Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a couple of questions for the experts:

1. How do the rest of you Black Milk owners rate their constricting ability? Mine does not seem to have a strong constricting response. He is still eating fuzzy rat pups so he still gets live. The leads me to question number 2

2. I have had him for some time and It just does not seem like he is growing much (compared to how baby kings grow). I believe he is a 2004/2005 and without widgets he looks to be around 24". He has a good appetite and will eat mice or rats. I guess I am concerned I am not doing something correct. He is at room temp with a small UTH if he chooses to use it.

Thanks for any responses,
Miller
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0.1 Florida King ('02 Pit & '00 Pearl)
1.1 Eastern Kings (2004 Orca & Sugar Pie)
1.0 Black Milksnake (2005 Bubba)
0.1 Okeetee Corn (Pumpkin)
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.2 Cats (Stella and Shug)
0.0.11 eggs a incubating!

He is more like 30 inches, he stretched the length of his tank which is 30"

Thanks!
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0.1 Florida King ('02 Pit & '00 Pearl)
1.1 Eastern Kings (2004 Orca & Sugar Pie)
1.0 Black Milksnake (2005 Bubba)
0.1 Okeetee Corn (Pumpkin)
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.2 Cats (Stella and Shug)
0.0.11 eggs a incubating!

what are room temps and warm end temps? i have a 04 female that is 37" and 450 grams without heavy feeding.my room temps are 75-78 and i don't provide additional heat.she eats anything anytime and i notice she often does not "wrap" her prey but forces one of her coils against the rodent and the wall of the tub.

... I keep my house at 76 so my temps are not far off from yours. Mine is an 05 so I guess he is doing pretty good if he is only off yours by 7" and one year of age. He never refuses a meal. All my research says not of offer big meals or power feed so I try to offer appropriate size meals weekly or whenver he is wandering his cage.

Thanks for the information.
Miller
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0.1 Florida King ('02 Pit & '00 Pearl)
1.1 Eastern Kings (2004 Orca & Sugar Pie)
1.0 Black Milksnake (2005 Bubba)
0.1 Okeetee Corn (Pumpkin)
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.2 Cats (Stella and Shug)
0.0.11 eggs a incubating!

1. Mine doesn't constrict much and usually thrashes around his f/t food instead.

2. My male is an 02 that I bought in Oct 04. At that time (just over 2 years old)he was 44" and 700 grams.

Assuming your feeding him regularly and keeping him generally in the mid 70's or so, he should be fine. I find it's very hard to tell if a snake is growing without taking frequent weight measurements (every 2 weeks or so) and length measurements every month or two.
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1.0 Malagasy Giant Hognose
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
1.0 Black Milk
1.0 Black Pine
1.0 White Lipped Python
0.1 Guyana Red Tail Boa
1.0 Yellowtail Cribo
1.0 Unicolor Cribo
0.0.1 Blacktail Cribo

...Being an '05 at 30" I guess isn't so bad. He is my first milk only Boas, Pythons and Kings before him. I guess I just need to readjust my growth expectations based on the species.

Thanks,
Miller
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0.1 Florida King ('02 Pit & '00 Pearl)
1.1 Eastern Kings (2004 Orca & Sugar Pie)
1.0 Black Milksnake (2005 Bubba)
0.1 Okeetee Corn (Pumpkin)
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.2 Cats (Stella and Shug)
0.0.11 eggs a incubating!

My adults have never seen a live rodent in their lives, but they don't constrict. They tend to take the rat from you and just eat it. My smaller female (male?) tends to thrash it around the cage if disturbed.

They don't appear to be strong constrictors, so I woudn't offer one a live rodent. Any rodent bite which wouldn't even show on another snake would make an ugly permanent scar on a glossy black milksnake.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas