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Hey guys I am planning on picking up a monitor either a black throat or a water monitor and I have read about both.

It was easier to find more info on the black throat therefore I know more about it.

Im going to tell you about my future plans for the monitor and please help me out and tell me if a water monitor is for me.

I am dedicated and AI will give the monitor a lot of time and clean/feed daily.

I plan to start the baby in a 40breeder tank and go from there. The largest cage size I can fit in my house is 12ft x 4ft x 4ft.

I will provide the lizards w/ UVB, appropriate temperatures, basking spots, hide spots, etc.

For feeding I plan to order 1,000-1,500 crickets every month or so until the monitor is about 5-6 months old and will start swithcing over to rodents. Then I will order about 200 rodents every 3 months or so (sooner if needed).

I like water monitors better based on their appearance and personality but I dont know if my setup can handle one. 12x4x4 cage...

In my opinion the water will not eat a lot more than a black throat since the black throat is also a very large reptile and is capable of 6ft.

I plan on ordering from proexotics and will also get a temp gun and some digital therm's w/ probes.

>>Hey guys I am planning on picking up a monitor either a black throat or a water monitor and I have read about both.

Glad you did some reasearch first.

>>It was easier to find more info on the black throat therefore I know more about it.

There is plenty of info. around on salvator as well. Did you try cybersalvator?

>>Im going to tell you about my future plans for the monitor and please help me out and tell me if a water monitor is for me.

Ok, but the choice is really yours to make. I'll give my opinion though.

>>I am dedicated and AI will give the monitor a lot of time and clean/feed daily.

Thats a good start. Just be ready to be a personal slave/waiter to your monitor.

>>I plan to start the baby in a 40breeder tank and go from there. The largest cage size I can fit in my house is 12ft x 4ft x 4ft.

You'll have to get a baby salvator in order to fit it in a 40 gal.. I would personaly start it off in something bigger. uit will outgrow that in no time at all.

If you can do that cage 12x4x4 now and do something bigger later if needed then go for it. The only real problem is the 4ft depth. Most salvators I see are around 6-7 foot.

If that is the absolute largest cage you can do I would probly not go with a salvator. My reasoning for that would be what if say it ended up growing to be 8-10 foot long. It now would be an ackie in a shoe box. Realisticly that may not happen but it could happen. My thoughts are if you have to put restrictions on them before you get them then don't get one.

>>I will provide the lizards w/ UVB, appropriate temperatures, basking spots, hide spots, etc.

UV is not needed for monitors. A good ambient temp. gradient(70's-80's) however is along with basking surface temps.(130-150). Humidity(60-80) along with hide areas (cork bark, plywood) substrate (leaf litter, soil, soil mix, etc.).

>>For feeding I plan to order 1,000-1,500 crickets every month or so until the monitor is about 5-6 months old and will start swithcing over to rodents. Then I will order about 200 rodents every 3 months or so (sooner if needed).

Small rodents will also be taken and should be included in the diet. Pinkies, fuzzies and the like. Your monitor will most likely not be a hatchling. You'll need alot more then 200 rodents every 3 months once they are larger. Remember a diet of whole foods should make the base. After that you can add in other things. But stay away from canned or processed foods (dog food, meat slices, etc.) They are only good if you run out of everything else.

>>I like water monitors better based on their appearance and personality but I dont know if my setup can handle one. 12x4x4 cage...

No mattter what you get make sure you like it. if you do not like it then you'll find it hard to motivate yourself to care for it. I have had both and Blackthroats were easier to provide for. I did not see much difference in tempermant. I have had some Bt that were very gentle and some salvators the same way. I have also had them the other way where they wanted nothing to do with me.

>>In my opinion the water will not eat a lot more than a black throat since the black throat is also a very large reptile and is capable of 6ft.

Blackthroats actually do eat less then salvators in my experience. Blackthroats tend to slow down as they get older and larger. With salvators it is the keeper trying to slow them down on eating so they dont get obese.

>>I plan on ordering from proexotics and will also get a temp gun and some digital therm's w/ probes.

They import some nice little salvators. I do believe theres are not hatchlings though so may very well be already to large for your 40 gal. tank. The blackthroats they have will probly fit in it for awhile longer, unless they don't get any babies in.

Thanks for the quick response.

I think I will order around 300 rodents at a time and keep on doing it every 2months or so.

