Nigel
This lizard is heavy bodied with stout legs and a thick powerful tail. Their strong limbs and long sharp claws are used for excavating dens of their own and those of burrowing animals. They also serve as effective weapons and allow this Monitor to climb expertly. The Black-throat Monitor's base color is a light gray or tan with darker stippling, and the tail has thick dark bands. There are large whitish, nearly circular blotches arranged in rows along the back. These blotches are often fused together, particularly near the spine, giving the Black-throat an almost banded appearance. The Black-throat Monitor has a distinct dark gray or blackish streak on each side of the head, extending from the eye to the shoulder. These streaks curve gently inward at the nape, and when viewed from above, form an hourglass-like shape over the head and neck.
The Black Throat Monitor has a fairly large range in southern and eastern Africa, but the very dry deserts within its range are not occupied. The Black-throat Monitor inhabits eastern Tanzania.
Temperature
The cool side of the cage should be between 75° - 80° F, with ambient temperatures 85° to 90° F on the hot end with basking spots that reach 110° to 130° F. Night time temperatures can fall to 70°.
Housing
The best rule of thumb for this is you want at least 2 sq. foot of space for every one foot of adult monitor. That’s inside open cage space. From the top of the enclosure to the top of the substrate. A hatchling /juvenile can easily be housed in a 4’ long x 4’ deep x 4’ tall enclosure but that will not last long with proper care. Adults can and will take at least an 8’ long x 6’ deep x 6’ tall if not larger. You can build or buy a large enclosure.
Bedding
Dirt provides the best substrate. It needs to be deep enough to allow the monitor to construct tunnels and burrows naturally. This provides not only security, but helps with regulating humidity and temperature. Go to places like Home Depot or Lowe’s and pick up non-chemically treated soil, sand, and peat moss. Mix the soil and peat moss (add water if needed) then add the sand slowly together until it clumps in your hand but doesn’t drip. Fill the monitor's cage to a depth of two or three feet. You can also get mulch (cypress) and use that instead of dirt but be sure to have humidity gages so that you can ensure proper humidity. You can buy a mister to spray if the cage with if it’s having a problem holding humidity. By using the mulch the cage will need to be sprayed everyday. You can also spray the top of the soil to ensure it doesn’t get to dry which can strip the cage of humidity and dry out the monitor.
Food
Adult monitors can be fed a staple diet of frozen-thawed mice, rats, and bunny kits every other day. Juvenile monitors can be raised on a diet of insects dusted with vitamin and mineral powder and appropriately sized rodents everyday. I prefer to feed my monitors a mixture of cooked ground turkey and beef heart. Be sure to add a calcium supplement if you follow this diet.
Cleaning and Handling
Clean up feces and urates as soon as you notice them, inspect the cage at least once daily for cleanliness. Replace the water when it becomes soiled or dirty and scrub out the dish. The top substrate can dry out, but make sure it remains moist (not wet) underneath. Add a few buckets of water to the cage as necessary to keep the substrate slightly damp.
