Black throat monitors care requirments

Discussion in 'Monitors & Tegus' started by PitsNherps, Oct 9, 2007.

  1. PitsNherps

    PitsNherps Well-Known Member

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    I got a call today from a man who no longer wants his Black throat.
    I have looked into them before and they get huge!

    He said its less than a year already 3 feet long.
    He says hes pretty tame but unsure of new people and whips his tail but was very tame before he started working.
    His girlfriend is very scared of it so it doesn't get fed as often as it should.
    He also said it hasn't bitten before.

    How much and what exactly should you feed it?
    Day to day basis?
    I had a Savanaha monitor before so Im not inexperinced with monitors

    He said it has a cage that would last around 2 monthes at the most.
    Now would it be a good idea to let it roam ?Or what type of cage could you build
    Thanks
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. Varanus99

    Varanus99 New Member

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    If you had a savannah the black throat requires very similar care.

    If this guy is 3' long and under a year old he's been fed fairly well. He could be a little bigger but he certainly wasnt starving.

    These guys get pretty big. 5-6' isnt uncommon. Ive heard of some specimens hitting 7' although Ive never personally seen one. And they are heavy bodied so they will need as much room as you can give them. Allowing a large monitor to free roam in a house is tricky. If you have a room to spare you might be better off confining the anima to just one room with supervised excursions into the great beyond. Even one room is going to give him a nice amount of space. And it will be much easier to "monitor-proof", heat, etc just one area rather than your entire home.

    If you decide to build a cage instead all I can say is the more room the better. The bare minimum is usually considered 2x the lizards length nose to tail long by 1x wide. So a 5' lizard would require a 10' x 5' enclosure and even that is just barely large enough. If I was going to build a cage for this guy I would go for something like 15' x 8'. Which is approximately half or 2/3 the size of an average room. So maybe using a section of a room might work. Unless of course you have the ability to devote an entire room to the lizard which I think is just dandy.

    As far as food, they eat a LOT. Its hard to say exactly how much food the lizard will eat. At his size he's probably gotten a bit too large for insects so his diet is going to be mainly rodents. Im sure he can handle several mice or maybe even small rats at a meal. I would just feed him until he is full and that will give you an idea of his limits. Several small prey items are preferred instead of one large one. At his size I would offer food 3-4 times a week depending on the size of the meals. Keeping an eye to make sure the lizard doesnt become obese. Although if he has enough room and heat overfeeding isnt as big of a problem as you often hear. Just dont go nuts with the food. After a short period of time you'll get the hang of how much is a good meal and how much food is just too much.

    He can also be fed fish, shellfish,chicks and fresh ground turkey. But whole foods should form the base of the diet with the turkey being offered on occaison or if whole prey is not available. Insects can also be fed but at his size you're gonna need an awful lot of them.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. PitsNherps

    PitsNherps Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the information.
    Do you know about there temperments?
    Do they get pretty tame and such thanks ;)
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Varanus99

    Varanus99 New Member

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    From what I understand these guys can become very trusting and tame. Some folks have used the term dog tame to describe how some of these lizards eventually become.

    A good friend of mine has a pair of adults and they are a pleasure to deal with. They are food aggressive but once they realize its not feeding time they are no trouble.

    As with any monitor, or lizard in general, it may take some time for them to trust you. But this species certainly has the potential to become quite tolerant of its keeper.
     

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