Older ball pythons. General question

Hi all, just posting a general question about older ball pythons. I got my first ball python in 1994 and he's still alive and well. I'm guessing he was about 6 months old when I got him, so he's about 25 years old. I'm also guessing he's a he lol I'm not a breeder so never worried too much on that.

With some minor exceptions he's been a good eater and healthy. He's been on medium rats for the last 15 years or so, fed every 7 to 10 days...just on average. The last 6 months he's been going off food a bit. Recently a 7 week fast, but he's eating again. I switched him back to small rats, every 7 days. Just seems easier for him to handle. He's 2575 grams as of last night. And still slowly growing and gaining.

Anyway...my question. Basically just wondering if there's any special considerations with caring for older snakes. Or what I should expect with his health as he ages. I never really thought about geriatric snakes lol and now that I have one that's getting up there in years I think about it more. Any info or experience is appreciated.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9f8a356eac.jpg

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In my experience, snakes tend to age well, and the few that I had for as long as their natural lifespan allowed were pretty much the same untill the day they passed on.

The first snake I ever kept long term was an eastern milk snake named squeezed who I caught at about 2ft, so probably a few years old. I had that snake for 19 years before he/she passed away, and there were no warning signs, just found him curled in his hide one day, gone and moved on.

Second snake was an Amazon tree boa named Cyclops, because she had one eye... wild caught for sure. This snake came to me as a found adult, and was an angry, hungry beast from hell up untill I found her on the floor of her tank after 22 years of eating all my mice. She was fine one day, gone the next.

So in my experience so far, I've never had a snake weaken and die, they seem to age gracefully and then pass suddenly.

I've lost two from old age, and I've found that if they're in good health with no issues then they pass peacefully. Being he's older, I would probably keep him on small rats once a week.

Sounds to me like you are doing everything right and should be the one offering the advice.

We are often told that BP life expectancy is 20-30 years. Please let us know how s/he is over time. I hope s/he has many more years to come.

i love seeing posts of older snakes, and what a lovely, big boy you've got! he's only a few years younger than i am!!!

25 years should be enough proof you're doing just fine, though i agree on keeping him on small rats. i don't have much advice to offer as i've only been in the hobby for three years, but i just wanted to comment on how cool it is to see an old snake hahaha.

i hope you two have many more happy years together. please share more pics if you have them! [emoji3]

When I got him I just never really considered I'd have him in my 50s (I'll be 50 next month) lol I've got a yearling ball python and a young carpet too. I've already willed them to a good, younger friend just in case ;) I have plans for a couple more too.

Thanks for the replies. I figured I'd just continue what I'm doing now. The only things I've noticed is he's a little more fussy about feeding these days, and sheds seem to take more out of him.

Thanks for the input.

Most of my snakes have lived long lives too...like all living creatures, it's a matter of good genes, good care & good luck. I read somewhere that the oldest snake on record (at the time) was a ball python that lived to the age of 47 years in a zoo (I don't recall which zoo), so yours might even exceed 30 years, who knows? :D

The only thing I would suggest is to feed smaller & less often: the slightly-diminished appetite you're seeing is quite normal. While snakes continue to grow their whole life, that growth also slows down the older they get...you can verify that yourself, by keeping track of how often he sheds. Your ball python looks very healthy & likely has many more years ahead. The feeding schedule he's on seems more frequent than what I'd do, and if you gradually lengthen the time between meals (& downsize the rodents a bit) you may find it better matches his needs. (I feed most adult snakes about every 2 weeks, and some more like 3 weeks, depending on individual needs. BTW, I keep various kinds of snakes, no ball pythons at this time, but I've had them in the past.)

About shedding: I'd recommend not feeding an older* snake (*especially, or one with any health issues) when you can tell they're nearing a shed cycle. They don't "multi-task" as well...both shedding and digestion requires extra water from their body to complete the process, and you may find that a snake has trouble shedding (gets stuck in, or sheds in a zillion pieces) if they've tried to digest at the same time...because both processes cause them to be dehydrated.

Pretty sure it was the Philadelphia Zoo, but not positive

Good topic! Nice healthy-looking old serpent.

That is so awesome :)

That is certainly a very respectable age ! I think the oldest on record was kept for 47 years. And it was caught as an adult, so it may have been older by a few years then that. I also think it is very smart of you to think of where they will end up when you can't keep them anymore.

I see people getting animals that may very well outlive them, and they don't give a second thought about where they will end up ..

Thanks for the responses.

I think at this point I'll definitely keep him on small rats. He's always been good with mediums, but the last 6 months he has turned his nose up to more than a few. The smalls go down easy for him. I may move him to a twice a month feed too (instead of every 7 days). He doesn't poop nearly as often these days, so stretching out his meals will give his digestion a break. I do monitor his weight monthly. He's just off of a 7 week fast, and still growing and gaining a little weight, so... A diet won't hurt for sure :)

Thanks for the tips and compliments. He's an awesome snake, docile, easy going...a wonderful pet. Looking forward to caring for him for years to come :)

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Originally Posted by zina10

I see people getting animals that may very well outlive them, and they don't give a second thought about where they will end up ..

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I totally agree. In my twenties when I got this snake I really didn't consider it myself, but over the last 10 years I realized I wanted more snakes and with their longevity you really have to think long term. I now have another ball python (yearling) and a young jungle carpet python. I know there's a possibility that they can outlive me at this point, or that in my 70s (20 + years from now) I just might not be able to provide the care they need.

I think everyone that owns snakes, turtles, parrots, etc... Needs to have a plan for when they can no longer care for their animals. I hate to imagine my pets going to a shelter, or winding up going on Craigslist or something. A good home for my pets, should they need it is very important to me.

Lucky for me I have a great friend that loves snakes...that's younger than me lol Although, he's always hoping my jungle carpet bites me lol so I'm tempted to get something like a cribo or some other hyper aggressive snake just to punish him haha just kidding.

Wonderful job caring for that beeper! It's so nice to hear!

The few snakes I've had that were quite elderly did show some general signs of 'old age' and eventually I had them euthanized as the quality of life just wasn't there any longer. My old corn started getting RIs constantly. Vet just said his immune system was failing due to age. My old boa, she went blind for a few years and then eventually started going off feed and getting lethargic. Once she started to seriously drop weight the vet put her down as I didn't want her to suffer. Others are like what people had said, they are fine one day and dead the next. That's my limited experience at least.

I wish you and yours many continued happy years, well done!