Reptile & Amphibian Forums

1) Is there any good source for captive born eastern milks?

2) If not, does anyone know of a good time and place in PA to look for easterns (lookied in Phila., Delaware & Montgomery Co. but no luck!)

3) Probably been asked a ton but has anyone tried to "make" their own coastal plains milks?

To answer your questions:

1) There are captive bred easterns available from breeders in spring/summer (although not as many as with other types of milks). Watch the classified ads here on kingsnake.com or elsewhere.

2) Finding milks in the wild is not an easy task - they are very secretive animals and are only likely to be active on the surface (beneath ground cover) during the right conditions. Figuring out those conditions and hunting in suitable habitats is what it's all about. I'm not overly familiar with your area of the country, but from what I've heard, all the counties you've hunted have suitable milk habitat. HOWEVER... Be fully aware that some states have strict laws against collecting native reptiles and amphibians. I believe PA to be one of them.

3) Yes, but ... F1 crosses are unlikely to resemble the desired "true" coastal look. Realize that (assuming a number of things I won't get into: e.g. - temporalis is truly an elapsoidesXtriangulum intergrade) coastal plains milks have a wide range of phenotypes, resulting from varying degrees of genetic contribution from elapsoides and triangulum from thousands of generations of genetic blending. Often only the most attractive locales are seen in the hobby.

Maybe someone else will jump in here...

Hope this helps
-Cole

Perry Lake, Kansas L.t.syspila

As a fellow Pennsylvanian....

Pennsylvania laws are such that you may collect and keep one native reptile (excluding certain species). Eastern Milks are legal to catch and keep, but legally you can only have one, and you are technically supposed to then apply for a permit to keep it. The permits would not be hard to get. Also, for some species of reptiles in Pennsylvania, you must buy a fishing license to collect... Can't remember if you need one for Eastern Milks, but you can find out on the fish and boat commission's website http://www.fish.state.pa.us/mpag1.htm

PS if you are successful, let me know about your adventures-i've been looking for milk snakes for some time now and only come up with shovel victims .

ALL reptile and amphibian in Pa require a fishing lisence to collect at all

snapping turtles require an additional permit if you plan on selling them *(I think $25...?I forget...) they have a season and limit but no size limit......hooks are size limited and need to be tagged ,,name addy and phone nymber,,not sure if number of hooks set is limited....

venomous snakes require an additional permit to collect OR hunt technically......copperheads and or timber rattlers....they have a season and a size limit and number of sub-caudal limit.(male only) limit one per year, in season, with permit

there are alot of off limit reps and amphibians now......
no collecting of wood turtles,bog,eastern mud,spotted,box turtles , broad headed skinks and a bunch of salamanders....

.yet , shovels kill all kinds of stuff when scared wussy morons find them and alot of people actually collect rattlers and eat them as they please......and anyone who doesn't have a fishing lisence and never heard of these rules keeps what they want for pets.....as with box turtles crossing the road that little Johnny just has to have and grandpa is dumb enough to stop for.......35 years of living to end up in a cardboard box being fed iceburg lettuce......Duh?.LOL......

......good luck......

.....hopefully I get out in the woods this year and find something..even bags of shrooms would be nice.........mmmmmmmmm
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Thank You Monitor

I bred alot of coastals years ago and would get a HUGE female scarlet sent to me once in a while. But realize its not just size, its timing and smell(pheromones)that gets most snakes to breed. I know Carl B actually did that cross a long time ago, babies were uneventful and I certainly would not recommend it to a newbie.
Milks are where you find em, get out of the house and you could have a day like this...ps, all milks (save 1)were later released...