Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i am picking up my first milksnake tomorrow and i has a couple of questions.. what do they feed on at first.. i think it is still a baby and looks pretty thin ( not sick thin,but newborn thin). do they eat pinky mice or can they start on small mice.

also, what are their requirements..temp,humidity, etc..

i am keeping her in a 20 gallon long which will be her setup for life since the guy told me she only gets about 3 feet long.. can this be true or do milksnakes get bigger?

are they aggresive snakes at first and do you have to tame them yourself.. or are they tame for the most part.

any info you can give a new owner will be appreciated

thanks ahead of time steve

1 male - 1 female brazilian rainbow boa
1 female veiled chameleon
1 maler emperor scorpion
1 male pac man frog
2 albino - 1 snow leopard geckos
2 tokay geckos
and 1 albino milksnake tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

What kind of milk snake is it??
Michael
Michael's Place

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Depends on what type of milk snake you are getting. I have a tangerine honduran and from what I've read they can get to 5-6 foot long. If he does I think he will be outgrowing his 20 gallon tank.
Milk snakes are nervous so need gentle constant handling. Mine was a nervous wreck when I first got him. He has calmed down with gentle, constant handling.
I started mine out in a 10 gallon as a baby. He is going on a year old. I moved him to a 20 long shortly after I got him since he was restless all the time. A 20 gallon might be to large for a baby at first. Provide plenty of hiding places. (Paper towel rolls make great hides). Don't be alarmed if you don't see him out at all. Mine hides 24/7.
I started mine out on pinkies. If you can feeding Frozen/Thawed meals is much safer for the snake. Pinkies take no time at all to thaw.
I don't do much with keeping humidity.I have the screen lid so have half covered with seran wrap to help keep heat/humidity in. I have an under the tank heater. 'Zorro' has 2 water bowls and several hiding places. When he is going to shed then I'll mist down his tank a little and mist him as well. He just shed the other day. It was a perfect shed.
I had a light on him, bulb burnt out, but read they don't need extra lighting as long as they can get some natural day light, not direct sun light. So they have a natural day / night cycle. My other snakes lights are on timers.
Enjoy you milk snake! And reserch all you can about it.

this is the closest i got to seeing a pic of it...

http://www.albinotricolors.com/images/00alb2_3hyp.jpg

and also this one... these are the two pics that came close to looking like the snake i could find... hope this helps you guys out to help me

http://www.albinotricolors.com/images/00hyb1b.jpg