick feather mattress cover, making him look chunky.... however, when he is up moving, he is not as chunky as he appears and his belly does not drag. When walking he looks perfectly normal...

He's very cute, Jeanne :) Reminds me of mine when he was a baby LOL!


And you're right - they are definitely eating machines! Mine still eats his insects (locusts though, he doesn't like sometimes perching high up and he has to chase them and stretch - plenty of exercise but I enjoy being cruel :D

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

Marshall, Thing does not touch any type of insect...period.... I have tried several, but they are all no go.... except earth worms... and even then, he dont LOVE them or anything...

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Did you try roaches?

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Originally Posted by Schlyne

Did you try roaches?

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Nope. And we wont be either. My hubby will not allow any roaches in the house, even if they are feeder bugs... says we have to fight Mansfield roaches enough as is, and it would be rediculous to bring others in, even if they are a different species.

* Where I live, ppl are obviously not very clean, so b/c of that, I am fighting all my neighbors pet roaches, cost me a butt load of cash to keep them in control.

lobster roaches are a tropical speies that will die if they got out in any part of north america except florida.

B. dubia will not reproduce without being feed larger quantities of fruit (and they need higher humidity)

[my few dubia escapes have died rather quickly]

B. latteralis needs high heat and high humdity to live as well.

Unforunately, sometimes it's hard to get the idea of feeder roaches across to a spouse :P

He is adorable!!!

Jeanne, what about crickets?

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Originally Posted by mr~python

Jeanne, what about crickets?

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I have tried crix... meal worms, super worms, silk worms, horn worms, butter worms... just about anything I can get my hands on....(but not including roaches, as hubby said HECK NO in no uncertain terms).. the only insect he will take from time to time is earth worms bought at a local worm "breeder" who does not use detergents to make the worms come out of the dirt for harvesting- dude literally sits there and picks them out, digging through his worm bins. Most of the time, I dig through them for what I need even.

so because he wont take much else than the meat type things we discussed once before, I am giving him suppliments a few times week, snuck into ground turkey balls.

Yes, Thing is a picky picky monster... I really wish I had more info on his history to help me understand why he is so picky.

Isn't it annoying when they're picky - mine doesn't like any insect except locusts - we just don't seem to be able to get decent size roaches in the UK.

He doesn't like worms either :( Fussy monster!!

We're STILL in the process of building The Big Viv - it's going in what was our dining room (so who needs tables, chairs etc??? LOL) I can't move in there - the "viv in progress" is stuck right in the middle I don't think we've even got room to get out the furniture that is already there (looks for sledgehammer...)

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Originally Posted by Razaiel

Isn't it annoying when they're picky - mine doesn't like any insect except locusts - we just don't seem to be able to get decent size roaches in the UK.

He doesn't like worms either :( Fussy monster!!

We're STILL in the process of building The Big Viv - it's going in what was our dining room (so who needs tables, chairs etc??? LOL) I can't move in there - the "viv in progress" is stuck right in the middle I don't think we've even got room to get out the furniture that is already there (looks for sledgehammer...)

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I can so relate, it is kinda annoying he is such a picky picky monster.... it is one challenge I have found with this guy though....

Break out the sledge hammer, sometimes, you gotta make sacrifices. Even furniture.... :D yes, I know this from personal experience... hehehe

I got a question...does your sav slow down during the winter, do they have a shut down..cant remember if I actually read that they do or dont... if so, what difference should I be looking for to decide if he is or is'nt?

Well mine hasn't so far - (it'll only be his 2nd winter with us). I know tegus are supposed to go into brumation but I don't think savs do (I'm sure somebody'll correct me if I'm wrong!)

I'd be happy to break out the sledge-hammer - trouble is hubby is partial to the old wooden sideboard which is where the viv is going to go :(

nope, savannahs do not need a cooling period. keep his temps normal (130-140 basking and 75-80 cool) and he'll be fine.