One breeding season would clear that right up!
In all seriousness, we are taking away their natural system of burning up all that fat, so we need to find a way to replicate the effects of it if we are going "pet only". Spreading out meal time will not be nearly as effective as a nice long fast. If he were breeding, which burns a TON of calories, he would likely be fasting through it. Give him a 3-4 month fast and then go back to monthly for a few months and monitor his weight, see if monthly is appropriate. He should be gaining weight at 6y, just very, very slowly, and when he is already overweight, it's going to take an eternity to level out without a fast. May need to repeat the fast a few times, but I would do several 3-4 month ones over one long one, because this is more natural.
Double check his temps. If a thermostat/thermometer is miscalibrated and he is staying cooler than should be, his metabolism is going to be lower.
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