Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here is a pic of my female Eastern Milksnake, from Luray, Virginia. About 1/2 mile from Luray Caverns.

Steve

.

Thanks for looking.

Steve

Is it actually legal to catch and keep wild animals in Va. It wasn't by chance on National Forest was it? I hope you have your fun with it and put it back were you found it!

It might be a good idea to ask your question and wait for the answer rather than accuse first.
-----
Steve W.

Unless it's on a threatend/enangerd list, you can keep certain native Va. species. If I lived in Georgia, then there would be a problem.
As far as your second question, was it on a national forest? Not a chance. This Eastern milk is not from any national forest, state park, county park, etc. It was found on private property behind a Car Dealership in the town of Luray, and was not caught by me, but by another individual who received a call to have the milk removed from the property.
And yes, I when I've "Had my fun with it",I could let it go, but since I'm about 150 miles from it's locality, and it's a somewhat longterm captive, I'm not sure how good an idea that would be to turn it loose in a different part of the state. I have quite a few snakes, and all but two are Captive Bred, so just to ease your mind, I do not go out and collect wild caught snakes. The only two I have that are wild caught is this one, which was given to me, and a king I purchased at a reptile show.

Steve

"Is it actually legal to catch and keep wild animals in Va. It
wasn't by chance on National Forest was it? I hope you have your fun with it and put it back were you found it!"

There is nothing wrong with collecting a snake for your collection (as long as it is legal). There are some people who take the anti-collecting persona a bit too far. I am not condoning mass collecting or commercial collecting, but that is not what you did.

It appears that your milk has some water blisters. Is it in shed? A good way to get those water blisters off is to provide a small heat lamp for the snake before it sheds. Once it sheds, the blisters will come off and if they don't, they will the next shed.

Very pretty snake!

Also...National Forests are legal to collect in.

Steve,
I would like to appologize for the last guy's comment. I used to be all about keeping captive bred and putting back the wild caught snakes until about two years ago when I caught the nicest looking mole king that I've ever seen. I kept it for a week or so and then felt guilty for keeping such a nice "wild" animal, so I released it where I caught it. About two months later, the entire lot where it was caught and released was bulldozed. I learned a big lesson there...if you like something and are willing to be responsible with it then there is no harm in keeping a W/C animal. Land development is the biggest threat to the survival of these animals.

Very nice snake. I always wondered what they look like from VA. My mom is from Henry Co. and I've visited several times and caught several snakes there, but never a milk. Thanks for sharing.

Michael
Conover, NC

Not a big deal Michael. He assumed I was the one who caught the snake, he assumed wrong. As I had said above, just about all of my animals are captive bred, with the exception of two. An Eastern king purchased at a show, and the milksnake above, which was given to me. I don't have a problem with collecing once in a while if it's not overdone
Glad you like the Easten Milk. She's in shed now, but when she's done I'll post some new pics. See ya on the Kingsnake Forum.

Steve