Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! I have a basic question. It seems every book and webpage I've read has a different opinion - what is the normal lifespan for graybanded kings? My favorite snake is 11 years old and I'm wondering if my pet is middle-aged, or starting into old age? I figured you guys would be the ones to ask, since you have lots of experience with them.
Thanks in advance for any replies.

-----
1.0.0 Mexican Kingsnake, Vincent Price
1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris Karloff
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien Sands
2.0.0 Ball Pythons, Pete (Peter Cushing) and Frank Langella
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python, Claude Raines
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon, Sid Vicious
1.0.0 Sweet Rosy Bourke Parakeet, Didgeridoo
0.1.0 Smart & Loving Teenager
1.0.0 Old rat, Hugo

11 Years old is not young by any means for an alterna but they should have a good ways to go, I would say the early side of middle aged is a close guess.
-----
___________________________
Herp Conservation Unlimited

If people really learn from their mistakes, I should be like the smartest guy in the world

ain't getting older.....just better...

You might want to check out this old thread titled "Oldest alterna". It's on the bottom of page 4 of this forum, from 26 June 2009 in case the link doesn't work.

From that thread, there are several people who have had alterna reach their 20's, including one that lived 28 years. That's obviously the upper end of the range, but I don't know what would be considered average. An interesting question for those (not me) who have been keeping alterna long enough to have had a significant number of them die of old age.
Link

I own two older males, one was hatched in 1992 (18), the other in 1994 (16) both are alive and healthy. The 1994 male had a sucessful breeding this year with a female I bought as a yearling in 1995 (16). I also have a w.c. juno female from 1996 and she is still producing good clutches and she is probably about 16 years old. I also knew someone who had a female he purchased in 1982 producing large clutches up untill around 2005 when he decided it was time to stop breeding her.

Jim

Thanks so much for the replies - you all made me feel better. My guy is captive bred and born (and sees a reptile vet regularly), so hopefully he'll live a good long life and I'll have him for many more years. I'm REALLY attached to this one!
-----
1.0.0 Mexican Kingsnake, Vincent Price
1.0.0 277 Graybanded Kingsnake, Boris Karloff
1.0.0 Crockett Graybanded Kingsnake, Julien Sands
2.0.0 Ball Pythons, Pete (Peter Cushing) and Frank Langella
1.0.0 Pastel Ball Python, Claude Raines
1.0.0 Bearded Dragon, Sid Vicious
1.0.0 Sweet Rosy Bourke Parakeet, Didgeridoo
0.1.0 Smart & Loving Teenager
1.0.0 Old rat, Hugo

My wc male (pandale dirt) from May 1984 is still doing finem He was 16 inches when I found him. I figure he was a 1981 hatchling which will make him 29 years old this sept. Has to be the record. No brag, just fact. BA.

I wouldn't necessarily say it is the normal lifespan, but I have a female I collected in 1990 as a 20 inch subadult and she is gravid again this year.

Adam