What happens to ageing snakes?

[Renenet]

My little Zephyr has many years to go before she needs to turn a snake hook upside down and use it as a cane. Nonetheless, I am interested in what lies in store for older snakes.

Do they behave any differently? Get duller in colour? Get some of the same ailments people do? Need more care as a result?

As always, I'm curious. Thanks!

 

[cris]

Good question if the dont die from cancer or other stuff i guess they live for 30+ and ask why we died and dont feed them.

 

[kawasakirider]

I know that they go duller in the colour department. Don't know why, but I asked the question in the jungle thread. No idea of ailments that could present themselves during old age, though. I would say if they weren't "sick" they would die of old age, although no one can explain death due to old age.

 

[longqi]

Much like people
We go grey and they seem to do the same or at least more monotone in colour
We slow down eating and so do they
We feel our bones creaking and Im pretty sure they do to
As we go blind quite often they do to
Just as we often get cranky so do they

 

[saximus]

It's interesting I don't think I've seen a thread for a snake that died of old age.
I would assume you wouldn't notice a big change in behaviour (except the slowing down that Longqi mentioned) because in the wild it's not good to show weakness

 

[Darlyn]

Trouble is when they start losing their sight they have no ears to hang their glasses off : )

 

[kawasakirider]

Ageing is really sad... Time is the enemy. I hate watching animals and humans get old, for some it's OK if they have kept fit and healthy, but for others the quality of life is horrid.

 

[Renenet]

Ageing is really sad... Time is the enemy. I hate watching animals and humans get old, for some it's OK if they have kept fit and healthy, but for others the quality of life is horrid.

Agreed. Watching older friends ageing badly is great motivation to exercise and eat well.

It's interesting I don't think I've seen a thread for a snake that died of old age.

That is interesting. I haven't been on this forum as long as you have so I thought there might have been some.

 

[saximus]

There may have been but I haven't seen them. There was a bad block of a couple of weeks during the heat wave where a few people lost snakes but not to old age

 

[cris]

There may have been but I haven't seen them. There was a bad block of a couple of weeks during the heat wave where a few people lost snakes but not to old age

Bigguy posted a thread about one of his macs, not sure on the details but it lived a long time and had many young.

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

snakes have lived in excess of 20 years for many keepers my oldest would be proably 15
but
i still havea bluetongue that is around 30 years old,and the thing that has aged about him is his eyes,they look much older compared to younger lizards

s

 

[Ramsayi]

We have bhps and darwins that are around 25.We breed them every now and again and they are still producing decent clutches and healthy young.

 

[kawasakirider]

We have bhps and darwins that are around 25.We breed them every now and again and they are still producing decent clutches and healthy young.

When they age, do you notice them slowing down like dogs or cats? I'd imagine an arthritic snake would be completely debilitated.

 

[sookie]

Because of captivity,could it be that now thet live longer and have a better quality of life?do pythons live that long in the wild....do ones in the wild grow faster and age quicker?

 

[Torah]

I did a thread the other day , and found that the oldest snake on APS is a 20 year old spotted ...... Or at least no-one else came forward saying they had one older .. Soz bit off topic

 

[pythons73]

Thats interesting,a smaller species would last longer then say a carpet species or even a scrub-olive...

 

[saximus]

Why is that? I understand it's the same with smaller dogs compared with bigger ones

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

Why is that? I understand it's the same with smaller dogs compared with bigger ones

in dogs it has something to do with the size of the heart. and the way it has to push blood around. not sure on the science behind it, but something to do with that...

i think the bigger the dog the smaller the heart or something along those lines.

 

[redlittlejim]

the bigger the dog, the more energy has to be put into the heart to pump it through its whole system to keep it oxygenated. The hearts are all roughly the same size. so a big dogs heart has to work more than a little dogs heart to pump.

 

[Waterrat]

I don't think too many snakes die of old age in the wild. Like all living things, they slow down in their twilight years and present themselves to predators more often until the day.