Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got a neonate (6-7 inches long) eastern milk snake . I know what adults eat, but what do I feed the young'n? Small crickets? Slugs maybe? I'm at a loss here . Thanks in advance.

Quig

Baby Eastern Milks usually only eat other snakes and skinks/lizards. I've heard some having success with salamanders, but I've never tried it.

Never heard of babies eating slugs, worms, and no snake should be fed crickets.

Mike
Michael's Place

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OK, this is gonna be difficult. Guess I start combin' the woods. Thanks for the reply.

Quig

"no snake should be fed crickets "
Tell that to my keeled green snake, he may not be happy to hear this

I should've said, no snake should be fed crickets if they aren't known for eating crickets!

What happened to that female eastern milk?

Mike
Michael's Place

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Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

My female died and my male(pictured)escaped, btw the babys eat little worm snakes, garter snakes etc and will eat their siblings as well.

Sorry for your loss. I woke up this morning to find I had a calabar escape in the night .

While trying to convince my new eastern to take a day old pinkie it got distracted this morning and ate a small cricket. So, snakes being opertunist in general, it looks like they will take whatever gets their attention first. Not to worry, I'll keep pushin' pinkies on him.

Quig

I have had limited success in keeping eastern milks, I've fed them other snakes mainly garters, salamanders, and pinkies. try scenting pinkies with garter musk. also try different times Ie day night. also if you can find wild pinkies they sometimes will get a fussy eater to go. good luck and keep us posted
Wayne

If you can get new new NEW born pinky mice they should be able to get one down. I've had them literaly "explode" the pinky trying to get it down with their tiny heads, but they do manage.
I have had newborns get down a small pinky, exploded...guts and all, as their first meal.

They certainly eat other things than baby lizards. Eastern milks are found in many regions where there are no native lizards.

If you can't get the pinkys to work, you can try a little trick I learned from Jeff Hardwick...cut off a tail from a f/t fuzzy mouse and very gently open the mouth and encourage it to swallow it. It's not quite force feeding, and they may suck it right down like spaghetti once it's in their mouth.

Do this every 3-4 days and they will imprint on the mouse smell and should eventually start taking small pinkies.

and then letting it thaw? I wouldn't thaw it in water at that point, or you would end up with mush. And if you try to slit it AFTER you thaw it, you end up with mush.
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phflame

Fortunately mice are bein' born all round me at this point LOL. Got 5 females droppin' em like crazy. Unfortunately I have the milk in with my five-lined skinks temporarly. They have been snatchin' and eatin' the pinkies before the milk can find em . I've got him in a small tub with a pinkie now. If it doesn't take I'll go with the tail thing. Thanks for the tip.

Quig

The tail tip worked . Looks like I'm on my way to bein' the proud owner of an eatin' Eastern Milk. Thanks again for the tip.

Quig