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[BaronBalloon]

ive heard conflicting reports on this - do creatures age in cages or not?

[martinuzz]

They do. My caged puppies all grow up to be dogs.

[BaronBalloon]

thanks

[Derekristow]

On a related note, can animals die of old age?  It would be annoying to come back to the cage and find all the dogs long gone.

[The Grim Sleeper]

Animals can die of old age, but it takes a really long time, several years at least, or even decades. If you use animals for anything other than sitting in a zoo, and don't run a vegan fort, no critter will last that long.

[pushy]

Animals can die of old age, but it takes a really long time, several years at least, or even decades.

Not necessarily. While quite a few of the more common animals (dogs, cats etc.) have a lifespan of 10-20 years, there are pets and other animals (particularly vermin) which will last nowhere near that. Merchants come along with wagons, with cage after cage filled with things like frogs and squirrels which can be adopted as pets by dwarves, and those pets then sit on the dwarf's shoulder or whatever while the dwarf gets on with life. Those vermin pets will only survive for 2-3 years. Similarly, underground critters including giant rats and naked mole dogs will die of old age after 2-3 years. Also, it should be pointed out that unless you have witnessed the birth (or growing up from child to adult) of an animal, you can't be certain of the animal's age...a dog you buy from a merchant may already be within that 10-20 year bracket and could theoretically die of old age the very day you buy it

[TheyTarget]

Talk of vermin reminds me of the day I bought 20 some vermin for pets, and the two cats in my fort ran through and killed them all.

[Khift]

Additionally, it would appear that animals that enter the map may already be well within the twilight of their life. I've had animals in my stud barn die of old age as early as year 3. (I set aside two males of every livestock species in a stud barn, and then mercilessly slaughter every other male as soon as they mature; sometimes the studs will die of old age and I have to replace them.)