How do you take care of a baby milk snake?

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asked Sep 23, 2022 in Snakes by Timweaver (2,910 points)
How do you take care of a baby milk snake?

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answered Sep 23, 2022 by Kgarfield (6,410 points)
To care for a baby milk snake or adult milk snake ensure they have proper housing and a large enough aquarium, provide them with heat with a heat lamp and make sure they eat a proper diet and have plenty of water.

As hatchlings, milk snakes should be fed weekly on defrosted pinky mice, as the snake grows the food size should be increased until the snake is taking large mice or even jumbos.

Adult milk snakes can be fed once every two weeks as they can become overweight if fed weekly.

A water bowl large enough for the snake to get in to should be provided on the cool end of the enclosure.

Milk snakes should be kept on a dry substrate to avoid humidity building up in the enclosure.

Whilst any loose substrate has the potential to be accidentally swallowed, we have found this to not be a problem with coarse beech woodchips and that is what we keep our milk snakes on.

It is also very easy to clean.

Whilst milk snakes are not an arboreal snakes, they do like to climb on top of things to survey their surroundings.

The vivarium should be decorated with various pieces of wood to enable them to do this.

The milk snake vivarium can be decorated with artificial plants for a more natural look.

A hiding spot at each end of the enclosure will allow the snake to move freely and thermoregulate without feeling insecure.

Milk snakes mainly on mice, but will also take other small mammals, other snakes, birds and their eggs, and slugs.

Milk snakes are found throughout the eastern United States, into southern Canada, and south into Mexico and Central America.

They have a Nearctic distribution.

The milk snake is not poisonous to humans and is nonvenomous to humans.

Milk snakes are pretty harmless to humans although they can bite when they are provoked or feel threatened.

A good way to identify a milk snake is to look at it's colors as milk snakes are most often red, white and yellow body.

A red Milk snake has a white or yellow body with red, reddish-brown, or orange-red, black-bordered blotches on the back.

Small, black markings also occur along the sides.

Red milk snakes are as big as 21 inches to 28 inches long when full grown and they can be aggressive when threatened or when you get too close to them.

The easiest way to tell the difference between a milk snake and a scarlet snake is the size as scarlet snakes such as the scarlet king snake is smaller than the milk snake although they are the same species.

A red Milk snake has a white or yellow body with red, reddish-brown, or orange-red, black-bordered blotches on the back.

Small, black markings also occur along the sides.

The Scarlet Kingsnake has a red snout and alternating bands of red, black, and yellow the length of the body in which red touches black but not yellow.

The Scarlet Kingsnake is considerably smaller than the milk snake although they are the same species.

King Snakes and Milk Snakes are the same as well.

The difference between a king snake and a milk snake is the name as king snakes and milk snakes are actually the same snake.

The milk snakes are one species that belong to the wider genus of king snakes.

The snake that is most often mistaken for a copperhead snake is the milk snake which is very similar in appearance to the copperhead snake.

You can tell a copperhead from a milk snake by appearance of the colors of the snake as the copperhead snake has a much richer copper tone to it's skin color.

The snake that looks like a milk snake is the copperhead snake.

Copperhead snakes are very similar in looks to the milk snake.

The basic color of the milk snake and copperhead snake is rusty brown, but the copperhead has a much richer copper tone.

Furthermore, both species of snakes have dark bands that cross over the back and reach down the sides.

The milk snake's “saddles” are bordered in black and are widest across the back.

Milk snakes do not drink milk from cows.

Although they are called milk snakes the milk snake does not drink any milk from cows although it was thought by farmers that milk snakes would suck the milk from their cows as the cows had low milk yields.

But it's just a myth as cows are cold blooded reptiles and they need water to survive but snakes cannot digest milk or dairy products.

The reason it's called a milk snake is because of the belief that the milk snake is thought to suck milk from cows at night.

Milk snakes are pretty friendly snakes and are not aggressive unless they need to be.

If the milk snake sees you as a threat or they are provoked then they will bite you and be aggressive but most often the milk snake will leave humans alone.

Milk snakes are found in areas such as Central America, southern Canada, south into Mexico and throughout the eastern United States.

Milk snakes do stink when they emit and excrete a musky scent from their anal glands which is smelly but not harmful.

A milk snake lives around 15 years in the wild and when kept as a pet or in captivity the milk snake can live as long as 20 years.

Lampropeltis triangulum, commonly known as the milk snake or milksnake, is a species of kingsnake; 24 subspecies are currently recognized.

Lampropeltis elapsoides, the scarlet kingsnake, was formerly classified as a 25th subspecies, but is now recognized as a distinct species.

Milk snakes are attracted to things such as food, water, moisture, warmth, mice, leaf piles, rocks, brush, wood piles, pet food, bird baths, dense shrubbery, compost, weeds, tall grass and plants.

Snakes can see but snakes cannot see very well.

Snakes have eyesight and it's how they can see you and other things around them but the eyesight the snakes have is not very good.

Stomping really hard can scare snakes away or even making loud noises and chasing them away can get rid of them.

Snakes are actually more scared of us humans than us humans are of them.

Snakes will leave a house on it's own within time.

However if the snake is not leaving you really should try to find it and kill it or get it removed from your house.

If you find a snake in your garage or in a room leading to the outside, shut the inside doors and open the door leading outside so the snake can slither out.

The snake should leave fairly quickly.

Snakes don't have an odor so you cannot really smell a snake in the house.

Although snakes can leave droppings and you might be able to smell snake poop but not the snakes themselves.

Killing a snake does not attract other snakes.

Snakes are not social animals so they will not be attracted by another snake being killed.

One snake in a house does not always mean more snakes are around.

Snakes are not social animals and don't usually travel or hang around in packs or more than one but if you have one snake it's likely just that one snake.

But just be on the lookout for any other snakes that could possibly come around later.

Snake droppings are dark brown and look somewhat similar to rat droppings or even rabbit droppings.

Fresh snake poop is usually dark brown, but it turns chalky as it dries out.

Because they defecate relatively infrequently, their droppings are large and thick, and often mushy and slimy.

The best way to know if a snake or snakes are around are to listen for slithers and sounds the snake may make.

Also look for the snake itself in places they could be hiding.

Snake droppings are also another way to see if snakes are around or have been around.

Snakes have a habit of moving along walls and baseboards to avoid detection.

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