Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting to a point in my colony that some of my kings are getting older. I haven't been breeding long enough to lose any yet,(oldest king is about 16yrs) and so I am curious to find out how long other breeders(who have been doing it much longer than me)kings live. And since my old guy has more energy than me, and breeds like a stud, I feel like he has lots of years in him. What signs of aging do they show, and what are your experiences with how long they can live for? What subspecies? I also would like to let my buyers know in a more accurate sense(Is the 15-20 years most info sources state accurate, or completely wrong?)Any experiences and info would be greatly appreciated.

I have been curious about this also. With the explosion of herpetoculture in the past 20 or so years, seems like lots of keepers have snakes that are much older than I thought possible many years ago. Read somewhere recently about a timber rattlesnake that was in its 50's when it died. The old longevity records are largely from zoos, but I believe some private herpetoculturists take better care of their snakes than zoos do. I think FR mentioned he has been observing a group of gilas for maybe 30 years.

First there are several kinds of longevity. Most or many zoos and some private collectors did what I can non functional longevity. Which is keeping reptile at the low end of its range of metabolism and feeding a few times a year. The animals actually do not grow to average size, much less full size. Personally I would fine them for that. A long lifeless life. Hmmmm not so good.
Functional longevity is with individuals animals that were kept in a way, they grew well, reproduced well and did so most of their life.
The original Albino Cal king lived to 35. He fathered a few offspring, hahahahahahaha I did not receive him until he was old and could not even crawl normally and could barely see, cataracts. He was middle twenties, then produced a world full of offspring.
Most of my females double clutched until 16 to 18 years of age, then single clutched for another bunch of years, then missed a year once in a while. So your male, hes a teenager.
Oh and the pair of gilas I have been watching for 35 years and they were normal adults, like they are now, then.
Also, longevity is based on our care, not what works, but what works well, like proper nesting, feeding, temps and not making friggin mistakes, as mistakes are the problem. Not so much the snakes ability.
The truth is, your animal is a reflection of your care. If you have done well, he will have many many more years of studlyism.

A story from years past. In the late seventies, Ernie Wagner and I were in the middle of the captive breeding wave. New species, new methods were daily. We and others went from hoping to keep an animal alive long enough to breed them. Then long enough to breed them for years. Then one day we were talking and he said, One day the animals we hatch will outlive us. That day is near. For the both of us

Thats the kind of information I like to hear! And I agree that care makes a huge difference, and unfortunately a lot of people treat there snakes like objects.(the pet stores in my area are nightmares) So no wonder its said 15 to 20. That says alot about how people are keeping their animals. And that day could come for any of us FR, but at least you have left a massive footprint already in this industry, and are changing it for the better and for the future generations, and more importantly, for the snakes. Especially if you have seen such age increase of age in them. Hearing experiences and stories from folk like you, and the other posters in the forums confirms what I have only hoped to believe. And you know many others are passing that down, myself included.

I am new to the world of snakes ... however I would like to agree on what FR is saying.
When I was in grade school I had a male veiled chameleon. My parents had gotten it for my brother and I as a pet. They hoped it would live a short time (all the articles say they live 5 years in captivity).
However with proper attention to habitat (humidity, lighting/heating). And the fact that after school we went into our backyard 'hunting' for bugs from roaches, crickets, spiders, and grasshoppers instead of buying the commercial crickets. He lived to be 10yrs old ... would probably live longer if our mom would allow us to go to the vet with him once we noticed the tumor.
So yes, I agree. With great care animals can live much much longer.
For example dogs. wolves live about 5-7 yrs on avg in the wild, whereas in captivity, and our domestic friends live much much longer. And cats, strays live about the same amout as wolves, however domesticated in a loving home they can live close, if not exceeding 20 yrs.

So glad as I would like to live many long happy years with my King

Hi Kate,

I have several eastern kings that are in the 19-20 range and they are showing no signs of old age yet. They are alert, bright colored and breeding with vigor. Typical reported signs of true old age are faded color, lethargy, wasting and cataracts (as Frank mentioned). However, these symptoms could simply be a factor of the past husbandry they received.

Will

Thanks will! That's great to know! No signs of any of that, so looks like hes still in his prime And hopefully I can get ALOT of years out of ALL of my kings and there predecessors.

My oldest snake, which is a Sinaloan milk, is 20 this year. Most of my adult snakes are in their teens. My oldest kings were a few graybands, which were 16 and 18 around their passing, and I have known of many alterna that were older than that, in other collections. Since I have more bulls and pines than kings currently, right now, my oldest king is 10.

Will Still is right, they can be 19-20, and still going strong!
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Genesis 1:1

I've yet to own an animal from birth to death so I cant say how long they can live in my care... i do have a little input though.

I purchased a grey band and at the time of purchase was told he was 17 years old. I kept him going for an additinal 7 years, though his last 2 he didnt keep weight very well.

I also collected a monsterous ancient desert king that looked about 100... scarred, eye damage/ possibly cataracts, tail tip missing, and string measured to be 63". of course there is no way to know for sure how old he was upon collection, but I'd bet money that he was at least 15. He went on to be half of the first pair of kings I ever bred and I parted ways with him 4 years ago after owning him for about 9 years. He could still be alive for all I know as he was still active, hungry, and strong when I gave him away.

I also collected a monsterous ancient desert king that looked about 100... scarred, eye damage/ possibly cataracts, tail tip missing, and string measured to be 63". of course there is no way to know for sure how old he was upon collection, but I'd bet money that he was at least 15. He went on to be half of the first pair of kings I ever bred and I parted ways with him 4 years ago after owning him for about 9 years. He could still be alive for all I know as he was still active, hungry, and strong when I gave him away.

HA HA! Cool story and cool snake.

I never paid attention to how many years I kept a snake and all that. Usually my older ones were males which I still have some that must be at least from 1999.
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FR quote:
"Doing the same things over and over expecting to learn something else, is the definition of insanity"

A friend of mine owned a coastal phase California Kingsnake for over 26 years. I was there, when he purchased it at a reptile store, as a five foot adult male. So I guess it must have been at least 30 years old when it finally passed away.
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I'm Dutch. Somebody shoot me.

Thanks all! Some great stories and info on age variations, but clearly they live a good deal longer than usually suggested.