Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What size enclosures do you guys use for adult black milks? If you keep them in a rack what size tubs do you use? I'm thinking of picking up a pair this year.

I have a pair of 2 yrs olds and they each live in a 55 gallon tank. On the horizon is a custom built, stackable, 4x2 enclosure for each one. I use a thick layer of shredded aspen and they love to burrow tunnels from hide to hide. They are awesome snakes!
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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net

Do you have any pics? Can you tell me how long your's are. I have one that is over two years old but I am conerned that it should be a lot bigger.

Thanks,
Miller
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0.1.12 Florida King ('00 Pearl,'06 Hatchlings)
1.1 Eastern Kings (2004 Orca & Sugar Pie)
1.0 Black Milksnake (2004 Bubba)
0.1 Okeetee Corn (Pumpkin)
0.1 Northern Pine
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

Miller,

Mine turned 2 yrs old last September. At that time they were approx 40 inches and over 370 grams. They are much larger now and I'll have to measure and weigh them to get their latest stats.

They eat 1-2 weaned rats per week. The weaned rats I feed are the size of jumbo adult mice and they make a slight bulge after eating.

This link will show pics as they've matured into black adults.

http://members.toast.net/blackswampserpents/ontogenetic.htm

How much do yours weigh and what do you feed them?
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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net

unfortunately I don't weight and measure my "pets" so I can give you that information. I think mine should be further along than he is compared to the link you sent. i am a bit concerned that I am doing something wrong now. I will post a pic later. He seems very healthy and is not thin by any means but not nearly as big and black as yours. thanks for the reply, I will post a pic tomorrow. I got mine from John Cherry's son at a show in Houston, to be honest I forget if he is an '04 or an 05. I hope for his sake he is an 05 but even then I think he is way too small. The pic attached is from awhile back he is a bit darker now.

Miller

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0.1Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

If he seems healthy and in good proportion then I'd say you're not doing anything wrong at all. As you can see from the link I sent, the black "takes over" differently for each snake. Yours may just take a little longer. Were the parents black? Evaluate your feeding schedule to make sure he's getting the proper sized prey on a regular schedule. With each shed they get darker. But, by all means, never power-feed a snake to make them grow quicker than normal.
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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net

before I moved to Chicago I was breeding my own rats. he was eating small fuzzy rats that weren't too big but definitely were filling for him. Maybe I am confused on his age since from what I can tell they breed at a different time than NA kings. He is healthy for sure it just seems others his age are much bigger. Wanted to post a current photo but too big for KS. Hope to get a program to resize soon

thanks again,
Miller
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0.1Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

Here is a not so good pic I was able to edit

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0.1Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

He looks in great shape, not too thin or heavy. I wouldn't worry about him at all. The yellow is becoming muddied by black tipping as is the red. Looks fine to me. My milks were born in Sept. As far as feeding goes, I would try a rat pup on him. If the belly bulges slightly after feeding you know you've hit the target prey size. Or if you have a lot of fuzzies left, feed 2 each week. If there is no bulge at all, you can usually move up the prey size to the next larger rodent. Hope that helps.
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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net

N/P
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0.1Florida King
1.1 Eastern Kings
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Chow Chow (2003 Papi)
0.1 Cats (Shug)

I have two adult females (unfortunately) that are over 5 feet and I keep them in Freedom breeder large trays. The trays are 27.5 x 33 inches and are plenty big enough for them.

Here's the URL for the size cage I use -www.freedombreeder.com/cage.php?cageID=16

I have also kept them in the smaller size (17 x 33) but I thought they were a little smaller than I like for such a big snake.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Hello,
My adults live in a custom built cage that's 4 feet wide and about 18 inches deep (front to back). They are both right around 6 feet long (the male a couple inches over, the female a few under) and it seems to be a good size for them.

The pic below shows me in front of the cage with Sonny... he lives in the bottom compartment, Cher in the center, and Columbia, my Sinaloan, on top.

Nate

Great looking snake Nate. And the enclosures look awesome. At 6 feet long what are you feeding your milks and how often? Thanks.
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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net

Hello,
It varies, but they generally get one or two adult mice per week. I'll be feeding Cher a bit more this time of year; she's got some eggs to make! Sonny gets fed a bit less because he's a heavier than I'd like him to be (lots of white peeking out between those black scales), and he will often refuse to eat during the breeding season. I skipped feeding him last week because I brought him to the All New England Reptile Expo this past weekend, and didn't want him making a mess in his travel cage, or on anyone at the show. He was handled nonstop by dozens of different people from 9AM until 4PM, and at the end of the day, was still calm and composed as ever. Actually, my black milks have never defecated on me, though my Sinaloan does it all the time. I've seen some caresheets mention this phenomenon and at first wrote it off as anecdotal, but it seems like it's true, black milks really don't crap on their owners. Has your experience been similar?

Nate

Hey Nate,
Thanks for replying on the feeding schedule. Yeah, my black milks are pretty laid back for milksnakes. I've never been musked/defecated on either. Mine do seem a little timid and jumpy, especially around the head, but admitedly I haven't held them as much lately as I've wanted to. I'll have to step it up. I also have a large adult male sinaloan and he's pretty calm for a sinaloan, lucky I guess. He did let go on a friend once but only that time. He's been to various demos over the years and that likely attributed to his calm demeanor. I've attached a pic of my male. Take care.

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Ken Roshak
BlackSwampSerpents@toast.net