The World's Oldest Pets

Rabbits are known for their speed. Sadly, their time on Earth also passes rather quickly. On average, most rabbits only live between 8 and 12 years of age. Mick, an agouti rabbit who lived in Berwyn, Illinois, managed to hop well past that mark, living to be 16 years of age.

The Guinness World Records verified and recognized this remarkable accomplishment. Fun fact: Mick was named for the Rolling Stones lead singer, who has also lived past many people's expectations.

In the wild, most guinea pigs only survive 1 to 4 years but typically live a bit longer—between 5 and 6 years—as pets. However, one amazing guinea pig named Snowball managed to smash expectations completely. This remarkable creature lived in Nottinghamshire, England, and was an astonishing 14 years and 10.5 months old when he passed away in 1979.

A few other owners have claimed their guinea pigs have lived longer, yet Snowball is the one recognized by Guinness World Records.

Bobi is verified as the dog with the longest lifespan. He's also the first known to have passed the 30-year mark. He is a purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo, which is a Portuguese livestock guardian dog. On May 31, 2023, Bobi celebrated his 31st birthday with 100 guests and a fish and meat meal.

Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog, is the next oldest verified dog on record. She lived to be 29 years and 5 months.

A cat's average lifespan is about 15 years, but one lucky feline way outlived this mark. According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest cat to have ever lived was a tabby in Texas named Creme Puff. She was born in August 1967 and died in August 2005, living an incredible 38 years and 3 days.

Creme Puff's owner Jake Perry has a magic touch when it comes to raising long-lived cats. He also owned Granpa Rexs Allen, who Perry estimated lived for 33 years!

Because pigs are typically raised for food, most don't get to enjoy a long life. Fortunately for Baby Jane, a family from Illinois adopted her from a Virginia rescue when she was just a little baby and raised her to be 23 years and 77 days.

Baby Jane has been certified as the oldest pig in captivity by Guinness World Records.

If you'd like to own a pet that you can pass down to your grandkids, consider a tortoise. These creatures have an average lifespan of between 80 and 150 years. The oldest recognized living tortoise is a female named Tommy. She turned 121 in 2019 and is considered to be the world's oldest living pet.

Koi are beautiful ornamental carp that are popular in Japan. They have an average lifespan of between 15 and 40 years, but they've been known to live much, much longer. The longest-living koi on record was a 226-year-old fish named Hanako, who resided in Japan.

A professor at the Laboratory of Animal Science of the Nagoya Women's College verified Hanako's age by counting the rings on her scales.

In the wild, snakes only live an average of two to eight years. But when well-taken care of in captivity, they can keep on slithering for a good 20 to 30 years or more. How much more, you ask?

According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest verified snake was Ben. He lived for 42 years and six months before passing away in 1974. Ben was a Columbian rainbow boa who lived in Georgia.

The appropriately named Old Bill is recognized as being the oldest horse to have lived. He was an astounding 62 years of age when he passed away in 1760. In comparison, the average horse lives between 25 and 30 years.

Old Billy worked as a barge horse, towing the boats up and down canals in England. Today, Old Billy's skull is on display in the Manchester Museum in England today.

If you're looking for a long-lived pet but reptiles aren't you bag, consider getting a parrot. Some parrot breeds, especially the larger ones, can live for 80 years or more. Holding the official world record for the oldest parrot in captivity is Cookie, a Major Mitchell's cockatoo.

He was 82 years and 89 days old when he passed away in August 2016. Major Mitchell's cockatoos are medium-sized birds from Australia that typically live between 50 and 60 years.