Black Throat Monitor

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

A large monitor with a long memory

Black-throat monitors, typically Varanus albigularis microstictus, are big African lizards. Adults are about 5 to 7 feet. They commonly reach 20 to 25 years, and care is advanced. They are intelligent. Some become calm around a familiar keeper. The cage is still a room, the bite is still a medical event, and the tail is a whip. The minimum enclosure listed is 8 by 4 by 4 feet. A large male needs more than the minimum.

Temperatures run from about 80°F on the cool side to a basking surface that can approach the top of the 80 to 130°F gradient. Humidity of 60 to 70 percent is wetter than a savannah monitor's dry season. Measure it. Whole prey, insects, and a planned feeding schedule are the diet. UVB belongs in the build. So does a lock the lizard cannot solve. These animals test doors.

Experience before the hatchling

A black-throat is not the next step after a leopard gecko. It is a specialist animal with a 20-year span and housing you build before it arrives. Captive-bred babies are the ones to consider. Imported adults are dangerous and often sick. Do not free-roam one for entertainment. Floors are full of toxins, falls, and exits.

Have a vet who will see a large monitor before you need sutures. ARAV is where that search starts.

Black-throat monitor questions

How big do black-throat monitors get?

Size lands around 5 to 7 feet. That is an adult that needs an enclosure of at least 8 by 4 by 4 feet, and more length is better. A baby cage is a temporary crate.

Are they friendly?

They are intelligent and capable of being tamed. Intelligence includes learning that people mean food. Tame does not mean a 6-foot lizard is safe loose in a house.

What do they eat?

Whole prey and insects, in measured meals. Variety and a measured meal beat a constant hopper of fatty food.