Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How quickly do Black Throats grow, is there size diff between the males and females, post any pics if you could!!

ordered a Male BT from ProExotics in July of 03' and it was born in November of 02' when I got him he was around 3', 9lbs... he is now 5-5½' and around 27lbs. I recently bought another BT from a private owner in California. Tomorrow I will have had it for 2months, when I got him he was 7-9". Measured him last night and he is 26". So mine are growing EXTREMELY fast. Their diets are just roaches, crickets, mice/rats/chickens... with the occasional egg. Works great for me, and just finsihed my BTs 12x4x8 cage

Mine was born in December of '02, got him when he was 5 months old and about 2'. He is now 16 months old and just over 4 feet. Haven't seen much growth in 2 months, but it might just be a slowdown.. Hopefully he can put on some more size....

An albig is an impressive animal. I obtained my female BT/WT cross from Proexotics as a Rob Faust cross at 2 months old and 16 inches total. At 1 year old she was 5ft long at 2 years old she was 6ft long shes now 6ft 1 inch at 2 years 4 months old (25-26lbs exactly, weighed by digital scale). My male BT/WT cross was over 2 years old and was bought straight from Faust himself at 2 ft long and 2 lbs. Now after a year and a month or so hes 4ft long 9lbs at 3 years and a 4.5 months old. They vary as do their personalities from individual to individual, my male is slow because he was the result of bad incubation (physically deformed backbone, lack of thumbs, and mental retardation), hes also a challenge to get to do normal things as well to eat frozen thawed food, he reacts funny, yet live he kills quick and swallows quick.
Ive had BTs that were wild caught and were 2-3 ft when I got them but within a few months were 4.5 +ft long.
Sobek is an example of a fast growing albig that is just a sweetheart and accepts people as her own kind, she doesnt play nice with other monitors, shes very very dominant, and strong.
I hear weights given for albigs at 5-5.5ft at 25-50+ LBS but thats always a serious exageration, a big overestimate, or an obese animal. When Sobek was full of 44 eggs (5lbs worth) she was 21.5lbs, after removal she was 16.5lbs at 5.5 ft (but a bit underweight). Here she is in her normal size and shape.
They are capable of reproducing at under 8 months old, Shadow is Sobeks uncle, do the math hes 1 year and 14 days older than her, she incubated for about 6 months, so thats 6-7 months old for her mothers first clutch, at a much smaller size. This pic was taken at 2 years old in December.

hi,
Typically the females grow faster than the males first 2 years, and then slow down; a friend of mine has a 5'4" 2 year old female cb.

Males grow larger, but not always as fast as the females, but may reach lengths averaging 4.5 - 6.0 feet or so; older reports of say 100 years ago denote albigularis/albogularis (white/black throats types) reaching 8 feet or more - they are certainly capable of it and have no reason to doubt it.

A few years back a 7'11" 3/4 total length FEMALE V. niloticus was killed near a school yard in Pretoria, RSA - and again, the older reports 100 years ago of 9' nile monitors - obviously natural selection and man did not place as much pressure on these animals, aka poaching, bushmeat, skin-trade as they do today...too bad. I would like to see a pet shop employee try to wrestle with a wild-caught 7' albigularis or 9' niloticus.... what a show that would be!
cheers,
mbayless

My trio of Faust crosses were born in Fall 01 when the first female laid eggs at 2 yrs, the females were almost 5' and the male a little over 6'.
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