Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I was recently offered a fresh hatched clutch of L.T. Syspila and I'm just looking for some info on their care etc...
I can't believe how tiny these guys are!
Any feeding tips, temps and general care info would be appreciated. Also, how much do they usually sell for? I can't find prices anywhere.

Thanks!

Really? Doesn't anyone have advice or info?

I am no expert on syspila... I would have liked to offer answers to your questions but... I'm no expert on syspila.

Only thing I can say is they need to be a little pricey... lowest cost I can recall is about $150 each.

I'm curious why you're being offered these animals for free... I know things are a little tight for everyone these days days but still... for honest to god syspila someone could knock down the price to $75 and still be better off than free.

If none of the experts here offer advice on your more important questions I'll send you an email and help out as best I can... if I were being offered them for free I'd take them and try to learn about them real fast!

Gerry

Hi Gerry,

Thanks for the response!

So I didn't actually get them for free but more of a wholesale price I guess. I was buying some other milk & king snakes and had the syspila group offered to me. They were newly hatched and tiny so he gave me a good deal.
I had never even heard of red milks before (I'm in the Pacific Northwest), so I did a google search and found some info but there isn't much about care and feeding.
I'm going to see the parents tomorrow and I'll take some pics to see if anyone can guess the locality.
I plan to keep a pair or trio and sell the rest when they are feeding regularly.

Cheers,
Simon

Simon,

Hatchling syspila typically feed on small lizards, snakes, and Peromyscus mouse pinkies in the wild. They are typically NOT inclined to feed on domestic mouse (Mus) pinkies, and are often too small to do so. There are several alternatives that those of us who work with them use. Offering lizard-scented domestic mouse pinky heads (sort of gross the first few times, but you get over it quickly) seems to work well. If the heads are refused, you can either offer frozen/thawed lizards (assuming they're available - and Anolis don't generally work) or force feed.

Keep them in fairly small, tight enclosures. Deli cups work well. Milks spend most of their time under surface objects and large, open spaces freak them out.

Prices vary considerably depending on locality, appearance, and whether or not they're feeding. I'd say anywhere between $25 and $200.
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-Cole