Burm's size stunted due to lack of food as a baby?

[jncoclub]

This was quoted from an earlier post about burms:
"They can grow to be 8 ft in the first yr and a half. Their life expectancy is 20+yrs, and can top out at 18-23ft, and weigh anywhere from 250lbs+." I'm not questioning the validity of the comment, but it does spark a question about my burm.

We got Clyde when she was a baby (she is my avitar pic) and we were initially told that she and her siblings all ate. We were the first to buy one out of the clutch and for the first 2-3 months she wouldn't eat. None out of the clutch did. They all got treated for various stuff but still wouldn't eat. (I posted all this when it happened last year- should anyone remember. To everyone a burm that wouldn’t eat- it was preposterous!) Long and behold, our last attempt before giving up she finally ate. I'm curious if this long length of time of not eating in her early youth may stunt her growth for the future. This all happened in June of 2002 and today she is just about 3 feet long, but not very thick. She eats like a champ now, and is definitely getting stronger, but she doesn't seem as burly as other burms her age. So I am curious, do you think my little lady can still grow to be 20 feet one day, or can you tell that since she is just reaching 3 feet now (tip of nose to tip of tail), ratio-wise, she won’t get that big?

Also, what is you opinion about feeding snakes. I know it’s better to feed smaller than larger. But should we keep offering mice till our snakes are “full,” or just keep them their regular meal which is thought to be well balanced? (Ie: dogs will eat till they get sick- snakes don’t do this, do they?)