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Having kept snakes (and rat snakes, too: Corn snakes are a type of rat snake) I can tell you that snake is big enough to get down a full-grown rat. It would take 20 minutes or so to swallow it, maybe. But in a small tank, even a health full-grown rat wouldn't stand a chance against the snake. That hamster wouldn't even make a bulge going down.
But weirder things have happened. The herpetologist who gave me the corn snake also had several king snakes. He would feed those geckos (the little 99 cent guys). They tossed a couple in one time and the king snake ate one but not the other. After about 6 months, they finally rewarded the gecko with his own tank.
It would not surprise me if some rare individuals just had a smell (or something) that made them unappetizing to predators. It would certainly be a natural selection benefit!
Chris
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