Reptile & Amphibian Forums

today i caught a milk and took it home, its really small, about 1.5 feet and about as wide as a pencil.

should i feed him worms until hes big enough for a pinky or is he big enough yet?
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

He/She's definatly ready at that size. It may or may not take pinks right away but if it does, great. Just begin with a smaller one...judge by the size of your snakes head.
-Sean

what should i feed him now?

fish, worms/slug, beetle/cricket?
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

you didn't mention what species it was...it it an eastern milk?
where was it found?

A milk snake at 1.5' and big around as a pencil can easily a small pinkie mouse. Spilt the nose of a forzen thawed pinkie (to get a little brain matter on the nose) and place the milk snake in a very small conatainer like a deli cup or even a ventilated vitamin conainer, with the pinkie and leave overnight.

That's the first thing to try. It very well may work. Many young milks can't resist the strong odor in a small area like that and the darkness gives them the security they need.

If that does not work...next step is a small live pinkie...
good luck

yes its an eastern, i found it in my grand parents garden (bennington vermont)

im not sure if a wild snake will reconize a pinkie but ill try

i cought him yesterday so im in no rush
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

hes actualy smaller than that, im a bad guesser and when i said that i had only seen hi coiled up
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

He will know what a pinky is.
It's hardwired.

Get a very small one, f/t and the split nose in a small container. Leave it overnight and avoid the temtation to check it until morning. You would be suprised how large of animals they canb get down. I have seen newly hatched eastern milks eat day old pinks...I had one "explode" the pinky from trying so hard, and eventually got it down and kept it down.

thanks for the advice, i think ill wait a couple of days to get him adjusted to captivity better then try it
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

what if he just doesnt want to eat?
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)

I would try to put 2-3 inches of mulch in her cage and lots of hiding places and put a day old pinkie in over night. I have a wc adult female that ate a large pinkie the first time I fed her and she layed 8 perfect eggs (shes only 30 inches long)on 7/12/05 and are due to hatch in 2 weeks and 3 days. She just ate 2 hopper mice yesterday.

but if it does not eat in a few weeks i say release it as they can be poor eaters in captivity. you don't want it to die. Also they are good at getting out of a tank , i lost a few myself.

i almost found that out the hard way, i looked it the tank and it was hanging from the lip of the working at the top so i put it back in the tank and put a brick on it
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my addiction:
2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1 amelenistic corn snake (mazy)
1 wc eastern milksnake (psycho)