Average adult weight of Northerns

[shimaza1]

George is 5 months old, and he's about 17in and over 500g. He's down to eating two meals (high quality cat and dog food + veggies) a week since he has been slowing himself down. I don't think he is obese, but he seems to be getting huge very quickly. He is my only BTS, and I have no other real point of reference.

Fort those of you who have adult Northerns, can you please post the weight/length of your skink? Also, what does an obese skink look like? I know Northerns are heavy bodied anyway, but should I be looking for fat deposits in certain areas as a warning sign?

I'll also post a pic of him for reference.

[splashy07]

Yours looks perfect. I have not weighed my adults, but their length is from 19-24"

[shimaza1]

Is there such a thing as growing too fast? Like power feeding ball pythons to get them to breeding size more quickly, for example. George gained almost 50g this past week, and he hadn't eaten any more than usual.

[mb606587]

"Power feeding" or excessively feeding has been done in the past in an attempt to get baby skinks to size quicker although it is not something I would ever do or recommend as safe. Baby skinks when fed on the recommended diet WILL grow rapidly, especially in the first 6-8 months. Here is a quote from a very respected breeder of over 2 decades:

With a very young skink, how much you feed it is the biggest factor in how fast it grows. They don't NEED to be fed more than every 3rd day or so even right after they are born. I also don't think it hurts them to be fed every day. I do think it is excessive and can occassionally cause health problems of you "power feed" young BTS in order to make them grow abnormally fast. Powerfeeding would basically be feeding them twice a day or more. Some skinks probably would not eat twice a day, but others would, and could easily reach adult size in less than a year. In order for that to happen the skink would have to average close to 1 1/2" a month in growth. If your skink is growing that fast, it is probably not the healthiest rate.

I try to pace my skinks so that they reach adult size in 2-3 years. I accomplish that by feeding babies every other day for about 3-4 months, then every third day until about 8-9 months, then at that point they get fed once a week. I don't usually record exactly how much they grow monthly, but the skinks I have raised reach adult size soon after they turn 2 years old.

[shimaza1]

Thanks, that's very helpful! My exact fear was that I've been unknowingly power feeding him and causing him longterm harm. I had no idea how quickly my guy would be growing.

Is "adult size" more of a length than a weight, then?

[mb606587]

It should be a combination of both. Ideally the weight will be proportionate to the length. In most cases, the brunt of the growth will be in the first 12 months, with minimal growth occurring during the second year. Completely agree that your skink appears healthy. May end up being on the larger end of the spectrum for Northerns at the mentioned 24", although there have been a few specimens that have reached even greater lengths.