# Black Throat Monitor



## P. Novak (Mar 18, 2008)

I'll be getting a baby Black Throat Monitor soon, and I basically have all the care covered. Any tips you more experienced keepers want to let me know?

YES, I know the size these get up too.


----------



## Morax (Mar 18, 2008)

How bout you loose some weight fatty fat fat fat!!!!!! ahahhaa guess whoooo???!?!!?:liar:


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 19, 2008)

Alright so I aquired a 13" little Black Throat Monitor today, and he is great looking! A little fiesty though, oh well, nothing a few months/years of handling and what not won't help. Anyways I'm curious as to what type of substrate I should use. I am currently using newspaper, but do you think it is safe to use anything else? Or should I just wait till he's older.


----------



## LoganVivisected (Mar 19, 2008)

They like to climb and dig, so keep that in mind. Keep the substrait semi-moist (think dirt in souther pineforest) and at least half as deep as the animals body excluding the tail. Some dig more than others but its good to cover your bases. grapeving and large but secure rocks are great for climbing on especially when they are still young, though make sure the enclosour is secure because they are pretty adament about trying to climb out from time to time (they are smart little guys). They are also extremely greedy eaters haha, they'll keep you busy on crickets and love the occasional pinky (never had one eat a frozen though, always live), they run all over darting after them and chasing them and stalking them, its really great to watch. Make sure youve got a good size water area, they'll swim from time to time and enjoy the occasional soak. Just keep it clean cause they also love using it as a bathroom. temp wise mid 70s-80s with a mid to high 90s basking area works well. At that size i wouldnt recomend anything short of a 75 gallon tank though, these guys are extremely active. Hope that helps. Need anything more specific and i'll be glad to help.


----------



## Nivek (Mar 20, 2008)

I'm sure you already know, but if it bites you don't put it back in its enclosure immediately. You don't want it to learn that biting gets it what it wants.;P


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks guys for the tips. Now one more question, can I use the ecoearth "block" substrates as a substrate for a 13" monitor?


----------



## Nivek (Mar 21, 2008)

P. Novak said:


> Thanks guys for the tips. Now one more question, can I use the ecoearth "block" substrates as a substrate for a 13" monitor?



I used it a lot with my smaller monitors, and they loved it. I tong fed, to make sure nothing got ingested, but they burrowed through it a lot and seemed to enjoy it.


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 21, 2008)

Well I don't have to worry about it during feeding, because I feed him outside of the enclosure to prevent cage aggression or anything similar. I was just worried because if he did injest some would it cause impaction?


----------



## Nivek (Mar 21, 2008)

P. Novak said:


> Well I don't have to worry about it during feeding, because I feed him outside of the enclosure to prevent cage aggression or anything similar. I was just worried because if he did injest some would it cause impaction?



I don't think it would be likely, as long as it ingested very small amounts. It would probably be fine unless it straight up gorged on the dirt. I'm just paranoid, so I always tong fed.


----------



## LoganVivisected (Mar 21, 2008)

Thats all I've used for the few I've kept and thats usually what the people I know use, haven't had any problems with it that I am aware of.


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks guys, I may put some in tomorrow. I just really hope nothing negative happens if I do. Also I have a wooden enclosure, what would you reccomend as a water proof product to stop the wood from being destroyed by the humidity.


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 21, 2008)

Here's some pictures of Sirius Black, Sirius for short.


----------



## monitormonster (Mar 21, 2008)

What a handsome little feller! I always wanted a black throat, but they get a little too big for the cage that I have.

Yeah, I agree you have to be careful with the substrate. I fed my monitor outside of his cage and he still got an impactation. I would recommend getting some kind of non toxic stuff that is more dirt or sand-like.

Good luck! He looks very healthy


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 21, 2008)

Thanks, he can be pretty fiesty at times though. He's tamed down a lot since I've got him though. I think I'm just gonna stay with newspaper until he gets  a bit older. What do you think? Also, he's only 13" from snout to tip of tail how old do you think he/she is?


