Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male common nile monitor that is a little over four feet long. He now weighs about 12 pounds and appears to be overweight. I am wondering if any of you have a nile monitor around the same length and what the weight of your lizard is.

At that size they start bulking up. They will put on wieght as well as length. 12lbs. for a 4 footer is not that heavy. If you notice he stops growing then you may need to change things with the setup.

Well he is still growing, but nowhere near as quickly as he did when he was younger (he is a little over a year and a half old now). I've owned him since he was a 9 inch long hatchling. He eats less often than he used to. I used to feed him every day, but now its more around every other day or so, depending on how hungry he is. Do you know what the average size and weight of an adult male common nile monitor is? I know the maximum length is nearly 8 feet long, but doubt that most reach that size.

Average would be about what yours is currently at seeing most do not keep them to long or they die off to poor husbandry.

If I were you I wouldn't worry about any niles but yours. It will be what it will be. The enviroment is a big determining factor for monitors size and growth. Yours has hit the stage where it will slow in putting on large numbers for length and instead will begin to grow bulk. If it seems to be stalling out then check your husbandry. Is the basking surface covering enough area for his new size? Can he heat up his entire body or only portions of it at a time? Is the cage size allowing for proper thermoregulation at his new size?

Common niles have the potential to be 7 foot. It may never get there it might. The important thing to worry about is its health. Unless it is not growing or is very small for its age etc. then why worry?