The monitors at proexotics are 6-8" in body length. I am guessing probably 13-15" w/ tail. Robyn said a 40breeder should suit for about 2-3 months but who knows.

Bt will live in the 40 breeder longer?

Forgot to add..

When I was talking to Robyn of Pro Exotics he told me the bt and waters have similar growth rates and both can be 3-4ft at end of 1st yr so both species wont make much use out of the 3ft 40breeder tank.

Waters and bt's are both large reptiles and have similar space needs so I am 98% getting a water since they have better personalities and are better looking IMO.

>>When I was talking to Robyn of Pro Exotics he told me the bt and waters have similar growth rates and both can be 3-4ft at end of 1st yr so both species wont make much use out of the 3ft 40breeder tank.

This is true niether will be able to stay in it for long. I still think the Bt would be in it longer. I usually get a 3-4ft yearly growth out of female salvators and a 4-5ft growth out of males. After that they slow greatly and begin to bulk up.

Most of my blackthroats have only been 2-3 foot in a year. Then slowing down to bulk up.

>>Waters and bt's are both large reptiles and have similar space needs so I am 98% getting a water since they have better personalities and are better looking IMO.

Keep in mind if you go by the 6 foot size for a BT which is the max length, you then must do the same with a salvator which is upto 10 ft record length. Blackthroats are more comparable in size to niles then salvator.

Also do not get your expectations to high for a monitor you have not yet gotten. "better personalities" Not sure what you mean by that but be aware not all salvators are friendly. Same goes for blackthroats.

Good luck with which ever you decide.

>>Thanks for the quick response.

Your welcome

>>I think I will order around 300 rodents at a time and keep on doing it every 2months or so.

When young monitors will eat daily to every other day sometimes my babies eat twice a day. So that should last you a little while with only 1 lizard to worry about.

>>The monitors at proexotics are 6-8" in body length. I am guessing probably 13-15" w/ tail. Robyn said a 40breeder should suit for about 2-3 months but who knows.

That all depends on you, you could keep them in it longer. I myself would use it for a hatchling until it outgrows it. By time it was 16" or more I would switch it to something bigger.
When I think of cage size I think of it as square footage floor space (length and width). Length twice the length of the monitor and width as long as the monitor is wide or 1 and 1/2 times.

>>Bt will live in the 40 breeder longer?
Yes I said that because in my experience they grow slower. It is also easier to find a smaller baby blackthroat then it is a salvator. So I figured ProExotics would have smaller blackthroats then waters but maybe not.

Wow now you made me think twice

JP how big are the salvators that you have and how old are they? If it grows to 8ft that is pretty damn big, might be a problem for me. Taking another look at the BT right now. I like both lizards but in my opinion the water is beautiful and the bt is just average looking. I like them both and since they can be similar temperment and sometimes space/feeding needs (well not that similar but still I doubt it would take an extra $200 to feed a water over a BT but Im no expert) so the only way to really decide is by looks. However if the water will grow over 7ft I do not think I canprovide bigger housing. Regardless out of size I will be interacting with it daily and taking it out in the backyard, working with it, and soaking it weekly.

I only mentioned it to be sure you are thinking everything over. I do this for the monitors sake. Too often I have people say they thought it would be tame or gentle or they thought it wouldn't get this big. I also want to be sure not to tell you what to get, that is upto you to do.

I just wanted to mention the possable size of them getting over 7 foot to compare with the size range you had for a BT. If you go with one extreme for one then you must with the other as well.
Remember they grow throughout their lives, they also go through spurts of slow growth and rapid growth.

My largest two salvators are 10 years of age, male is 7 foot and growing female is 6 foot and growing. As they grow I will place them in bigger cages. No matter how big that may be. If I was not willing to accomidate them or meet their needs as it changes I would never of gotten them.

I would weigh the pros and cons with both as you are, see which I can accomidate the needs of, then think of which I enjoy better. I would base my decision on appearence and interest over tempermant. As tempermant can go either way with either monitors.

I think you've done the homework and talked enough to go about it intelligently. I give you props for taking the time to think this over before rushing in.

Good luck with which ever you choose. Please update with which ever one you decide on.

I got my blackthroat in April and it was 11-12 inches at the time. Now it is 49 inches. 3 feet in 5 months. Ive seen blackthroats grow 5ft in there 1st year. If your blackthroat is growing 2-3 feet in the first year then there are some serious problems. (unless its a runt or something)