life expectancy of bps

i am in the process of getting my first snake. I'm looking for about 3-5 ft, with not a ton of activity when i handle it. i love everything I have read about bps except the 40 yr life expectancy. Is that really what you can expect? I have been reading the many posts on this site and other and hear people telling about having multiple bps and other snakes. Are they expecting to have these snakes for 40 years? i'm 37 and am just guessing that when i'm 77 I will not have the ability to care for a snake and my old self. Is the 40 yrs just a maximum and the real lifespan closer to 25? Does anyone have a 30 to 40 year old bp? Or do most people just end up selling them or giving them away? I won't take on a pet that I know I will have to give up. I really would like a bp but if that 40 yrs is true then i will have to pass. Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

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Originally Posted by clemson8791

i am in the process of getting my first snake. I'm looking for about 3-5 ft, with not a ton of activity when i handle it. i love everything I have read about bps except the 40 yr life expectancy. Is that really what you can expect? I have been reading the many posts on this site and other and hear people telling about having multiple bps and other snakes. Are they expecting to have these snakes for 40 years? i'm 37 and am just guessing that when i'm 77 I will not have the ability to care for a snake and my old self. Is the 40 yrs just a maximum and the real lifespan closer to 25? Does anyone have a 30 to 40 year old bp? Or do most people just end up selling them or giving them away? I won't take on a pet that I know I will have to give up. I really would like a bp but if that 40 yrs is true then i will have to pass. Any help or thoughts would be appreciated.

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Anything over the 30 year mark is pretty rare I think. Most people don't have their snakes for that long anyway so no telling. Wasn't the record something like 37 years old??

the average is between 20 and 30 years . some do live much longer though . the record is some where in the mid 40's i believe . it was a specimen at a zoo somewhere .

there are alot of people that get a snake (of any kind) and after a few years or even less get bored with it and get rid of it . there are also alot of people who keep there snakes for the life of the animal .

ball pythons in my opinion are great animals to keep as nondomastic pets . if someone is willing to take proper care of them they thrive in captivity . most of them are extremely docile and adjust to being handled readily . thats just my 2 cents though .

47 years old when it died in the zoo, and add a year or two as it was a yearling when it was in the zoo initially.

thanks heather . i knew it was some where in the 40's .

I am 47 yo, and I just got a baby BP. Before I got the snake, I made sure that one of my children would take care of the snake, if, God-Forbid, I was unable to.


Although, as previously stated, I think that the average OLD age is around 30 yrs old.

most BP's live to about 25

Most 77-year-olds that I know can easily take care of a BP. They are not exactly labor-intensive. Their placid nature and the length of time you would have it, means that you could grow old together and be happy.
Wolfy(who has her snakes designated in her will... just in case)

Not to mention how much excitement it would create in a nursing home! Sorry, but if I end up in one, my snakes are coming with me...just the kind of guy I am. Also, Clemson, I hit you with a reply over at the other site.
Good that you are doing your homework though. If more people did, snakes wouldn't have nearly the undeserved reputation that they have had. We also wouldn't have a thriving population of Burmese Pythons here in the Everglades that are now the top predator, as they have been seen feeding on alligators! :salute: