Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I had been looking for L.t.triangulum for the past ten years in my part of the world (Southern Quebec) and came upon this yearling a few weeks ago. Eastern Milks are quite rare up here and where they are found, they share habitat with bulldozers, new residential projects and shopping centres.

I decided to try my luck with this girl (after ten years of searching) and if she didn't take to captivity would be returned to capture site.

I set her up in a clear shoe box with newspaper, small hide and her very own swimming pool. I gave her two weeks to settle in, she appeared very relaxed, sifting the air with her tongue and not dashing when approached, sitting on her hide box watching me and the wife clean the house.

My mice colony had been in a slump with no litters on the way and then decided to give her a frozen thawed just to see.

To my ultimate surprise! the F/T pinky was gone ten minutes later...

Thanks for reading my little success stoty

Hey!
Your story is very similar to mine. In this area, they seem to be "clusted" in small populations, rather than widespread such as with garter snakes. I have come to this conclusion based on the accounts of others who have encountered them, as well as where I have seen road-killed ones. It seems that all of the areas that have supported these small populations have been, or will be developed for stores, gas stations, and the like. One of the most heavily populated Milk Snake areas is the town in which I work, which is becoming more industrail all the time.

I have been searching for milksnakes in my area (Southeastern PA) since I was about 13. As it turns out, I didn't find one until recently, when I was 30! It was a pair found on a rainy day in the PA poconos, see pics: http://www.dragonbreeders.com/ptrip/
We took some photos and promptly placed them back where they were found.

Last spring, a friend was given some 'reptile eggs" from a neighbor located right in the town where I work, and low and behold, later produced beautiful baby Eastern milks! We released all but 2 in appropriate local areas, and now these guys are a year old. At first they would not eat at all. With patience, they finally did, over 6 weeks later! I kept track of their weight in the interim, and they were fine.

It is believed that they do not eat after hatching out in late summer or fall, and go strait into hibernation, thus being a good theory why it is so hard getting these guys started.

Just thought I would share a very similar story...

Thanks for sharing your story, very under rated milk in my opinion.

Mind sharing your recipe for getting them started to eat.

Thanks

Sure. At first they seemed to small to eat the smallest pinkies. I tried once a week by placing them in a closed deli cup with a thawed pinkie overnight, and after 6 weeks, they finally started eating. Another guy in this forum tried rubbing a pinkie with a garter sname skin.

Good luck!

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