Ball Python Aging Signs

[Jolty]

I haven't really been able to find much information about this, but I am trying to figure out how old my friend's rescue ball python might be. He's had her for about five years now, and she was a rescue. He thinks she's elderly, but he's not sure because there was no information about her previous home.

Basically, the signs that make him think she might be older are:
- Really squishy sides. She's not obese or dehydrated, her skin is just very loose. It kind of reminds me of the way a human's skin loses elasticity as they age. However, she also has severe scarring from being burned all up her belly, so maybe the squishy, loose skin is from that.
- Can't climb very well. She can get around just fine on level surfaces and she periscopes quite a bit.
- Extremely good eater who readily accepts rats, mice, ASFs and quail with no issues. Despite eating 99% of her meals, she's still rather slender-looking.
- She doesn't feel muscular like other snakes. She just feels kind of like a long sandbag.
- Extremely docile, seems to tire easily, although it could just be her relaxed personality.

Are these signs of an advanced age? What other signs are there?

[Bogertophis]

There's unfortunately no way to be sure of a snake's age, unless you've had them since they were born or hatched.

With a snake that has burn scars, that suggests very poor care in her previous years, so it's also likely she was underfed for a while, which can be another reason for "squishy sides" (poor muscle tone), but it's also possibly due to advanced age.

Inability to gain weight- (with or without poor body tone)- might be due to internal parasites (aka worms!) so it would be a good idea to have a qualified vet check a fresh stool sample from her.

Her personality- "docile, easily tired" also fits with malnourishment (as when parasites are sharing meals) but could also be advanced age. Personally, I'd want to rule out health issues before assuming her age is responsible. "Easily tired" also fits with a snake that was kept in tiny quarters & rarely if ever handled or given room to move around- BPs are fairly inactive to begin with.

With good care, good genes & good luck, most snakes can live a long time, but her previous care (& luck) wasn't so good- she deserves the very best care now & it just might make a huge difference. I've taken in mature snakes before that had chronic malnutrition (with terrible muscle tone), & with my "TLC" they became their "best version of themselves" & lived long lives, though the muscle tone didn't improve much.

One of the main signs of advanced age (but is also related to nutrition) is how frequent a snake sheds their skin. I've had elderly snakes that shed once a year to once per year & a half- that's a LONG time between sheds, indicating very minimal growth. Snakes grow their whole lives, but that growth slows way down with advanced age.

[Armiyana]

My oldest is 22. He's doesn't have any sort of cloudiness or cataracts some older snakes can get, but he is a bit on that leaner side with a bit of 'sag' on his lower belly scales.
He's definitely still fairly active when let out and will try to climb around or find a cozy place to hunker down in.

One of my other boys is a rescue that had some severe burns and scar tissue is definitely keeping him handicapped. He prefers to stay mostly immobile when moved out of his habitat, but he will still 'limp' around his habitat at times when he's feeling up to it. Definitely not a climber.

I agree with Bogertophis that it could be a combination of factors and not just 'age'. Most people when they seem my oldest boy think he's just a lanky female. The only other sign he has that might betray his age is just the spacing between his scales may be a bit more noticeable at times?

[Bogertophis]

I also notice that along with less frequent sheds is a diminished appetite- that's very common & makes sense, since their metabolism has slowed down.

I had a Baird's rat snake that lived to 26, but in his last years he needed a lot of my help to eat- apparently he had a stroke. Externally he looked good- but his movement was impaired.

I'm glad Armiyana mentioned cataracts- sometimes I've seen that in my oldest snakes.

My current oldest snake is 22 (a corn snake), & not far behind him is my rosy boa (19) & my TX longnose (20) years. Both the corn & longnose snakes are slim now, & don't want to eat as much, while my rosy boa doesn't seem old at all- some kinds of snakes (like BPs & rosy boas) age better (& may live longer) than others. 20+ years is quite old for a corn or longnose snake.

[bcr229]

I have a 20+ year old male BRB - actual age unknown since he was an import, but we're figuring it based on how long he has been in captivity. In addition to a bit of appetite loss (more pronounced over the winter), he may have a bit of arthritis. He is a lot less flexible when moving or being held than his younger counterparts.

[ontariosnakelover]

Everything everybody here is saying is pretty sound. Only thing I'll.add myself is to look at the animals heads. It might seem hard without ball python experience , but you can determine roughly if a BP is older or younger based on the heads sizing in proportion to res of the body. Also includes the eyes. Mature bps will have a noticeable difference if you compare it to a younger generation. Either way just give them the love they deserve

[Bogertophis]

...Either way just give them the love they deserve

That's for sure!