Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys. I'm experienced with herps but never had a black milk. Any info appreciated - temps, gradient, humidity, etc.

J

Black milks are probably one of the easiest snakes to care for. Their care requirements are a little bit different than other milks. Here are some thoughts for you based on my experiences:

* they like it cooler than other milks. They should be kept at room temperature. No additional heat source is necessary. They are happy at 77 degrees and do not need a "hot spot" to help them digest. I have seen black milks get overheated quickly when they are treated like other milks and kept too warm.

* they eat like horses but an adult can become overweight pretty easily if fed too much.

* I have seen shedding problems when kept too dry. They like it a little more humid than others. Some people put damp moss in their hides to help keep the humidity up. I don't do that. I just put a large water bowl in their cage and that seems sufficient.

* they are one of if not the largest milk. My adults are 6ft long. I have seen plenty of pics of adults in excess of six feet.

Hope that is a good start. Let us know if there are other specific questions.

Good luck.

Dave

DNS Reptiles

Here's a very good care sheet for the black milksnake:

http://www.highwaterherps.ca/Caresheets/cs_black_print.htm

You might want to use the search function for the milksnake forum also...

Dan