Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I ran a search on mexican milksnakes and found nothing. If anyone has any info on them than please let me know. Also, what would you say is the easiest milk to take care of.

Did you mean L. mexicana or L. t. annulata? In either case, there's info about them on this site's King & Milk Snake page. I've got a L. t. annulata and he's a really good pet... calm and easily handled, unlike some of the other subspecies mentioned in postings (eg. Pueblan).

L.t. annulata. Could you tell me about your setup and any other info on their captive care such as feeding? I'm really interested in them because like you said they're a lot calmer and make great pets. Thanks for the tip on the caresheets. I also like the small size of the snake.

My Mex milk is in a glass terrarium, 30" long x 12" wide, locked screen top (milks are good at escaping), 2 heat lamps sitting on the screen, UTH at the warm end of the tank (my house is a bit cool in the winter and the UTH made the difference between an iffy appetite and a good appetite, about 3" of cypress mulch substrate (he likes to burrow), log hides cover much of the tank so he can choose to stay at the warm or cool end, and a log hide covers half the water bowl (a little security if he wants to soak).

He eats one dead mouse per feeding. "Dead" is safer and more convenient. Besides, as my wife said, "How do these things survive in the wild? He can barely catch a dead mouse. I'd hate to see him with a live one!" He eats about once per week, although the time period depends on the temperature and his activity level. He prowls a lot more when he starts to get hungry.

He is calm and handles well, as long as I get him off the ground quickly without fuss. The only time he has taken a defensive posture was when I was re-arranging his hides a bit and didn't take him out of the tank first. From that, I learned to pick him up first and play interior decorator second! As I mentioned, he's quite good and my 6 year old daughter handles him (supervised, of course) without difficulty... certainly not the case with my black pine snake (which is still my favourite)!

I've heard that Mex milks are among the calmest of the milk snakes. When I was looking for a milk, I also considered a Honduran. I've heard they're pretty good in temperament, although the sub-adults that I looked at were a bit skittish (might have just been those individuals).

thank you. That answered a lot of my questions. Would you recommend a bigger size than a 20 gallon or should I go for a 30?

As a general rule, I've heard that the length plus the width measurements of a cage should not be shorter than the length of the snake. That, of course, doesn't take the species into account. A python needs less space than a racer of the same size.

My Mex milk is about 3 feet long and still growing. I guess I could house him in a 20 gallon but I prefer to give him a bit of stretching room. To me, he'd be a bit cramped in a 20 gallon... but that's just my opinion. A few years ago, I kept a 3 foot Cal king in a 10 gallon tank (eventually moved him to a bigger tank when I could afford it), so I guess I'm becoming more considerate toward my snakes as I get older.

I forgot to add something in my previous post. I don't know how experienced you are in snake care, so I'll just add this cautionary note. If you decide to use an under-tank heater, make sure you monitor the temperature carefully. I plug my UTH into a lamp dimmer (most UTHs run too hot in my opinion) and take a temp reading right on the glass above the UTH. After all, in theory, your snake could burrow and end up right on top of the UTH.

annulata are great. Hatchlings are really squirmy, but as they age they calm down nicely. I have adults housed in cages no bigger than a 10 gal tank, and they thrive (not saying you can't go bigger). They do like to remain out of site, so if you get one, be prepared to not see it as much as you might like.

Years ago I took one to a field to take a picture. I set the snake down on a dirt path, and in a split second it managed to find a patch of tall grass and went underneath. I couldn't find it. Unbelievable. Just like that. I learned quickly that annulata are very adept at getting out of site quickly. Never underestimate their ability to escape. Don't take them out in a field.

I keep mine roughly 82-84 highs and 70s low. They brumate in Winter. Darn adaptable and easy to raise. Adults are truly nice to hold, but be aware that it is best not to overhandle any milksnake.

Oh, in my opinion they have a much better personality than any Pueblan or Honduran, all in a nice compact package.