Sav Update

Xeikeness · #1 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 02:09 AM

Update video on the progress I'm making in training my savs. The sav featured in this one is Pharoah. Cairo is the one with the weird smell, and his training ended up taking MANY steps backwards due to my dumb self not replacing the vents before converting the cage into a sav enclosure. He pushed one of the vents out (it was held in place with two TINY little nails) and it turned into a fiasco. So, for Cairo, training is back to phase 1, and we have to take an entirely different, and much longer route, to get to this point.

Pharoah, however, is a fantastic little creature. Using the training I've previously gotten into arguments about, he has blossomed rapidly and is turning into a perfect little gentleman.

Unlike other sav owners, I have NO intention of feeding him from my hand, or worse, my mouth. All that I ask of my animals, is that they take their food from tongs or bowl without mistaking my hand for food, or attacking my hand, and that they acquiesce to being handled.

Pharoah is a success so far.

Xeikeness · #2 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 03:57 AM

*shameless bump*

aww come on.... It's a cute vid!

John_E_Dove · #3 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:08 AM

Well I for one am glad you bumped it up so I could see it. You say there was a set back but it looks to me like ya'll are doing great together.
Very impressive, though I wonder about feeding on your lap like that it seems as though it is working well for you.
Keep up the great work and you'll beat the odds.

Xeikeness · #4 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:23 AM

Feeding on my lap is not an all-the-time thing.

I feed him in various places, so he doesn't attribute just one area to food. I will never feed him from my fingers, so he doesn't attribute my hands to food either. Only from the tongs.

But, I made the video primarily for his old owner, who misses him very much. When she had him, she said he was "really mean" and would lunge at her and try to bite. From how she explained it, it seemed like a defensive sort of thing. But he's really blossomed since coming here.

Usually when I feed him, I make him come out of the cage, and just touch me with one front paw, then he can stop touching me, and gets his food. Sometimes I just open the cage and talk to him, and wait for that. Sometimes I "lure" him out, and sometimes I take him out and hold him, then put him down and feed him.

I always do the initial feeding outside the cage on a folded towel, and he seems to enjoy that.

I'm working on building a small platform for Cairo's cage to work with him in the same manner when he recovers from his little ordeal. If he does, of course. I'm taking him to the vet on Friday or Monday about that weird smell.... We'll see how that goes for him. Sigh. Having to drag him to the vet is going to throw an even bigger wrench in my training with him.

But, health first, training second, ALWAYS.

On a lighter note, I'm going to start a clicker training regime with Pharoah tomorrow.

DRZRider · #5 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:32 AM

Cool video, though I am not a big fan of shallow substrate.
I think some monitors are naturally calmer than others and learn to trust where some will not. I did absolutely no training of this one. She didn't live to be old, but she gave me a hatchling.

...but hand feeding is not all bad.

DISCLAIMER - I do not recommend hand feeding! Not if you like all your fingers!
Ed

Xeikeness · #6 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:44 AM

lol, no hand-feeding isn't all bad at all. But I prefer, with my reptiles, to set very wide margins for error. The end of tongs = food. Middle of tongs = ouch my teeth! Why bother trying to bite further up? LOL

Beautiful little monitor.

And I agree about the shallow substrate. These are temporary cages until I get my tax return and can build bigger caging with room for 11" of substrate. I have big plans for my monitors' caging.

DRZRider · #7 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:48 AM

Quote:

And I agree about the shallow substrate. These are temporary cages until I get my tax return and can build bigger caging with room for 11" of substrate. I have big plans for my monitors' caging.

Awesome, glad to hear it.

Good luck at the vet. Keep us posted here and on that NL forum.

Xeikeness · #8 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 04:56 AM

I will. I'm mildly freaking out about it... after seeing that sav from Critter Cabana, and how bad that was... I'm on a bit of a freakout. I've upped his temps to help him in that regard if it IS infection, but I'm hesitant to give him any of the antibiotics I have on-hand(I keep Baytril around... I do a LOT of snake rescue so it's handy to keep around the house en masse).... So, vet first.

Much hand-wringing until then.

The sav in the vid I got a couple weeks ago from a lady and her boyfriend that kept him in a 20g long. x_x

They said they knew he needed bigger, but they just didn't have the room to do so, which is one of the reasons I ended up with him. He seems MUCH happier with the huge space increase, I can't wait to get him into something appropriate for long-term care!!

C.Frankenstein · #9 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 05:32 AM

Very cute.

And well done. Saying it's just 'cute' seems to downplay the work you've put in.

Thanks for sharing.

Xeikeness · #10 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 05:34 AM

lol, I like cute. And thank you for being conscious of downplay. lol

*hugs*

Hairless · #11 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 06:19 AM

I'm impressed.
He was very calm. Your doing a great job with him.

Xeikeness · #12 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 06:28 AM

Thank you man.

I dunno - I think the reason my training methods tend to start arguments, is because I can't describe it properly. I do a LOT... not just one thing and expect it to work. But I get fantastic results with every animal I've used the regime on, so I'll keep doing it and noting how it works per each new species I work with. lol

Hairless · #13 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeikeness

Thank you man.

I dunno - I think the reason my training methods tend to start arguments, is because I can't describe it properly. I do a LOT... not just one thing and expect it to work. But I get fantastic results with every animal I've used the regime on, so I'll keep doing it and noting how it works per each new species I work with. lol

Stop explaining and just show the vid. LOL
Who could say thats not working?????????

Xeikeness · #14 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 06:35 AM

lol, yes, exactly.

It's one reason I stopped training animals for OTHER people... I just uber fail at trying to get my message across when the other person doesn't understand it all to begin with. o.o''

Xeikeness · #15 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 05:29 PM

*last bump - for the morning crowd*

razeraze · #16 (**permalink**) 04-23-2008, 06:26 PM

Looks good, good luck at the vet and please keep us updated.

DRZRider · #17 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 05:38 AM

Any update from the Vet about the smell?

Xeikeness · #18 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 06:24 AM

It is indeed infection, and he's on baytril. The vet said it's unlikely he'll recover, but it's worth a try.

DRZRider · #19 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 12:26 PM

Sorry to hear that. Good luck.

Xeikeness · #20 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 06:15 PM

Thanks... It's a bummer, but after seeing that sav at the reptile show I did from that pet shop... *sigh*

I'm doing what I can. I think he's got a fair chance, but the vet was saying that when infection gets that bad something might be shutting down. >.<

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