Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wanted to gloat over them! I've got a pair right now that should be ready to breed next year, and I really love them. They seem like genuinely smart snakes (as far as snake intelligence goes). My male (Big Poppa) has got the most personality, the female (Shaniqua) is more secretive and jumpy. And talk about a feeding response! I guess while I'm on the topic, I have a couple of questions. I was considering moving them to large tupperware containers, (seeing as they don't require supplemental heat) but I feel kinda guilty, like I'm being cheap on them or something... what do you keep y'alls' adult black milks in? Also, what do you recommend feeding your adult black milks? I know they're big, but I'm wary of feeding them rats... kings and milks don't seem to have as flexible jaws or skin as the corns and rats. Last question... I know that all milks and kings are said to eat other snakes, but from y'alls' experiences, do black milks have a strong feeding response towards other snakes? I was planning on buying another subadult female, and out of convenience, was considering housing the two females together. Probably not a good idea, but I wanted some other experiences and opinions. Thanks,

-Mack

I keep my adult black milks in 3ft x 2ft plastic cages. I wouldn't put two of them together in the same cage if I were you. I know some people house milks together and have done so without problems, but I like to keep all my snakes in separate cages. Its just easier to monitor health, feed the animals, etc.

I feed my adults jumbo mice. My female generally eats 2 jumbo mice a week and the male will eat 2 a week right out of brumation then cut back to one a week for the rest of the summer and back up to two right before going into brumation.

Good luck and enjoy these wonderful snakes!

Dave

DNS Reptiles

Shoot, jumbo mice!
My black milks are eating one medium pre killed rat a week! Am I giving them too much food? They dont look obease and never regurge. But please let me know if I am offering too big a food items!
Thanks:
Jason Mc

Sorry for the grainy pic quality.

I don't know...if they're not getting fat and are doing well, I wouldn't worry! Two jumbo mice may equal a med rat - these are JUMBO mice I'm talking about.

Dave
DNS Reptiles

LOL,
I guess your right. I forgot just how big those mice can get. As long as i'm not over doing it.

Thanks again:
Jason Mc

I agree, Even though some house "milks" together sometimes, it isn't worth loosing a nice snake over the possibility of it being eaten!......as the old saying goes,..."an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".... especially if there's a substantial size difference!......not to mention if there is a health problem with one, and is instantly transferred to the other cage mate. I house EVERY SNAKE, seperately, no matter what species it is. It' just good practice.......................Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Ditto on that. Canibalism is very unpredictable.

As for food, my 45" male eats two fuzzy rats every two weeks. My female (approx) 23" is on hopper mice.

Frank

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"The luxury of not getting involved departed with the last lifeboat Skipper..."

That your snakes are doing well, I just fed all mine today!..Did you see my post "Ouuuuch....that hurt!" a while back on this forum?......he "zapped" me a good one, grabbing the rat, and me at the same time!!!LOL.....he stayed on for quite a while!.......that's what happens when you depend on "reading" the snake and your reflexes alone!!!HA Ha!!....it VERY RARELY happens, but they "tag" ya' once in a while!!LOL like I said in the post,...that's what tongs are for!!,....later,.........Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Hey Doug I got a tip for ya, and everybody else. I have a spatula that I use for my mean azz Texas rats! I use it like a mini shield when I reach in for the water bowl and stuff. It’s fun! Like before we had video games! I play “thwart the strike” game. It actually is a very good tool for avoiding those little nips. And those really painful chomps too! It’s real easy to cover their head when you have to grab them too. I wouldn’t recommend it for hots, but just as a little simple shield a regular cheap spatula works great!

of the game being called "thwart the strike"!! that's a good one.....yeah, that would make an excellent handy "shield"...I usually just rely on my ability to react to their movements,but surely agree it is NOT the safest method!!LOL as I can attest to (and many others)....good to hear from you! bye for now, Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

I wouldn't house them together. I haven't kept black milks, but had a female pueblan eat her male counterpart last year. Plus I had an Andean that was slow to start for me and she took the baby mole kings that didn't make it from last year's clutch prior to taking pinkies.

They will eat other snakes given the chance...

My breeder Black Milks eat 1 weaned rat a week (plus an occasional mouse that someone else leaves behind)and they are just right. They each get a 2' x 2' Boaphile with no additional heating above the mid 70's ambient temps.

I have never seen an animal with a greater personality shift when the feeding response kicks in! Those sweet placid snakes are rat wreckers! I have opened the cage with rat in hand and had them come firing out at me mouth agape. One backpedaled me about 3 steps just to avoid getting bit once..very funny. If I have have occasion to toss in another rodent when they are eating the first, they will continue to swallow the first while violently pinning the second (or even a third!)to the cage wall. Hilarious!

But any other time, those are the first snakes I trust when kids visit. Perfect pet, says I.

As far as their feeding response goes, it's crazy! They hit hard. Ever since I started feeding strictly f/t, my male seems to have lost the aggression though. I feel like he's forgotten how to constrict! I decided to treat them to a couple of live rat pups the other week, and all he did was pin it to the ground and start eating, like an indigo! The female still has a dynamite feeding response though, even with the f/t. Hits it hard and immediately wraps it up like a small python! I wonder what their wild eating habits are. Once when my male was a yearling I offered him a skink, (my friend breeds scarlets, so he has some extras on hand every now and then) and he showed no interest. For some reason, I always imagined wild gaigeae to be mainly lizard and snake eaters.

-Mack

Well, I don't feel cheap at all keeping my snakes in tubs, if you think that a snake will most likely prefer the subdued lighting and lowered height, most are when you multiply the length x width are equal and usually greater than when you do the same with aquariums. I find it very easy to keep them in a tub also because they are easier to clean, which if you think about it a big aquarium is heavy and cumbersome at best, you get a chance to really get in and scrub thus offering a healthier environment for your snake. If you think about it an aquarium was'nt really made to be cleaned out, its got tight corners. Most people when they set up an aquarium do water changes and algae scrubs at best only doing full cleanings if disease kills everything off or if the water chemistry goes out of whack.

I would'nt think of it as being cheap, think of it as being smarter, its better for your snakes and cheaper.
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-J.Hill