Snake age.

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

Hi everyone :) I am wondering, what is the average life span for captive, healthy Garters?? I had my original Sneakie Snake for 5 years. She had been wild though and I have no idea how old she was when I got her.

So what is "Old" for a Garter snake?? What is the oldest snake you have?

[infernalis]

I have 2 males that are going on 5 years old in my care.


ADW: Thamnophis sirtalis: Information (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Thamnophis_sirtalis.html)

The average lifespan of wild common garter snakes is approximately two years. Most common garter snakes probably die in their first year of life. Common garter snakes reach sexual maturity, and maximum size, at 3 to 4 years of age. The lifespan of common garter snakes kept in captivity is longer, between 6 and 10 years. One captive common garter snake lived to be 20 years old, but few wild snakes live this long. (Harding, 1997 (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/#e8d52977dfb57f14bfa16e5b31ed48b0); Reynolds and Gould, date unknown (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/#b89e58f8c940ddc2beb5380fce81e228))

[ConcinusMan]

And one lived with me for 21 years. No lie.;) Her mate died 3 years earlier. They were both newborn when I found them, about 6 or 7 inches long. I was just 15. She died in 2006. They sure as heck didn't get to maximum size in 3 years though. They never did stop growing. They were only about half grown at 3 years old.:cool: They reached about 3 feet when they were about 7 years old then slowed down considerably.:D

Oh, and I fed them goldfish throughout their lives:eek: (bad father, I know) but they also got live and f/t wild collected frogs and tadpoles too, in addition to night crawlers, salmon, and other fish meat. I was always on he lookout for, and collecting a wide variety of wild food for them. I wouldn't recommend doing that though. I didn't know any better.