Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! We have an 11yo normal corn snake. We got him when he was just a few weeks old, and smaller than a pencil. He’s about 5.5 feet long, and lives in a 55 gal. aquarium. When he started eating several mice at a time we switched him to f/t rats. He’s very tame and amiable, and when my kids were younger, went to plenty of show-and-tell sessions at school and scout meets.

Yesterday my 19yo son took him to a friend’s house, to show him off. The friend has a 3-foot ghost female, and they were talking about breeding Spot to her. First off, I don’t know this guy, or what HE knows about snakes, so I’m not sure I’ll allow this. Spot is considered a family pet, but is actually MINE. I’d be very protective of him and his health, as well as the well being of any prospective offspring. My son’s friend would have to demonstrate to me that he knows what he’s doing before I’d lend my snake for breeding purposes, and then I’d have to think very hard first.

What is “old age” in a corn snake? I’ve just realized that Spot he is 11yo! Is there anything we should be doing for his comfort as he ages? We live in south central PA; mostly we keep the tank at room temperature, with a basking area at one end. Spot dislikes being too warm, he’s only in that area right after meals. Also, is there an age beyond which a male is too old to breed?

Answers to these questions and any other information would be greatly appreciated! Though I post very seldom, I’ve been lurking on this web site since 1998. Thanks for your time in reading, and have a very nice day!

IF I were you, and I'm sure many will agree, I would be VERY careful who I put my snake with.

It doesn't take a few pages of posts around here to know that the smallest communicable disease can be passed and have your family pet of 11 year (amazing) gone in a few days. That would be tradegic beyond words...

I just wouldn't do it...

I don't really know anything about taking care of aging snakes but I bet it couldn't hurt to start supplimenting diet with some reptile vitamine suppliments.

Good luck and WOW with your 11 yr old snake!

I wouldn't risk the snake..also, being 11 years old, his fertility may not be up to par. (ie shotting blanks). Also, your son's friend may not have the resources to raise and sell off the young. His parents may not be eager to have 20 baby snakes in their house.

However, to test the kids seriousness, you could demand recent vet checks, a couple clean fecals (a couple weeks apart) before you consider lettign your snake mate with his. Also, being late season, would be best to wait till spring. Maybe by then, the kid would be more mature and ready, decided there were more interesting things out there to spend his money and time on, than taking care of eggs, hatchlings then finding good home (not to mention feeding the snakes).

Oh, please, don’t tell me that 11years old is at the end of his life! We got Spot in the fall of 1992, and he’s part of the family; when my daughter was younger she used to introduce him as Spot Laughman (our last name)! Is 11 really that old? What is the projected lifespan of a healthy, PAMPERED pet male corn snake?

I got up yesterday to find him gone, out the door with my 19yo son, and no idea, until they got home, where they went. We have since had a mother-son talk, and that will not happen again. Thank you, h0mersimps0n, for pointing out possible exposure to diseases and parasites. We’ve never had any problems like that, and the thought of Spot getting sick hadn’t even crossed my mind. Naïve, I know.

My objection was based on not knowing if this guy with the female knows what he’s doing. I wouldn’t want Spot to father babies, and then have them die in the shell because someone isn’t prepared to take excellent care of them. Maybe that sounded silly to my son. Reminding him about the dangers of diseases and parasites should make more of an impression.

So, what about reptile vitamin supplements? Can you direct me to more information? Do I put them in Spot’s water, sprinkle the rat with them, what?

Thanks for reading my posts, and your time. It is greatly appreciated!

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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)

My local breeder, who I totally entrust the health of my collection with, has sold me some Zoo Med's REPTIVITE. He instructed me to dab the mouse butt in the powder about every other time I feed. He said if I wanted to do it every time I could but since my female laid 3 clutches (only two of which were good), I am trying to get all of the vit and minerals I can back into her.

He showed me a magazine with an excellent article in it about the benefits of vitamines but I can't remember the name of the reptile magazine. For a healthy male corn you feed once a month or so you probably could dust every time you feed and be in good shape. I wish I could find that article though.

Sorry I made it sound like he's going to die tomorrow, I'm pretty sure Kathy's book (so Draybar was right) says average lifespan can be 20-25years with the oldest corn on record being something around 47 years old? Hey, you never know.

Good luck

>>Sorry I made it sound like he's going to die tomorrow, I'm pretty sure Kathy's book (so Draybar was right) says average lifespan can be 20-25years with the oldest corn on record being something around 47 years old? Hey, you never know.
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why so suprised?
I get lucky evey once in a while......LOL
I think I have been right twice now.....but I could be wrong....lol
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Remember, my posts are MY opinion only.
Jimmy (draybar)

I have a corn thats close to 10 and still hibernates and breeds every year and I remember John Meltzer saying his oldest actively breeding corn was over 20 years old!

I've got a 13 year old black rat snake who has had no problems whatsoever. I've talked to people with 30 year old kings. I have a friend who breeds 20 year old sand boas. So 11 may be pretty much middle age! I think that snakes may age differently depending on how they are kept, but that's pretty much a theory. The main problem to watch out for in aging snakes is obesity, and I've read that Elaphe are also prone to kidney tumors. That 47 year record mentioned was held by a Boa constrictor.
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

The age record for snakes is held by a male ball python from the Philadelphia Zoo. That animal was received on April 26, 1945 and died on October 7, 1992, after almost 47 and one-half years at the zoo. It was reported by the curator to be "young adult size" when received.

I obtained my information from an entertaining short article entitled "The Oldest Snake" by Roger Conant in the April 1993 Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society.

-Joan

n/p