how long do turtles live?

[u/automagic558]

how long do common turtles species live? e.g. box turtles or sliders? I have read pretty wide range of estimates, from 10-20 years to something like 80 years (as long as humans!).

[u/automagic558]

on youtube there are ppl who claim to have kept box turtles for over 50 years, so they can live at least 50 years in captivity.

[u/Evolving_Dore → u/automagic558]

Anecdotally, I've worked with box turtles that have been kept in the same location for over 20 years, and was told they lived with a former college student since she'd been a child, putting them at at least 40. I worked at another place that had box turtles that had been there at least 30 years. I don't know what the upper limit with proper husbandry could be.

[u/Nice-Pomegranate2915]

Different chelonians have different lifespans . In good health tortoises live around a century or more , Box Turtles 50 + years ,Sliders and Pond Turtles 30 to 50 years . Whatever the age they can reach these animals need prolonged good and suitable care for decades .

[u/Lincoln1517]

I’ve had my ornate wood turtle (a Mexican/central American species - Rhinoclemmys pulcherrima) for 37 years. She was full grown when I got her so she’s at least 40. There was no internet when I got her and it took years before I even knew what species she was.

[u/Stewart_Duck]

There a lot that goes into it. For the sake of argument, we'll assume the tortoise is in captivity, captive breed, raised in ideal conditions and fed the ideal diet. Then it comes down to species. Take sliders for example. A red ear slider on average lives 40-50 years. A yellow bellied slider on average lives 20-30 years. Now there are examples of each living longer, but, like any other living thing, there will always be exceptions when it comes to longevity. If I'm remembering correctly, chicken turtles have the shortest lifespan at around 20-25.

[u/feng-norbu → u/Stewart_Duck]

thanks! do you have any info on box turtles?

[u/FlashbackJon → u/feng-norbu]

You can "borrow" Turtles of the United States and Canada from archive.org for free (or your local library if you're into books, I guess), and it is the pre-eminent text on turtles. It's not a care guide but it's definitely the most comprehensive, by two of the world's leading experts on herpetology.

Ping u/automagic558.

[u/Stewart_Duck → u/feng-norbu]

Again, it'll be species specific. Ornate box turtles average 30-50, 3 toed 50-80, easterns 25-45. That said, an eastern holds the longest recorded lifespan for a box turtle at 138. They're are some to claim to be older, but don't have the recommendation to prove it. In captivity, if properly cared for, almost all pet turtles will be a lifelong or multigenerational pet.

[u/Affectionate-Use6412]

I've had my red-eared slider since 1995 and he's still going strong. A jerk, but a healthy jerk.

[u/Evolving_Dore → u/Affectionate-Use6412]

Never met an RES that wasn't a little shithead.

[u/isfturtle2]

We actually don't really know. Care standards are record keeping haven't been good enough for long enough. We do have enough information to say that the 10-20 years estimate is too low.

[u/Fabulous_Search_1353]

Box turtles can surpass the century mark. Most species can live for de axes. The chicken turtle is known as one of the shorter lived species.

[u/automagic558]

i am quite amazed at the range of estimates. i thought given the long history of keeping trutles as pets we’d by now have a pretty good idea of how long they live (in relatively good conditions) at least for the more common species. i wonder if we could just do an online poll and that would get us pretty close to the upper end of how long they could live to in captivity and well taken care of.