A rattlesnakes life is not "charmed".........Most snakes do not survive their first year............If they do, a a significantly long 15 to 20 year lifespan in the cards for them

Most rattlers don't make it through their first year

For starters, rattlesnakes don't lay eggs. They are viviparous, which means they give live birth.
The female carries the fertilized eggs for about 90 days before giving birth.

They usually give birth to seven to 10 babies, and those little rascals are born ready to rock 'n' roll, snakewise.

In some types of rattlers, the venom of young snakes is more potent than that of adults.
Rattlesnakes are not especially maternal. The young are on their own almost immediately. One exception is the black-tailed rattlesnake. The female stays with her babies for about a week when they complete their first shed.

Most rattlers don't survive their first year — either because they can't find enough food or because they are killed by hawks or roadrunners or skunks or other critters.
Those that do survive can live as long as 15 or 20 years. In captivity, they can live up to 30 years.

Now that it is starting to cool off, rattlesnakes will soon be denning up for the winter.
They like it best when the daytime temperatures are between the upper 70s and upper 80s. Rattlesnakes don't really hibernate. They estivate. That means they go into a kind of a state of torpor, but they may come out on a warm day to catch some rays.

And last, there are a few species of rattlers that are endangered. Among them are the eastern diamondback, the New Mexican ridge-nosed, the timber rattlesnake and the massasauga.
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