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If I had an full grown adult Mexican Black King, and a Black Milksnake sitting in front of me.... how could I tell which was which?

MissHisssss

The black milk would be about twice as big and the king.

Brandon Osborne

Ok... the Mex Black King I got is about 4.3 or 4.5 feet long (he's in a 60 gal aquarium that's 48 inches long and he's longer than that) and pretty big around. In other words... not thin like the 3ish foot eastern milksnake I have.

MissHisssss

Although they usually don't get that large, mex. blacks can get to the 4' range. I would say they average around 40". Sometimes they will have a small amount of white or yellow under the chin, or a small amount of red, only on the anal plate. The skin between the scales will also be black, where as the black milk will have a light color to the skin between the scales. Black milks become very large and girthy snakes in just a few years. Large adults of 5.5-6' are not uncommon. If you know the age of your snake, this may also help determine which you have. Black milks are voracious feeders and are capable of taking med. rats with no problem. Post a pic if you can.

thanks
Brandon Osborne

I don't know how to post pix on here, so haven't taken one of him yet. He is definately, without a doubt over 48 inches because while truckin across his 48 inch enclosure he touched both ends, plus some. And he is definately more girthy than my 3ish foot eastern milk. As far as eating.... he's a machine. I don't have rats but he's taken a very large mouse (not the thin white ones).... and man does he grab it. I don't see any other color but black on him though I haven't really checked under the chin, etc. He's in the blue right now and don't want to disturb him. I guess I should just wait to get a picture of him and scan it, and perhaps send it to you....or someone who could put it one here.

Thanks
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MissHisssss

Hello...
The feeding response sounds like a black milk, but you may just have a very healthy mexican black king. What temps are you keeping it at? At room temps, a black milk would act normally, while a mex black would be very sluggish and probably refuse to eat. At temps above 80-85 degrees, a black milk would act distressed, and might spend a lot of time in its water dish, whereas a mex black milk would act normally. Also, how much did you pay for it? Black milks are usually about $150 as hatchlings, more for adults, and mex blacks tend to be much cheaper. I can't imagine why anyone would sell a black milk as a mex. black king, unless they didn't know what it was, or wanted to lose money...

Nate

I can't go by price because the person who sold it was in a big rush to get some money so could've let it go for less. As far as temps... like my corns... during the summer they don't have a heat source since it's so hot around here anyway (New Mexico down by El Paso Texas). So it can go from around 75 (not very often) to 85... but averaging around 82 when the humidity doesn't mess up my AC for me, that is. I have never seen him in his water bowl. I can't say if he is sluggish or not because I don't have another king to compare him with. He seems more active than some of my corns, but I also have a corn that is more active than him. :-/ I was told he was two years old, but who knows. What do ya think?

Thanks
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MissHisssss.

A four foot Black Milk would probably still have some faint evidence of banding on the underside.

Black Milks are expensive and uncommon and I agree that it is unlikely that anyone would have one and not be sure that is what it is. Black Kings are very common and it could be possible for someone to have a black king and not be sure what species they had.
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Chris Harrison

Well... no matter what it is.... it is big, it is black, and it is beautiful. And I'm happy. When I get some pix of him... I'll try to get them on here and show you all what he looks like.

Thanks for everyones help

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MissHisssss

Hi,

Here is my Male Black Milk yearling (Just Shed) at 3 1/2 foot. Chrish is right you can see the red banding. The red is the last color to fade. This snake is turning out to be a great animal. Do not like to be kept warm and very active in early morning. Need lots of room and have a very strong feeding response. Has never attempted to bite, yet….

GORGEOUS SNAKE!!!!!! I definately don't see any red on mine like is on yours. The body is shaped like yours though, but mine seems to have a tad shorter/flatter snout. He just shed today. It's strange.... he didn't rattle his tail just before shedding... but did right after.

Thanks for sharing a photo of you beauty....
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MissHisssss