Rattlers get a new rattle segment each time the snake sheds its skin which is normally about 3-4 times per year. Baby rattlesnakes are born with only one segment on their rattle called a button. The rattle is noiseless until the baby rattler sheds its skin for the first time and adds another segment to the button. The rattle makes noise when the segments click against each other. If the snake is able to find a fair amount of food and grow well, it will shed its skin as much as 4 times a year, each time adding a new segment. By using this as an estimate, one could gain a *rough* estimate of the snake's age in years. However, snake rattles do sometimes break off, due to wear and tear. And the number of times the snake sheds is variable according to conditions, so it would only be an estimate.
hope this helps
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