I think anywhere from 2-3 years is probably the norm. It is really a shame that they don't have a longer lifespan. We bought Rusty when he was already full grown, so I don't know how old he was. He lived with us for two years before he died.

We have now had Phoebe for about 1 1/2 years and she is going strong. And baby Olivia has only been here for about two months.

I hope you will have yours for a long time yet! You will probably be able to tell when they start slowing down. With Rusty, it was very obvious and he started losing his hair...it was sad, but he did not suffer at all. I held him for about three hours the night he died, wrapped in a towel, and he just passed away.