Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Im looking into buying a black throat monitor, but before i take the plunge i want to be ready. I know full grown it will take a large enclosure i belive 10ftx6ftx5ft. i was wondering if i could see some set ups for these types of monitors and maybe some ideas on how to build them i have kept monitors in the past when i was younger and not ready to take on the responsibility so i sold them.. Any information on the BT would be great... or another good type of monitor... no niles thow to mean for my taste had one in the past and not looking to get one..I want to get a monitor that is handable.
thanks in advance for the help!

First start with a smaler cage, 2x2x6 is more then enough for one monitor, especialy if it is well desingned. in a few years if you still have this animal and feel it needs more room, then by all means expend.

second thers no way to be sure your BT will be tamer then a nil, maybe yes maybe no!
many hear will desagre, but I stand with my experience, every nils iv ever kept became nice after some time, I cant say this about waters or BT witch in many cases become dominent with age.

in my book nils will always be the safest of the large monitors as they are easy to read, you need to be really stupid to desrespect an adult, he will warn you plenty befor bitting, you dont always get such warnings with waters, crocs and some BT.

ps. BT have crazy feeding responce, the cause for many accidents.

so your saying get a nile over a bt? Thats a first honestly no one has suggested a nile to me at all... isnt housing a nile fool grown harder than a bt? and i heard bt are similar to savs in temperament

NO I am not saying to get a nil.

I feel you should get whatever monitor you really like, pepoles take better care of animals they like.

also its a misconception to think a BT will automaticly be a lap dog, the truth is most will have a change of temper once the sex hormones kicks inn. pepoles saying they are safer then nils are wrong, sure as juvenils to semiadult but once full grown ( 99% of keepers wont keep them till adulthood)at this stage well kept male have mood swings and crazy feeding responce, ornatus and eastern niloticus at this stage are much more predictable and therfor safer.

albigularis and niloticus are 2 very diferent monitors, at any size albis can swalow twice the size that niloticus can, they can eat much more in a single feeding, nils are much more sedentary and easyer to comtempt, food is plentyfull arond water so they dont exibit such crazy feeding frenzy as albigularis, and why thers less chance for an accident when keeping them.

both get big and there care and needs are similar, however I prefer changing water then substrata, its a matter of tast.

Nil's are no1 in my book