Older ball pythons. General question

[Wharf Rat]

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.

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[Alter-Echo]

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.

[Neal]

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.

[Reinz]

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.

[tttaylorrr]

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!

[Wharf Rat]

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.

[Bogertophis]

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?

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.

[Wharf Rat]

Pretty sure it was the Philadelphia Zoo, but not positive

[Godzilla78]

Good topic! Nice healthy-looking old serpent.

[zina10]

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 ..