Reptile & Amphibian Forums

After reading about the blackthroat, I'm beginning to think that it would be a better monitor for me than an Argus. I have the room to keep either one. I think both are very attractive monitors, but something is telling me that the blackthroat would be more handleable. Are there any blackthroat owners out there who could help me out. Like how much do you spend on food a month. How big is your cage? Have you ever been bitten? Things like that.

Even though an Argus will be smaller they can be as big a hand full if not more than a BT due to their active personality. Keep doing your research and try to talk personally to other owners. Remember you are of considering the purchase of an animal that with proper care live 15 years. Sorry I do not have direct experience with either but have been considering both for over a year now. Both will eat a lot, full grown they will eat rats the BT will probably eat more. Finally any animal with a mouth can bite, it will hurt and bleed. Good luck.

I personally keep both. I have 4 BT's 2 WT's and 3 arguses. I feed all my monitors frozen thawed, chicks, rats, mice, and ground turkey occasionally. For one monitor at a young age it is probably going to cost around 20 or so dollars a month to feed mice adn crickets from a retail pet store. I buy in bulk so i dont worry about that. I have single cages at 6x4x4, and breeding cages at 10x7, i raised them in 75gallon aquariums, these lasted about 12mos before i had to build custom enclosures. My BT's are not tame, because i dont handle them frequently, but they are non aggressive, and i have yet to be bitten. I have been whipped, and that too hurts more than you think. it seem so far that my arguses and albigs eat about the same for the size difference, i have them all on the same schedule, with the exeption of my adults which only eat 2 times a week. all my other juvies i feed small portions daily, usually 2-3 mice or chicks, and sometimes the turkey diet. I keep my argus flavi's in 200 gallon stock tanks, that are 8ft long and 3ft wide 2.5 ft tall, i keep two in one, and keep one male solo, and rotate to keep them all socialized. Hope this helps
scott
p.s
you can contact me if you have any more quetions, id be happy to help you out any way i can.
also check out www.tarpitreptiles.com Dan turner has some really good info on there and he offers a breeding video that is really neat and shows you everything from caging, diet, heat, etc. really extensive.

On food, bulk crickets, bulk rodents, bulk chicken peeps, and small amounts of retil priced foods in between over $265 in her first year for food alone.
Consider this a full grown BT can be 5-7 plus feet long, and need a cage the size of a room in a house only with deep dirt and some climbing surfaces. Argus dont get near as big and both are bottomless pits to feed, yet argus need a less room, with deep dirt to burrow also.
In that first year I feed every day, afterwards I adjust for each individual, mice, rats, hissers, and other whole animal foods. A schedule is not how you feed them, you gauge the individual animals need or want for food.

I'm probably going to think this over for at least a month and then decide. Is there a better choice for the breeder part?

I have both a male blackthroat and a female Argus. Personality wise, they are different. With young monitors, biting and whipping were common, but as adults with handling that can be worked on. They will not necessarily be tame, but tolerant of you. My Argus does not whip, does not bite, but hisses a little when 1st getting her out of her cage. She can be held in my arms without struggling, but the moment you set her down, she's off exploring, very curious lizard. She is very fun to watch and I let her roam freely often, being sure to close certain doors and block off spaces she can squeeze into. she wont sit in your lap and watch sports with you, but she is fun to interact with and watch.

The blackthroat is different, it is fairly lazy, you'll notice the bigger they get, the calmer. He gets handled a good amount but will still occasionally slip in a tail whip every now and then, but never bites. He will hang out on the couch with me, not because he loves me or nothing, but because he's too lazy, whereas the Argus will dive off the couch and take off exploring.

There's a lot to cover, but that's a breif explaination of those 2, hope it helps somewhat

If out of the cage they dont sit still, they are off exploring and if Im not careful one is destroying thengs (Sobek). Both of mine are active and even sometimes more active than my friends 5ft argus is. The 5ft albig that a good friend offered me if he doesnt recover so well from neck surgery doesnt sit much at all. Temps have a big effect on their energy level.

The food and maintenence is pretty costly, but they are worth it...