F2 Savannah

F2 Savannah is the second generation removed from the wild. The F stands for the filial generation.

To make F2 , you take an F1 Savannah female and pair her an sbt Savannah male, usually F6 or F7 as all Savannah males are sterile until the F5 generation. Even then probably less than 50% of the F5 Male’s are also sterile, which is why most breeders use F6 And F7 Males as studs.

One of the reasons of F2 are expensive is because it is very difficult to breed an F1 Female. They are much larger than a Savanah male who is half her size or sometimes a third of her size, and when he goes to breed, he scruffs her between the shoulder blades, and then his parts end up in the middle of her back. So he’s gotta figure out how to hold her still, and stretch to get or he needs to go, to get the job done. Often times the males are not confident enough to even try because the big girls can be intimidating, or aren’t physically large enough to accomplish the task at hand. Other times the female gets impatient because the boy can’t figure out how to breed her and she’ll get sassy with him and not allow him to breed.

Another issue breeders run into is. We will often buy a male and a female to grow up together, hoping that it will ensure successful breedings in the future but again having an F1 Female that grows so much larger than the male, they often don’t like the female, because she gets bossy with him and hurts his feelings and then that’s it. He won’t even try to breed her. Believe me, I unfortunately speak from experience.

So you spent 20k on a F1 Savannah female and around 9k on an amazing stud hoping to make beautiful babies in the future and then run into problems like these and feel completely crushed because you thought it would be easy. Hybrids are extremely complex and makes breeding difficult. All the while you are feeding and caring for these animals which costs a lot because they eat quality food.

Did I mention that F1 mothers usually have small litters like the serval. Average is 1-3 kittens per litter.

So you wait years for breedings to finally happen or you buy a new stud and try again and then finally have a littler and get 1 kitten. The amount of time, energy, worry, work, no sleep and money spent in the mean time is done out of the love of the animals and the breed. It takes years to break even and many breeders never do. Complications arise and you have to spay or neuter your cat and that it for breeding.

When you wonder why F2 Savannahs cost so much I hope this helps you better understand how difficult they are to produce.

Let’s talk about the SIZE of the f2.

The F2 MALE is generally a large cat. Often times they grow to the same size as their F1 mother and many even grow larger than her. Averaging 17-30 lbs most are around 22lbs.

F2 FEMALE are still a big cat but typically smaller than their brothers. Usually smaller than their F1 mothers but bigger than their sbt fathers. They generally have a leaner build but are still tall and long.

F2 should have large ears (smaller than F1) and triangular head, and bold spots, long , tall body. Their face has a wild look , but less exotic than F1.

The F2 are fun, funny, smart and sweet. They can typically be a good lap cat even though they are large and often don’t care to be held, but love to snuggle on your lap.

They enjoy walking on leash, swimming, car rides, adventures and being your shadow.

F2 are a fantastic choice for a wild look and size if the cost of an F1 isn’t in your budget.