my 10 year old garter passed on

[boyjoe]

i'm new here but have had a great garter, Fuzzy, for the last 10 years this summer she stopped eating mice (she was feed exclusively mice for the last 7 years) and would only take 1 maybe 2 worms every 4-6 weeks, the vet said at that age there was little he could do. this morning i founder spread across her favorite climbing branch unmoving. very sad day.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/%5Burl=http://www.freeimagehosting.net/%5D%5Bimg%5Dhttp://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/417a07fd72.jpg%5B/img%5D%5B/url%5D

[jitami]

So sorry for your loss. Sounds like you did everything you could for your girl, though. My first garter is about 8 years old. I know I'm going to be devastated when his time comes.

[drache]

so sorry that it's a loss that brings you here
welcome to the forum though
what kind of garter was she?

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum.
It sounds like you and Fuzzy had some great history. Hope you can share some photos and maybe some stories. Looking forward to it.

[snakeman]

Probally just died of old age.They only live 10-15 years.

[guidofatherof5]

Probally just died of old age.They only live 10-15 years.

That seems like such a short time.
I heard a saying that seems to fits their lives,
"The candle that burns the brightest also burns the shortest"
I hope to get many of mine to that 15+ year mark. I've got a number of them here on the Ranch that are my good old friends. I've lost a few to old age but it was wild time not captive time.
That wild time is hard on them.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I am curious about how much is actually known about the lifespan of a very healthy garter... I have heard from multiple rather reliable people that they had, or currently have a garter live or living to almost 20 years. Many, many other snakes are able to live to at least 20 and closer to 30, I don't see why it would not be realistic for a very healthy, captive bred thamnophis fed a just-right, well balanced diet that does not contract some sort of illness or parasite!

Sorry to hear of your loss... I have 7 year old kingsnake who was my first pet snake and I love him to pieces, and even though he has MANY years left ahead, I don't like to think about how old he already is!

[Mommy2many]

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Please share some stories & pictures. I have 2 W/C garters and have no idea of their age. I think all we can do is care for them the best we can and let nature and fate do the rest.

[Stefan-A]

I am curious about how much is actually known about the lifespan of a very healthy garter... I have heard from multiple rather reliable people that they had, or currently have a garter live or living to almost 20 years. Many, many other snakes are able to live to at least 20 and closer to 30, I don't see why it would not be realistic for a very healthy, captive bred thamnophis fed a just-right, well balanced diet that does not contract some sort of illness or parasite!
I'm willing to bet that a significant number of those 15+ garters are simply cases of owners-forgot-when-they-got-them.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Well, in 10-20 years we will most likely have better answers to this question... I don't think enough people have been keeping captive bred garters for long enough to get a good estimate!

[charles parenteau]

Sorry for your lost ! 10 years is very good!!!
This female eastern is around 10 years old and still alive in september 09.
She is from the first blais flame lineage .
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s152/parenteau/mai-20090009.jpg

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, boyjoe :)


so sorry that it's a loss that brings you here
welcome to the forum though
what kind of garter was she?

[ConcinusMan]

Probally just died of old age.They only live 10-15 years.

The only garters I ever had from less than a year old to the end of their lives were sirtalis concinnus. Male died at 18 yrs, female died at 21. I really didn't expect them to live that long when I got them. I think if you keep them warm year round and push for fast growth, that could be a factor in shortening their lives. Think about it. That's about 7 years of rest over her lifetime! My pair always got some kind of cool inactive period every winter and they never ate rodents. I had a young (WC, age unknown) ordinoides that died after about 9 years in captivity. All three of these snakes were definitely showing the signs(poor feeding, reduced mobility) for about a year before they died, in addition to barely any growth, (and looking old like that flame eastern above) in the last 3 years or so. (they were already maxed out, size wise)

10 years, not bad. Pretty average, I think.

[charles parenteau]

Wow this very 0ld 18 and 21 years old!!!
I agree 100/100 with you about food and cooling period .
I beleive I will return to my old fashion .
just give to my animal their natural food and a hibernbation period at least 4 -5 months to all my eastern sirtalis sirtalis .
Im from Quebec usually garter here they are hibernating around 7 months but its rough for garter snake that why hibernate them just 4-5 months
I will tried to give theme their natural environnment this is the best
and for northern eastern uv light is really needed at least for female .many little thing that make the difference in the garter life ...

ITs very interresting to know that a garter can live over 15 years!!!!

[ConcinusMan]

I think the age limit is highly variable depending on species/subspecies (Genetics) and it seems like the slower growing yet larger (max size) garters tend to live longer. Also, one more thing, I only produced 8 litters (about 170 young) in all that time, and never two years in a row. Easier on the female that way. My cool-down period varied from at least 3 months, but up to 5 months. I say "cool down period" because many years (when not breeding that year) that's really all it amounted to. I wouldn't call it full out brumating. Just temps in the 55-65 degree range and about an 8 hour, less intense daylight period. And I agree about the UV. At the time I got them, UV lighting for reptiles was kind of a new concept and it was the general concensus that snakes don't need it. (same sources that claimed sirtalis' only live 10-15 years) It was mainly for desert lizards and tortises. But I figured these snakes love to bask in the sun part of the day so... They got full-spectrum UVA/UVB florescent (15watts for 2 square feet, 12 inches above them) as their ambient indoor light source in addition to being placed outside occasionally in a special sun/basking cage I made for them in the summer. Of course I always provided a way to get out of the light too. Calcium/vitamin/mineral supplements were used very sparingly, and the photoperiod was such as to mimic the local cycles.(SW WA State)