Eastern Milks

seann · 08-23-04, 11:23 AM

Heyy a month ago i caught a wild milk it laid eggs and i am incubating them right now and i was wondering does anyone know of a good area in the GtA where i could release these guys when the hatch? I wanna make sure i release them where theirs plenty off food and where they can live and repopulate.
Sean Mackay

Katt · 08-23-04, 11:29 AM

I thought e. milks were illegal to own in Ontario??

If not you're incredibly lucky. I want an eastern milk so bad. My first snake was an eastern milk and he passed on last year.

They're great li'l snakes. The babies are a pain.

Can't say I know a good place to release, but if you don't find a home, send them to me!!!!!!!

lisa marie · 08-23-04, 11:45 AM

My husband caught an eastern milksnake about a month ago and brought him home to me. I kept him overnight with a shallow dish of water and some aspen shavings. I released him the next day. I usually don't like milksnakes, but boy was he a cutie! It was a tiny little baby.

seann · 08-23-04, 11:48 AM

Katt I dont own any and i think they are illegal, i had no idea she was pregnant and was planning on relaeasing her then she laid them I realesed mommy after she laid the eggs, I will find a place for the babies when they hatch somone just told me about a park called the bruce trail aparently its a huge national park, will probably release them their

seann · 08-23-04, 11:52 AM

When I found the mom I thought she was an Anery corn shes was amazing, i was happy i was like yes yes ! then i looked at the head and i was like nonono dammit! But on the other hand it was kool all i ever find is garters and watersnakes so it was exciting, I wanna find a black Rat snake that would be kool

corrado · 08-23-04, 02:45 PM

just release the babys where you find the female.

marisa · 08-23-04, 02:47 PM

Yeah I would release the babies near the place you found their mother.

The Bruce Trail area is also a good idea, but another good idea would be looking up normal ranges for Eastern Milks or where there are good populations of them, and finding a safe spot near there. That info should be fairly easy to find using google or some such for a search.

Marisa

Jayson · 08-23-04, 08:57 PM

It is never a good idea to release snakes after they have been brought into a home where exotics are kept, they can pick up pathogens from your snakes and take them back to the wild population. Even releasing the babies in a different area then the mother was found can have the same effect.

Now your problem is it is Illegal to keep them and just plain wrong to release them.

I understand that your intentions are all good, but that dont change the facts or reduce the risks.

seann · 08-24-04, 01:37 PM

I don't see any risk on sneding new born hatchlings out in the wild, My house is well maintained and there's no way they can pick up any kind of disiese i am releasing them in the wild not a question! and if i did release them where i found the mom it wouldn't be good for the little fellows becuase I found the mom in the middle of the suburbs their is no fields or trees everything is being turned into a plaza, i think they'd have a better chance in a protected park.

Jayson · 08-24-04, 03:59 PM

Just giving you Info Passed on to me by some of the best field herpers I have ever met and probably the best in ontario.
I was just looking out for the best interest of the snakes in your area and the snakes you now have, but you do what ever makes you feel better!!

Also it has been my experience that milks do very well in the suburbs.

Katt · 08-24-04, 04:17 PM

There you go, you should just send those little cuties here!

Honestly though, what is this guy's choice now? Keep the babies? Release the babies? Done bun can't be undone.

Cerastes · 08-24-04, 05:14 PM

Jayson is quite correct. You should ONLY release the youngsters at the site of capture. I hope you released the mother there too. His point about contamination had nothing to do with your house - I'm sure it is quite clean. It had to do with exposure to exotic reptiles. Wild snakes that are exposed to exotic ones in a captive environment without proper quaranteen, may not only endanger the little baby milks, but possibly a large portion of the existing population upon release! Please take this advice! It would be wrong to do anything else! If you have already exposed these animals to exotic species, euthanizing would be the correct thing to do, although I certainly would have a problem doing that before exploring all other options. BTW, it IS illegal to be in possession of the snakes, their eggs, or any other part of them - even temporarily. Just an FYI, not to be a lecturer!

I really am just trying to help!
Steve

Katt · 08-24-04, 05:29 PM

Well there you go! If you need an address to send those baby milks to. PM me!

Cerastes · 08-24-04, 07:37 PM

Actually, Seann would be breaking SEVERAL laws by doing that. That wouldn't be good! Hopefully, he's kept them away from exotics, and can simply release them where the mother was found!

BTW Suburbia can be decent milk habitat. I've even caught them in downtown Toronto!!

Katt · 08-24-04, 07:44 PM

Well that's no fun.

Where oh where can I get an eastern milk in Canada?