Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

cathendry · I'm new here... Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

Hi guys,

I'm about to get my first black throat monitor and i've been reading all the forums and caresheets i can get my hands on to get the general consensus as the the best husbandry practices. i know that to a certain extent i have to learn from the monitor as each is different, but i was hoping you guys could give me a bit of advice on a coupla things -

firstly - bathing a black throat?? good idea or a cause of unneccesary stress? everything i've read has said something different. i'm intending to put in a water bath in the enclosure big enough for the monitor to submerge to shoulder level but will i need to soak him once a week too??

secondly - feeding. how much and how often??? the monitor is about 18-20 inches SVL. i dont wanna make him fat or put undue stress on his liver. i'm intending to feed a mixture of adult locusts, chicks and mice (mice less frequently than chicks). i was wondering how many feeds should be chicks and how many should be insects? also how many feeds would you give a monitor that size per week?? once again all i can find is conflicting information.

thanks for your help with this, it'd be great just to hear your experiences with your monitors... what has worked best for you???

thanks again,

cat

Stuart · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject:

Hi Cat welcome to the forum. there are plenty of very experienced monitor keepers on here who will have plenty of advice for you.. Cool

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christophermchale · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:57 pm Post subject:

bathing black throats is a great idea. the only difficult part is finding something big enough to bath the larger ones in. it helps with shedding and keeps them in better condition. plus ive found that they kind of like it as well. they are also one of the monitor species that ive kept that seem to 90% of the time crap in the water. so it makes clean up easy.

as far as feeding them, chicks are great. high in protein and very very very cheap. i fed mine every day, and the size and frequency of defecation will dictate how often to feed them. a 24" blackthroat could easily take 2 chicks a day if they are crapping every day as well and if they are kept warm enough. the cooler they are, the slower their metabolism. feeding them too often can kill them, but you shouldnt have too many problems.

they are great captives and usually quite personable. in fact, in my opinion they are hands down the best captive species to keep if you are looking for something substantial and something to interact with. they calm down nicely and still stay at a manageable size.

it should make for a fun animal to keep.

any other questions, feel free to ask.
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cardboard city.

christophermchale · Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:29 pm Post subject:

oh yeah, an animal the size of the one you have already will eat tons and tons of insects. could easily take down 30 or more adult locusts. so honestly, i wouldnt bother. just stick with mice, rats, chicks, and random treats.
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cardboard city.

Rick_Albig · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:30 am Post subject:

I gave mine a water bowl large enough to soak in and they never used it, they also never crapped in it (they all go in one corner so very easy to clean) they just drink from there bowls. If you have an arid and dry scrub/rocky dwelling monitor soaking it is usually because of low humidity or excessive temperatures. If you provide a deep burrow able substrate and correct temps you shouldn't have a problem.

Albigularis are eating machines! As juveniles they can be fed as much as they will eat everyday, don't worry about them becoming overweight, as long as your husbandry is correct they will thrive and grow at an astonishing rate. Mine will eat 6-10 chicks or 4-8 rats a day. I also throw in 100-150 adult locust a couple of times a week to give them something to chase.

Here are a couple of video of mine feeding. They are around the 4.5' mark and the viv is 12'x8'

Hope this helps!

Rick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQmRm0yQmmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NwkbXod7Xc

christophermchale · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:15 am Post subject:

without a doubt they will eat 150 locusts a few times a week, but for the average person that isnt breeding them it could end up being quite costly.
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cardboard city.

cathendry · I'm new here... Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

hi,

Thanks for your help guys, you've made things a lot clearer!! thanks also for the welcome to the forum, i'll definately be back with more questions! i just wanna make sure my monitor is happy and healthy. Will also try to post some pics once i have him (if i can figure out how!)

Thanks again,

Cat

johne.ev · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:12 pm Post subject:

Hi cat.
If you want to feed insects into the diet, as well as locust try some roaches. blaptica dubia would be an ideal size. they are also easy to keep & breed, although they do take a while to get started. all the monitors i've kept have loved them.

cathendry · I'm new here... Joined: 02 Oct 2006 Posts: 4

hey,

ok cool, i'm a bit squeamish abotu cockroaches for some reason but i guess i'll have to get past it!! Smile

the other idea i had was to get one of those balls with holes in that you can stuff full of dog treats and shove some locusts in there instead. it'd be a slower release of insects to keep them occupied longer and i'd like to see if they'll learn to push it around to make the locusts fall out quicker. doe sthis sound like a dumb idea??

thanks

Smile

johne.ev · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:51 pm Post subject:

GO FOR IT! can't hurt to try. let us know how you get on.