Ok...I have read all the care sheets and common knowledge says Balls can live 25+ years in captivity. But as you read comments on the internet and such you see people commenting on their Ball's dying well short of this. Now I am sure some of this has to do with accidents and such but it started me thinking what are people seeing as the actual life span of a captive raised Ball (as a species - not single animal) ? This may be a question few can answer as we haven't had them long enough...but I would like to hear from some people with any facts.

Can a ball that lives in a box (tank or tub) with no real excercise - that eats a constant meal at a constant time frame live as long as one that has more ups/downs in their diet (means less fat and more muscle), more environmental exposure (meaning more resistance to disease and such) and more need to excercise (to find food)?

Just curious if I should be planning to put my snakes into my will and also if certain changes in care could lengthen their lifespan.