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Milk Snakes

Scientific Name	Lampropeltis triangulum
Natural Habitat	North America -
Lifespan	15+ years in captivity
Adult Size	60 -180cm or 2-6 feet – depending on species
Temperament	Docile, easy to tame
Housing	24” wooden vivarium <1 year old - 36” >1 year old
Temperature range	Day 25-30°C (77°F to 86°F) -Night 20-25°C ( 68°F to 77°F)
Heating	Heat mat + Basking light
Lighting	Basking light +/- UV light (not a necessity) -12 hour light cycle
Feeding	Defrosted mouse once weekly – pinkie to adult mice as the snake grows
Substrate	Beech chips/Hemp bedding
Decor	2-3 hides + humid hide
Multiples?	Keep separately -  known to eat other snakes

Description

The name milk snake comes from the fact that they were often found in cow sheds and were thought to be there to drink the cow’s milk, although they were most likely there to eat the rats and mice that also lived in the barns.

Milk snakes have smooth and shiny scales and their typical colour pattern is alternating bands of red-black-yellow or white-black-red, this is to mimic the venomous coral snake. Milk snakes and coral snakes are subtly different in their patterning. Coral snakes colours go red-yellow-black or red-white-black. Remember "Red to yellow, kill a fellow. Red to black, venom lack."

The most common species in captivity are the Honduran, Sinaloan and Pueblan Milk Snakes, which all have the same basic patterning but the widths of the bands are different. For instance the Sinaloan milk snake has very wide red bands.

Habitat

Milk snakes typically live in forests, however in some regions may live in prairies.

In the wild milk snakes will eat a wide variety of prey, including reptiles, birds, rodents and amphibians.

Selecting Your Snake

When purchasing a Milk Snake it is worthwhile going to a reputable reptile shop or breeder. They will be only too happy to let you see the selection of snakes they have available. The snake should be confident with handling although hatchlings often take a minute or two to settle down. It should be bright eyed and clean looking with no cuts or scrapes to the skin. It should be alert and flicking its tongue. Check the snake is feeding well (most good shops/breeders will keep feeding records) and never buy a non-feeder. Hatchlings should have eaten a minimum of 3 times before they are sold.

Housing

We recommend wooden vivariums for Milk Snakes as they are better insulated than glass or plastic tanks, allowing you to keep them at the correct temperature more easily. They are also designed with snakes in mind so escapees are unlikely (Remember to shut the doors properly!). A wooden vivarium will also offer more privacy for the snake.

For a hatchling snake we would recommend a 24” vivarium, then upgrade to a 36” at about 1 year of age. If young snakes are put into a large vivarium they often become stressed and refuse to feed.

Milk snakes are best kept alone as they are known to be cannibalistic and eat other snakes!

Heating

 Reptiles cannot produce their own body heat, so it is important to keep their environment within a suitable temperature range to help body systems such as digestion and immunity function correctly.

Milk snakes require a temperature gradient of 24°C to 30°C (75°F to 86°F) during the day. This can be achieved by using a heat mat and a basking light mounted at one side of the vivarium to create a warmer end of the vivarium. These should both ideally be controlled by thermostats. At night the temperature should drop to around 20°C to 23°C (68°F to 73°F), this can be achieved by turning off the basking light.

It is very important to know what the temperature is, so check regularly with an accurate thermometer.

Lighting

A simple 12 hour light cycle is ideal for Milk snakes.

UV lighting is not necessary for snakes, although some specialists believe it can be beneficial.

Water

It is important to provide your snake with fresh water every day, in a bowl that is large enough for the snake to submerge in. This will also help your snake shed its skin.

Hides and Décor

There are many different types of substrate available, suitable ones include beech chips, orchid bark (once dried out), hemp bedding or aspen bedding. Make sure your snake cannot accidently ingest substrates when feeding.

The snake will require a few hides in the vivarium so that it can feel secure. By having 2 or 3 in different areas, the snake will be able to choose the one at the best temperature. A humid hide is also recommended (such as the Exo Terra Snake Cave). These are hollow hides with a damp moss inside; snakes will often use these when they are shedding their skin.

Plastic plants are also good to use, as these look very attractive in the vivarium as well as offering privacy. Real plants however are a poor choice, as the heat will kill them very quickly and the snakes will often dig them out if their pots.

Feeding

Feed your snake one defrosted every 1-2 weeks. The mouse should be no bigger than the largest part of the snake. Milk snakes can eat mice their entire lives - starting off with pinkies as a hatchling and moving up in size as the animal grows.

As snakes do not use energy to warm their bodies (as mammals do) they need less energy to function. Resist the urge to feed your snake more often or oversized prey as this can lead to the snake growing too fast, which can result in the head of the snake not growing at the same speed as the rest of the body. Obesity can also be a problem. If a snake is overfed they have no reason to move around their vivarium and this is detrimental to their health.

The simplest feeding technique is to place the defrosted food in the vivarium near the snake and leave it to feed. The other way is to offer the food on some tongs or tweezers to the snake; they will often strike very quickly then constrict the mouse.

Snakes sometimes refuse to feed while shedding.

Maintenance

Spot-clean your snake's enclosure as necessary, removing waste as soon as possible. Clean and disinfect the water bowl on a weekly basis. Monthly or more frequently if necessary, change the substrate and completely disinfect the vivarium and decor using a safe reptile disinfectant. Rinse the enclosure thoroughly and allow to dry before replacing the cage decorations.

Shedding

Snakes regularly shed their skin as they grow, it normally comes off in one piece and no assistance is required. 

The first stage in the process is when the eyes go opaque (cloudy) at this point the snake will not want to feed and will hide away, it is best to leave it to do so. After a few days the eyes will clear again but it won’t shed for another 7 to 10 days.

If the snake has trouble removing the skin it is best to put the snake in a tub with some damp moss to help soften the skin and help by gently rubbing.

Conclusion

Milk snakes are a stunningly beautiful species but can be very wriggly and will often scent mark (remember they have to learn that you aren’t going to eat them).  They will soon settle with regular handling and do make interesting pets.