LoginRegister



Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
When a snake or a lizard dies of old age
07-15-2012, 09:59 PM,
#1
Ram Offline
VIP Member

*******


Posts: 1,117
Threads: 247
Joined: 02-20-2012
Reputation: 2
When a snake or a lizard dies of old age
When a pet snake or lizard dies of old age (not disease)...
How do they die? Do they get sicker and sicker over the days before finally meet their end? Or do they just suddenly roll over and die?

Any signs? Less active? More active? Acting totally weird?
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply
07-15-2012, 10:29 PM,
#2
pugskjj Offline
Junior Member

**


Posts: 87
Threads: 19
Joined: 07-10-2012
Reputation: 0
RE: When a snake or a lizard dies of old age
I am really interested in seeing the replies to this question because now you have me wondering. I was told before that lizards show no sign and just pass, but the person who told me that didn't even have a lizard Dodgy
Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply
07-16-2012, 10:07 AM,
#3
Fishbone Offline
Member

*****


Posts: 658
Threads: 28
Joined: 04-13-2012
Reputation: 1
RE: When a snake or a lizard dies of old age
This is an extremely difficult question to answer with any certainty. I would guesstimate that well over 90% of pet reptile deaths are preventable in some way, at least theoretically. Many problems can be hard to detect until it's too late. If kept in optimum conditions, and any problems are dealt with quickly, most reptile species can live seemingly forever. But all it takes is one lower respiratory infection (which can be hard to detect, and can be much more harmful than the more common upper respiratory infection), to go unnoticed, and many animals may never recover. Add to this, even if certain problems are detected, that proper treatment is difficult to determine and administer properly, even with expert herpetological veterinary care, and what exactly qualifies as "natural causes" its completely up in the air. I always think that any reptile death I've seen was preventable, at some point, though allot of times by the time the end is near its too late.

But to answer the original question, they slow down, start eating less, and become less active. Very similar to the actions of most elderly animals. And just like most other pets, their care should evolve as they age. The most common mistake in my opinion, especially with snakes, is overfeeding. Too many people want to watch their snake just eat a large prey item every week. A healthy, full grown, adult snake doesn't need to eat anywhere near that much. And for some species it can be downright detrimental.

But, as I said, there its normally some actual "cause"of death, so, there would be other symptoms associated with that actual cause.
Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply
07-17-2012, 01:25 AM,
#4
Ram Offline
VIP Member

*******


Posts: 1,117
Threads: 247
Joined: 02-20-2012
Reputation: 2
RE: When a snake or a lizard dies of old age
So basically you are saying most deaths of pet reptiles are caused by something. Is it hard to have real "natural" death with a 100% healthy reptile but simply too old?
Visit this user's website Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
Question Pet Snake Worries :( solar481 10 7,149 12-27-2016, 08:47 AM
Last Post: Syrinx
Question What Do You Do When A Reptile Dies? 4sweed 4 9,670 04-11-2016, 04:42 PM
Last Post: remnant
  funny idea: can you put a collar on a snake? amanda509 5 6,068 04-10-2016, 12:35 AM
Last Post: remnant
  How about taking your snake for a walk? Victor Leigh 19 27,063 04-09-2016, 04:51 PM
Last Post: Danihell
Question What species is this little colorful lizard? Thor 3 3,775 01-07-2016, 06:16 AM
Last Post: Chevy
  Bad Snakes and Snake Lovers MformantSecor 6 6,209 01-06-2016, 12:57 PM
Last Post: Chevy
Question How to tell when a snake will go to the bathroom Arian22092 1 3,275 10-10-2015, 12:40 PM
Last Post: ThatJagDoe
  Adopting a snake and learning PandaMom 0 3,034 07-27-2015, 08:54 AM
Last Post: PandaMom
  How often do you feed your pet snake? Ram 8 46,528 02-05-2015, 12:55 PM
Last Post: Gayla Ray Kent
  How tall can a snake stand up? Ram 5 20,509 09-13-2013, 04:55 PM
Last Post: Fishbone
  Snake Hunting Memories 4sweed 4 5,614 02-20-2013, 03:07 PM
Last Post: 4sweed
  How to tell the mood of a snake? Ram 5 34,140 02-16-2013, 07:53 AM
Last Post: AnnaU93
  So I finally got a new camera... (Snake Pic Heavy) Fishbone 10 5,701 02-08-2013, 02:31 PM
Last Post: Fishbone
  My Life With A Snake Hunter 4sweed 0 2,451 02-07-2013, 05:35 AM
Last Post: 4sweed
  Cage or tank for pet snake? Ram 10 9,066 02-06-2013, 09:15 AM
Last Post: 4sweed

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Contact Us | Pets Keepers Guide | Return to Top | | Lite (Archive) Mode | RSS Syndication| Rules & Privacy | Advertise Here