----------



## kupo969 (Mar 22, 2008)

I'm sure you know this already, but coco fiber is 100% natural and if it were to eat some it would most likely digest it then poop it out!


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 22, 2008)

kupo969 said:


> I'm sure you know this already, but coco fiber is 100% natural and if it were to eat some it would most likely digest it then poop it out!


Yea I was aware of that, but I still read and heard stories of peoples reptiles getting impaction from it :wall:


----------



## sweetmisery (Mar 22, 2008)

Looks great!!! I used to have a pair of water monitor(native here), but became too big and a hassle, so I had my office mate whos into animals adopt them.


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 22, 2008)

I think I already know the answer, but would it be ok to use cypress mulch as a substrate for the little guy?


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 22, 2008)

Alright actually can you use Aspen Bedding or Cypress Mulch as bedding for the little guy?


----------



## Nivek (Mar 22, 2008)

P. Novak said:


> Alright actually can you use Aspen Bedding or Cypress Mulch as bedding for the little guy?



I've used cypress before, but I'm weary of it as they tend to freak out and sprint/burrow and cypress can be sharp...Stay away from aspen though, way to easy to ingest in my opinion.


----------



## ZooRex (Mar 23, 2008)

I use cypress for most of my herps and its what I'd recommend. If you haven't already checkout www.proexotics.com they will answer any questions you have about your new varanid ~ Rex


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 23, 2008)

Awesome! That link helped alot. Does anyone know of any place to get some good Cypress Mulch?


----------



## Nivek (Mar 23, 2008)

You can pick it up at a Lowes or any garden center. Especially with spring here. Make sure no fertilizers, blah blah blah. Some people bake it, to kill any critters.


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 23, 2008)

Sweet, thanks. I'm going to do a 50/50 mix between cypress mulch and the ecoearth stuff.


----------



## Meaningless End (Mar 27, 2008)

i would stay away from coco fiber simply for the cost.  one of the best substraites  is 50% top soil 25% play sand and 25% vermiculite. it makes a very burrowable substraite that is the most benifitial to the monitor and you can get it for litteraly dirt cheep from home depot.. also if you cover the top with leaf litter theyll love you for it.

you realy dont need to worry aout impations with monitors as long as your husbantry is correct.  the propper basking temps mixed with good hummidity and hydration will turn your monitor into a eating mashine no problom... ill throw up a few cage pics latter once i have some more time.


----------



## rafiqos (Mar 27, 2008)

Sweet looking albigularis you got there! 

Have you tried a mix of dirt and substrate? Here in Malaysia, dirt is preferred by monitor keepers over other substrates for monitors that like to dig. And if you're worried about impaction, consider this..these monitors hunt and forage in the wild by digging up burrows and tearing apart dried-rotten wood barks, looking for their meal. They should do pretty well in a nicely set enclosure. Or feeding can be done out of the cage.  Providing a bark for the sweet thing to climb on and move about would also be good. Both dirt and bark will also help naturally _trim the nails a little_. LOL!


----------



## dtknow (Mar 27, 2008)

On Wiki it says these guys get to 4 feet as males. Just checking but that is SL right?


----------



## P. Novak (Mar 29, 2008)

I have a infrared bulb right now for my black throat monitor, but I was thinking about getting one of these(http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php) for my black throat monitor since I should be getting one for my tegu soon. 

Would a 100 watt be good for a 32"x16"x16" enclosure? Or do I need more?

Also, since I'm using wooden enclosures, what would be a good product to make the cages water proof?


----------



## MizM (Dec 2, 2009)

So how is your monitor? My 3' girl bit a neighbor a few months ago and he told me his muscles started aching, he broke out in a cold sweat and he had trouble swallowing. I brushed it off as a panic attack. Well, she nailed me tonight, and within 1/2 hour, I started feeling nauseous, dizzy, and broke out in a cold sweat!! I am now laying on my bed trying not to move because every muscle in my body hurts. Even taking a breath hurts my chest muscles. I did a little research and found that they DO possess venom, but can't find any more info about the effects or type of venom. If I felt better, I would look further, but it hurts to type!!!

