Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So i baught 4 live small mice for Apollo today to give him some excerise and to see his reaction. I was quite surprised by what he did. I dropped the mice in there and he flew off his basking spot and went full speed at the first mouse he saw. He attacked it and shook it visciously around by the head, throwing blood everywhere. At this point, i'm like "....whoa....".

So he kills the first mouse, but doesn't eat it, he leave it there in a bloody mass of fur. He then sprints to the other mouse and chases them around kills the next one. He swallows this one and then plays a game of hide-n-seek with the 2 remaining mice. He eventually corners one of them, reguratates the one he ate, attacks and kills the live one, and leaves both of them dead. He then goes after the last one and finally grabs it by the back and shakes it around and blood is now all over the cage and stuff.

He kills it, then eats it, and then goes searching for the other ones he killed earlier. He only eats 3 of the 4 mice and then eats some crickets that are in the cage.

So my question is this.....was this just a territorial instinct to kill anything that moves, then leave them there, or was he just expressing normal monitor feeding behaviour?
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Regurgitating is not normal. I've only seen it with monitors that are either sick or highly stressed.

I would guess the monitor isn't that hungry (which could be related to the regurgitation), but the movement entices it to act.

--Robert

It hadn't swallowed it all the way, so it just kinda spit it out so it could attack the other mouse.
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Sounds very normal to me. If this was new, feeding live food, I am sure your monitor wanted to secure the scene first, that is, kill them before they get away. After you do this for awhile, the monitor will soon learn they cannot get away, so it will take its time.

I am assuming its a gouldi complex montor, because if it was a Indicus type monitors, there would be pieces and parts dripping down the walls of the cage, as they slice them to pieces.

Also, to spit them up, is very normal. I see that all the time. Please don't confuse spitting up(not completely swallowed) with reguritating(completely swallowed and partly digested). They indeed are to different things.

I have had monitors that got so use to live food, that they don't even kill them anymore, they just swallow them alive(how nasty) Then the mouse decides to launch an inside attack, those mice get spit up so fast, they bounce off the walls.

Remember, an aggressive attack is a sign of a healthy monitor, and hungry healthy monitor. FR

Yeah, it was his first time being fed live mice. I was just taken back by it cause when I had my Sav, Critter, he never exploded from his spot and slammed into stuff trying to kill them. He would "trot" over to the mice and attack it, kill it, then eat it, then search the for the next one. Eventually, like you said, he learned they weren't going anywhere and he would ambush them from his hide spot when they came to close instead of hunting for them.

It's just interesting how two monitors can differ in personailty so much. Some ppl just don't know what their missing.....
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That story reminds me of the only picky sav I have ever seen. She will charge across the cage going after large roaches. There will be shells and wings everywhere. She then slowly goes around and cleans up the mess. She will walk away from a mouse, but will go after shellfish and bugs.
Well, I guess shrimp and crawdads do look like bugs.

Scott
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Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Just underwater versions.
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