This is a lot more than what most slugs, such as Arion rufus, can count on in middle Europe: a couple of months, then the winter makes an ending to the slugs' lives. Instead of hibernation, these prolific creatures, which lack a protective shell lay eggs during the fall season, and what survives winter are basically the eggs, well protected from frost in the soil. As an exception, the leopard slug Limax maximus - equally lacking a shell - can live for several years. Of course, not many snaily individuals will reach record ages in the wild. Too numerous are predators and parasites that will kill predominantly the young and small snails, as well as (from a snail's view) adverse weather conditions bringing heat and drought. It should be different with pet snails, at least if their holders know well how to keep snails healthy and in a way that corresponds to the species' needs. In fact, pet snails from the aquarium trade show another aspect that does influence snaily life spans: Apple snails, commonly sold for freshwater aquaria, tend to live longer if the water in the tank is cooler. Like other cold-blooded animals, apple snails become more active when the surrounding temperature is at the warmer end of their required temperature range (it should lay between 18 to 28 degree Celsius, or 65 to 82 degree Fahrenheit respectively). In warmer water, the aquatic snails receive more energy and crawl around more actively than in cooler surroundings. They eat faster, move faster and grow faster.
However, this increased activity has a price, and that is a lower life span compared to the snails living in cooler water. In other words, the life cycle of these snails has been speeding up, and so they are going to die sooner. Apple snails might reach an age of more than three years at cooler temperatures (record ages lie around ten years), while rarely living more than 12 to 16 months in temperatures around 25 degree Celsius.
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