How long will it live?

How long will it live? 

This is a really important question, planning for the future and the life of your pet is vitally important. 

It is not a good idea to take on a long lived animal if you think you might need to rehome the pet in 2 years as you are emigrating, but a short lived animal like a mantis would be a good choice. 

If you are looking for a pet for your child do you really want to look after it  for a few years while they go off to university? 

2 years or less

• Praying Mantis – 8-15 months 
• Sun Beetles – Grub 4-5 months and 3-5 months as a beetle (7 -10 months in total). 

2- 5 years average life span 

• Mexican red knee – male 5 years or so
• Panther chameleon female 3 to 7 years 

5-10 years 

• Panther chameleon – male 4-7 years 
• African Land snails up to 10 years 
• Giant Millipedes 5-7 years 

10-15 years 

• Mourning Geckos 10-15 years
• Bearded Dragon 10 -15 years although the oldest we knew was 17 years 

15-25 years 

• Crested Gecko 15-20 years 
• Leopard gecko 12-20 years 
• Fire Bellied Toad – up to 20 years
• Corn snake 15-20 years – The oldest we know was 27 years. 

25 years – 50 years 

• Mexican Red Knee tarantula – female – up to 30 years 
• Royal Python – 47 years has been recorded

50 -100 years or more

• Hermann’s and Spur Thighed tortoises 80 -100 years. The oldest in the UK was Timothy from Powderham castle in Devon and was thought to be 160 years when he died in 2004. 

These numbers are of course estimates, but with the progression of reptile, amphibian and invertebrate care we may see these numbers increase.