?'s on black throat monitor lizards

[justinalbino]

hi im justin and im wondering if they need uva/uvb lighting cause i just read that its hasn't been proven that they need it so im asking here. Also I'm wondering if they would eat roaches??? I'm planning on purchasing one within a week and its about 1 year old. let me know please. i printed out the proexotics black throat care sheet. which is <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://proexotics.com/care_ionides.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://proexotics.com/care_ionides.html</a><!-- m -->
so please let me know if theres any other info I need to know before i make my purchase. and yes i will be building an enclosure so info on making a big enclosure would be appreciated thank you



justin...from california

 

[Harveysherps]

They will eat roaches. They love them but if it has much size to it. roaches are mainly a snack. The Pro exotics care sheet is a good care sheet. As far as enclosure bigger is better when they get large.

 

[Harveysherps]

And Yes the UV lights will help unless you are good at using suppliments.
I like Mercury Vapor Bulbs.

 

[BSM]

due yourself a favor and get some dwarfs they will cost you so much less in the long run and are fun little critters. Another thing if your getting a black throat consider this most/all are WC animals and need alot of work to get set up properly and will cost you thousands in the first year with building cages and feeding. If you can give it at least a 12x6x6 cage go for it but trust me the smaller CBB species of monitors are so much better pets then a black throat monitor. Look on kingsnake right now or other places there are ackies up for sale and a few other dwarfs availble they may cost more money upfront then the blackthroat but they can live in a 6x2x2 cage most of there lives but the bigger the cage the better.
Even if you can provide a 12x4x6 cage you should consider an Argus monitor as they are CBB and are much better pets. One big thing if you think these monitors are going to be for holding etc, just stop there and dont even bother getting one as its not going to be what u wanted
Just some things you should really make sure before you even buy one


just my 2 cents

BRyan

 

[justinalbino]

well im thinking real hard now lol i want one cause i love big lizards but renting a house... ou know how it is you cant really build something like that and keep moving you know but im planning on getting either the black throat, a red x blue tegu (really pretty by the way) or just a arg. black&white tegu. those are my three choices =] do u guys know if theres a special way of taking care of the red x blue tegu since its a hybrid let me know please.. thank you guys for the info on the black throat i appreciate it.

 

[LouDog760]

If I was you I would get an Arg black&white tegu. I think they look better and you can get a nice on from Bobby(Varnyard) But that's just me. I'm not into the hybrid thing.

 

[justinalbino]

if u dont mind me asking why aren't u into the hybrid ones???

 

[LouDog760]

I'm not into the hole crossing thing, I like the way they normally look.

 

[AlpineStar]

I have a blackthroat and yes as previously stated he is expensive to feed and house. so for a first big retile i would say no you will probly end up wanting to sell after a lil bit. I love mine extremely smart and inquisitive always watching me and waiting for food or for me to let him roam alil. but def not a beginner species

 

[shabazz]

blackthroats are real nice but like they said are a lot of work. i also wanted one but with the space they need and me wanting to hold my reptiles all the time the tegu was better for me.

 

[justinalbino]

well moneys not really a prob... but i had 1 question what should the humidity be at if i were to buy me a black throat??? and do they need a bowl for soaking themselves in???? what type of bedding would work best for the black throat ??? let me know please i got all the info i need except those 3 thank you

 

[Harveysherps]

I would keep the humidity around 55 to 65 . When it is shedding bring it up. They like a large bowl. But I would rather put it in the tub 2 or 3 times a week. This also helps keep the loose skin off. With young BT I use news paper cause there bad to impact. But once they get older. I use the pelleted horse bedding. The kind that looks like rabbit pellets . Then when you wet it it grows. The peices are so small they pass right thru the digestive system. Some may not agree with this but it is what I do. As far as a water bowl the bigger the better. They will take a dump in the water most times and the cage stays cleaner. So the water bowl thing is up to you. I would also get a product called Nature's Mist Reptile Spray. It has aloe and minerals and electrolytes to keep them looking good. I hoipe these are the answers your looking for.

 

[justinalbino]

is the nature mist reptile spray in a light brown bottle??? and do u think mulch mixed with the eco earth bedding would be fine??? i think thats all the questions ill think of more later gotta get ready for work... thank you for the help though =] do u have recent pictures on your black throats???? i wanna see =]

 

[justinalbino]

and one more thing can i just feed the black throat out of its enclosure??? like in a big rubber maid tub or have it eat from a bowl out of his enclosure? cause i did that with my tegu before and she got really nice and it reduces the risks of impaction =]

 

[Harveysherps]

I wouldn't use the eco earth myself or the mulch. Tractor supply sells the pellets I'm talking about it even says it's safe for lizards. That's just my thing. Dirt breeds mold and fungus and really stinks when the poop builds up. It's nasty to fool with to me. The other question about feeding. I would use a bowl and make bite size pieces. That way it associates the bowl with eating. You can do the tub thing that's a good idea. Just use a bowl for the food. That way it doesn't associate your hand for food.

 

[justinalbino]

cool thank you so wasup with the pictures lol well thanks for the info i appreciate it. u wouldn't reccomend mulch though??? what would u prefer the te horse pellets??? i got eerything down now but bedding idk which would be the best let me know. thank you again

 

[Harveysherps]

No I don't like to use mulch. The pellets I am talking about can be used moist. They are used to living on the hard dirt. Loose soil and other things can cause impaction.The pelleted Horse Bedding is the only thing. I use with large lizards. I know people who use mulch ans if you feed in another enclosure you can use it. I don't feed in a separate container. So I do things my way. LOL It works for me. If you do things your way you can use it. I just wouldn't do it myself. Nothing wrong as long as you take it out to feed.
What pictures are you talking about . The Avatars?

 

[justinalbino]

not the avatars the pictures of your black throats like more recent pics of them. o yeah last thing do they need uvb lights???

 

[Harveysherps]

In all honesty. The jury is still out on the UV needs. I have kept them without using UV light. I just supplimented the D3.I don't keep any at the moment. But the next ones I keep will not get UV light. I have raise Savanahs without it to adult hood and never had problems. I also keep my big lizards outdoors in the summer time too. But one kept indoors all the time would do better with a UV light. I'll see if I can find some old pics and post them. I'll be happy to explain more about how I suppliment if your interested.

 

[LouDog760]