age of a bp

Question
i have recently aquired my first snakes. i have been wondering how i can tell how old a juvinile ball python is? i have one that is 16 inches long and one that is about 15 inches.

Answer
Hi Brandy
Both your pythons are quite young.  Not quite a year old just yet. The average ball python length is around four feet. Hatchling ball pythons range from 12-17 inches in length and grow at a rate of about a foot a year for the first 3 years and then their growth rate slows greatly. Balls continue to grow all of their lives but the rate of growth is barely noticeable after 4 years. The growth rate of your ball python may vary as some grow extremely fast early in life while others take a little longer. Thanks for writing :-)