"Rat snakes generally hatch at 10-14 inches in length, and have a predictable growth rate"

Well that's not true at all. Snakes fed the exact same diet can have significantly different growth rates.

If a snake was cooled in the winter it will grow slower than a snake fed year-round.

A Russian Rat Snake is not related to a Corn Snake in the sense that they are two completely different genera (the common name "Rat Snake" is meaningless in this case).

Russian Rat Snakes experience tremendous grow rates - much faster than most Corn Snakes.

So there's no way to accurately guess a snake's age by it's size.

Also, some snakes, especially Corn Snakes, seem genetically "pre-programmed" to grow to a smaller-than average size.

Tim

Third Eye Herp