Anyone know anything valuable about black throat venom?


----------



## Big Red TJ (Dec 2, 2009)

Hope you are ok Terri???  I took a bad bite from a water montior several years back and I had a bad infection had to be put on strong medicine.. hope you feel better


----------



## MizM (Dec 3, 2009)

The wound itself is practically invisible. She accidentally got ahold of a knuckle and just held on. No chewing or anything. Feeling much better this morning, muscles just a bit sore. The venom seems to be short acting and pretty mild. Mostly affected all my muscles, even hurt to take a breath. Whew, glad that's over!


----------



## ErinKelley (Dec 6, 2009)

MizM, Im glad I'm not the only one!  I am sorry you had to go through some pain though!!  Everyone thought I was nuts I think, I got bit by a small savanah(like 2.5ft) when I worked in this local pet store and totally got flushed and achey after I removed her from my hand haha.  The effects only lasted for about 10-15 minutes and then I was fine..  I've told people and they were like, "hmm, that's wierd.."  I figured it was just some nasty saliva with crazy bacteria or something.

Glad to hear you feel better


----------



## MizM (Dec 6, 2009)

Yeah, I kinda laughed at my neighbor, thought he was blowing it out of proportion. So far, in my extensive search on the subject, this is what I've found, interesting reading:

http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/Ecol437/FryEA2005_Nature_VenomEvolution.pdf


----------



## Avicularia Man (Dec 29, 2009)

I use to have a Savannah that was about 20" bite me and held on. It had me bleeding good. But I didn't have any weird effects from it's bite. I ran cold water over it's head and my finger to get it to let go. Maybe the water washed it away before it could do anything. I miss that Lizard. Was so docile. When it bite me, it was my fault.


----------



## LeilaNami (Dec 29, 2009)

Don't forget you can also feed them ground turkey mixed with egg.   Just heat it up until warm.  Also here is a guy that seems to know his stuff on black throats.  Watch some vids of his.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NznlSZfRWMQ


----------



## Jmugleston (Dec 31, 2009)

MizM said:


> The wound itself is practically invisible. She accidentally got ahold of a knuckle and just held on. No chewing or anything. Feeling much better this morning, muscles just a bit sore. The venom seems to be short acting and pretty mild. Mostly affected all my muscles, even hurt to take a breath. Whew, glad that's over!


Don't be so quick to jump on the venom bandwagon. The same earlier studies that mention the venom in monitors also mentioned venom in bearded dragons. So far the venom in monitors has been loosely tied with excessive bleeding. Not much more. Many of us who have been keeping them for years have experienced bites. I've been to the ER twice about a decade ago from 2 stupid mistakes I made with my adult croc monitors. Venom was the least of our worries. It seems the Odatria monitors cause quite a bit of bleeding considering their size, but with V. albigularis you should worry more about the mechanical damage. The teeth will do much more than any venom. With bites you have to take other things into account. Was there bacteria present in the animals mouth (this one is a definite yes for most if not all varanids). Was there something on the person's skin that could have caused the reaction? Possibly you and your neighbor have similar allergies and you both had a reaction that is very unusual for a monitor bite. I doubt that though. Probability too low. With a bite expect damage to the immediate area and soreness. Just like if you slammed it with a hammer.

My concern if people will read things like this bite report and it will help to spur a movement against the not so common "venemous" animals. With HSUS trying to ban as many pet herps as possible. This can be hazardous to our community. Don't look too much into varanid venom. If you want copies of the papers that discuss their venom, let me know and I'll see if I can find the .pdf. Good luck with your albig. They are a favorite of mine. Beautiful monitors if housed and cared for properly.


----------

