1.2 Savu Pythons Arrived This Week!

[jclaiborne]

It's amazing how much their looks change as they grow

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[Gio]

Nice change up! I haven't seen any posts on these.

Since I've not researched this species, I'll ask you what their general habits are. Arboreal, semi arboreal, or terrestrial?

I'm guessing they'd tend to climb and take avian prey if they are from a small island?

I'll be looking forward to seeing these develop.

[bcr229]

That's awesome, these are some really adorable snakes. Do they stay that slender their entire life? And are you planning to breed them?

Yes, they do stay slender as long as they are not overfed, which is apparently all too easy to do. This girl eats a "large small" or "small medium" rat every two weeks. I haven't tried her on a fuzzy rabbit yet but I expect she would take it, along with chicks if I offered them. Her food response is insanely high, on a par with my reticulated pythons, and if I don't cover her enclosure for a day after she eats she will strike at movement in the room.

Several keepers and breeders have reported that if these snakes are overweight they won't breed. Females reach sexual maturity at 5-6 years of age, males a year younger than that. Clutches are usually 6-10 eggs and they do require a cooling period for breeding. Incubation temperatures and duration is similar to a ball python.

Savu pythons were just becoming popular in the pet trade in the US at the same time that ball python morphs took off, so they kind of fell by the wayside. Wild-caught imports are no longer available, as the island population has been hit hard by development and feral animals like cats and hogs, so exporting is no longer permitted. It's expected they'll be on the CITES II list shortly. Fortunately a few people have been keeping and breeding them but they're not often offered for sale, so when this female popped up I grabbed her.

Husbandry is closest to a Brazilian Rainbow boa - temps 75-85*F (though they can go higher), humidity at least 75% as this species dehydrates easily. Savus are not a 100% arboreal species, but this girl does climb as well as my BCI's and BRB's do. They range over the entire island of Savu, including the meadows, forested, and coastal areas, so they are very adaptable.

[John1982]

Pretty little things. I really dig their transitioning colors!

[DennisM]

very cool. savus have been on my wishlist for quite awhile. always find something else to buy though. maybe next year, this year was dedicated to restarting the colubrid collection.