Although bull snakes may hiss like a rattlesnake, they do not belong to this species.
The American bull snake is a constrictor, which inhabits pine and oak forests and prairies. The bull snake is often incorrectly identified as a species of rattlesnake because of the hissing vocalizations it produces. These snakes are not venomous and kill their prey by squeezing them to death. Bull snakes hunt mainly in underground burrows and have a noticeable nose shield for digging. The American bull snake grows up to 5 feet in length and ranges in color from cream to brown. Determining the age of a bull snake requires a person to know how the symmetry and shape of a youngster changes with maturity.
Instructions
1. Understand than bull snake hatchlings will be between 12 and 18 inches in length and that the average adult bull snake will be around 5 feet long.
2. Contact the breeder of your bull snake or the pet dealer from whom you purchased the snake and request the hatching date. Pet dealers, however, may not always have the hatching dates of every snake that they sell.
3. Visit your local zoological garden or petting zoo and look at the individual bull snake specimens.
4. Request the ages of the individual snakes from the reptile curator. Zoos keep very detailed records of each individual animal, which includes the age of the animals.
5. Look closely at the shape and the symmetry of each bull snake and take notes regarding each snakes age and size.
6. Take a number of photographs of the snakes. Take close up photographs of the reptile's head, if possible.
7. Return home and examine your own bull snake. The older a bull snakes gets, the larger its head and body cavity become. Older bull snakes have larger body cavities because they have larger rib cages.
8. Pick your snake up if it will allow you to handle it. Look closely at the size of the snake's head and compare it to the photographs of the bull snakes in the zoo. Check the ages of the zoo snakes and see which size snake resembles your specimen.
9. Measure the girth and length of the animal and compare to your notes and photos of the individual bull snake specimens you saw at the zoo to estimate your pet's age.
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