Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Are these bitey or docile? I can't seem to get a straight answer.

Also, how big? 4' like a Spotted? That is pretty small.

I'm curious about this not-often-discussed python from an owners perspective. I like less common stuff.

I used to have a pair. About 4' long. Temperment is ok, but adults are usually almost black. I traded mine to someone else.

They are docile usually, but some young ones can be defensive, just like with any python pretty much (except maybe ball pythons). And as with any python, there are some individuals that are more prone to a defensive strike than others under certain conditions. But I vote docile. They also appreciate high humidity periodically, like a soak as needed.
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Mark

Savu's are typically hardy and easy-to-keep snakes. They aren't like Ball Pythons (picky eaters) and usually are great feeders, though they tend to have a similar size range. Females tend to get a little larger around 4' while males stick around 3'. I have never met an unhandleable one, but I copied and pasted this from a care sheet that I knew of: "The temperament of Savu Pythons seems to vary from individual to individual. Some hatchling being calm, others snappy and feisty. This individual behavior seems to stick with them until adulthood at about 2 to 2.5 years of age. At which time they are calm and easy to handle." Hope this helps!
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

Thanks for all the feedback.

I would love to see an adult in person... they look very striking in photos.

I really like these snakes. They seem to have a strong personality and are defensive of their cage. Mine have had every opportunity to bite me and never had though. Closed mouth strikes and purposeful bad aim lol! Once in hand mine are very tractable. I have raised my pair up from sub-adults and they seem to mellow a bit with age.

Phil

Are your Savu's CB? I have heard they are being worked with to make a more colorful adult. That one is not as dark as some.
The eyes are great!
Amanda

I honestly don't know, but I doubt it. I acquired them when they were still fairly small, but they have darkened considerably in the last two years as they matured. The snake in the photo is a female that is around four foot in length. My male has retained a bit more of the coral coloration along the sides.

Phil

She has some nice girth to her... definately more girthy than a Spotted python (which I was thinking was a similar adult size)

Definitely an unusual and interesting python.

I kept a pair back in the late 90's until about 2001, when I sold th emt o a friend. I had copulation but never eggs.
They were WC adults, but adapted well to captivity. The only issue I had was that the female never took F/T with any regularity and insisted on live. The male was 3 footish, the female was closer to 5. Both were very active when handled, but not aggressive. They're visually impressive in person, shiny and pretty One of my friends fell in love with them and offered me way too much for them so *sigh* and I still regret selling 'em.

How does the adult coloration vary with their hatchling/juvenile colors? Does the coloration as a hatchling widely effect how they look as adults (lighter, darker, oranger, etc?)
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

I've seen very few adults that weren't very dark, almost black.