Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been looking at milksnakes the past few weeks out of curiosity. I am interested in them and hope at some point in the future to get one (or a pair). What would you all think would be the best "beginner" milksnake be? I have read that the pueblan is the best, but they are all gorgeous so it's a tough call to decide. I do have several years experience with pythons and boas just not colubrids...
Any thoughts or comments?
Thank you for your time.
T. Moodie

Nelsons are a great "starter" milk. Pueblans are squirmy as babies and most never seem to calm down. I'd also recommend Mexican milks and Sinaloans. In addition to being almost as calm as a corn snake, Nelson's have some pretty good morphs.

Tim

Third Eye

It is rare to find a peublan that isn't high strung, even as an adult. If you get hatchling peublans, expect to be squirted when you pick them up for about a year or so.

I'd have to agree 100% with Tim. Sinaloans, Nelsons or Mexican milks are typically calm as hatchlings, usually eat very well and are pretty hardy snakes. All of these are beautiful, so you can't go wrong with any of them.

Good luck!

Dave

DNS Reptiles

Nobody proposed a nice normal tri-color hondo?? What could be easier and, right now, less expensive??
Hondos and MX black kings are about as indestructable as any Lampro can be....
Just be aware that hondos are master escapers.
Jeff

Yeah,...and others, as you know can be "master crappers" and just plain little freaks that go BONKERS!...LOL

On the other hand, I have had, and seen many that were VERY manageable right from the egg, and were unbelievably calm and well mannered at all times. But in general, I wouldn't recommend a Honduran as a "first-timer" animal. The others that were mentioned are more typically calmer, and more even tempered as neonates. I find(and you might agree) that alot of it has to do with how good one is about holding them very slowly, and calmly from the very start, that way, they associate being handled as being tollerable, and nothing to be afraid of, as opposed to some jerk moving his giant "monster" hand towards the animal, making it explode off onto the ground, then frantically grabbing at it again with the "monster" hand AGAIN!!..LOL....that always gives the neonate snake a very pleasant experience!(sarcasm of course!)

Jeff, You know about little freak snakes from working with those little "springs" known as N.A.Milks!!..LOL

While we're on the subject though, you have alot more experience with N.American Milks than I do, what would be your recommendation as generally being the calmest, less nervous of the N. Am Milks to someone?....if there is such a thing!

later buddy!, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

The MBK(Mexican Black Kingsnakes) species you mentioned Jeff, really are absolute dreams generally as far as being easy-going!

They are definitely hard to beat in my opinion too!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Hmmm, most calm NA milk? The one that's squashed on the road! Cheap to feed too!
Sorry, couldn't resist that.....you know how it goes with these milks - the nates are rarely manageable but settle down very nicely as adults usually. I've seen some adults that did not tolerate handling of course but by and large, the NA milks will come searching for food when you're in the room and handle very nicely.
I think we get our first experience handling an adult gentilis or syspila at a show where the lights have heated up the cage, the snake has been bounced around for 2-3 days and the snake might be wild caught (or just hysterical) so we asssume they're all problematic.
My experience is just elapsoides, taylori, gentilis, syspila, and pales and they're all easy captives with good attitudes. An elapsoides that tolerates handling is a rarity tho...
Jeff

Yeah!,.....I figured there really isn't much of an ABSOLUTE answer to the question. I really couldn't agree with you more on the points you made, as there are many variables to the milksnake equation. Some are dreams, and some are freaks, and most are somewhere in between,...that pretty much sums up ALL MILKSNAKES in general!..LOL...know what I mean?

The only N.American Milks I've owned in the past were elapsoides. I actually had a few before that were unbelievably calm and quite willing to be held easily. I remember one of my breeders would actually come up to the lid of the container and snatch pinkies from my hand!....you know how uncommon THAT is!

Again, I find that gentle, careful handling can be key in how they associate with people. Meaning, it HAS to help if being held is NOT a traumatic experience every time they are held. People like us that have MANY years of experience, can tend to anticipate their moves and such. Another thing I find extremely beneficial in holding milks is,.....don't let them see your free-hand come towards them, move the hand you HAVE them in towards your "free-hand" in an "escalator" fashion, and keep repeating the process. Many times, they basically consider you as just an object to crawl on,......well, sometimes anyway!..LOL

later buddy! ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

I want to thank everyone for your responses. I'm glad to find out that pueblans can be high strung "squirters" beforehand.
They are all gorgeous snakes so making a choice will ultimately be difficult, but I'm in no rush. I feel it's better to take the time to research and learn about the animal before purchase not after.
What was mentioned about being gentle when picking them up is so true, the baby spotted python I used to have was very calm and relaxed, sometimes I was asked how I managed to pick him up without getting bitten. It was just taking the time to coax him into my hand instead of just swooping down and grabbing him.
Who would you all recommend as a reputable breeder of nelsons, sinaloans?? I've found a few good looking places, but like I said I'm new to milksnakes so I am unsure...
Thanks again for all your responses!
Tmoodie

PS: Beautiful snakes!! Thnk you for sharing.

hmm........my $.02 cents.......

almost all milks are crazy and all are escape artists if the oportunity arrises.....eastern milks are the only 3 snakes I never found after getting out....

all milks are sweet.......

some are biters and some are squirters.......(alot).

guess it depends on how well you take getting bitten and splattered ?.......

depends on how big of an adult you want in the end?........and do you want to breed or just to have a pet...?

and remember some milks have a habit of hiding all the time.....

....my anulata was calm.......my temporalis are actually pretty calm almost........the pales I just got from Hardwick are actually pretty well mannered........and set at the front of the box to watch me all the time now and eat from cups already....the pueblans I had before were well mannered compared to the 3 crappers I have now.....hondos are ....hondos(nuts?).....

.....just get whatever you want.....you can handle the troubles........
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