Milksnake size?

***Beth*** · 03-19-11, 02:11 PM

Hi all!
There's a reptile show tomorrow and I'm thinking about picking up a milksnake. I heard the different types of milksnakes can grow to different sizes. Which ones tend to stay smaller and which tend to get larger? Which gets the largest (how long?) Just curious.
Thanks!

infernalis · 03-19-11, 03:44 PM

I only have Pueblans and Easterns.

Easterns rarely show up on the market, Pueblans average about 3 feet.

**Aaron_S** · 03-19-11, 03:52 PM

Pueblans are the way to go for smaller size and cheap. I believe some kingsnakes stay small but they tend to be harder to find. Similar to milksnakes though.

infernalis · 03-19-11, 03:59 PM

Just be aware that if you want a snake you can handle, most milks freak out when picked up and musk all over.

**Aaron_S** · 03-19-11, 04:00 PM

That too! Cornsnakes are still kings of the colubrid world! That'll never change.

Sapphyr · 03-20-11, 05:21 AM

I heard that milks will start to musk less after frequent handling, though. Is that wrong?

infernalis · 03-20-11, 09:23 AM

Both of my Pueblans are a guaranteed stink job, However once it's over they calm down, so hand the snake to someone else, wash up and resume handling.

Just be aware that even though the musking stopped, it's only because the glands ran empty, and does not mean the snakes stress level went down.

2006gt · 03-20-11, 06:31 PM

well i have 3 milk snakes 1 albino nelsons, 1 Tangerine honduran and 1 sinaloan and none of them have ever musked me, the only one that freaks out is the hondo for about 30 seconds then calms right back down, ive heard pueblans never really stop musking and they freak out alot but yeahh thats just my expirience.

Sapphyr · 03-20-11, 06:40 PM

For the record, I held all sorts of snakes and lizards today, including two milks. Neither musked on me. Not sure if they'd musked on anyone else but.. they didn't musk on me

Edit: Interesting you said that, GT. One of the milks I held was a Honduran and it freaked out when I initially went to pick it up but chilled after 10 or so seconds. No musk, just a little,"Wooo!" Excitement there for a moment.

**Aaron_S** · 03-20-11, 07:36 PM

I have found, handling a lot of milks, is that they tend to be flighty and more prone to musking and possible nips. I've held a fair share of docile ones too but I personally find it's more of a rarity.

infernalis · 03-20-11, 09:07 PM

One of the reasons I really really like my Eastern (Lampropeltis Triangulum) is she is so mellow and calm I can and often do hand feed her. she often feeds on the snake room floor, my lap, wherever.

I have had this girl for three years, and I have 2 babies from her I held back for two years now, not one has ever musked or bit.

That is kinda rare, so I appreciate it.

EvaS · 04-04-11, 07:12 PM

Here is the perfect site.It lists all the Lampropeltis species with common names, sizes and photos.Cant get a better site then this one.
Lampropeltis

I only have a black milksnake and they get rather large but are super mellow even as babies.No musking, no biting, eats like a pig and easy care.

mistersprinkles · 04-09-11, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

One of the reasons I really really like my Eastern (Lampropeltis Triangulum) is she is so mellow and calm I can and often do hand feed her. she often feeds on the snake room floor, my lap, wherever.

I have had this girl for three years, and I have 2 babies from her I held back for two years now, not one has ever musked or bit.

That is kinda rare, so I appreciate it.

I'd been trying to find one of those in the wild for decades, then 2 years ago I was at someone's house and one was just sitting in his driveway... so I 'caught' it... if you can call it that because it just looked at me with confusion and let me pick it up. I figured it was too stupid for it's own good and took it down a hill into a field which I imagined was where it came from. It was a really docile snake for a wild snake. Yours is nicer patterned. Did you catch it or buy it?

Wolfus_305 · 04-09-11, 11:24 PM

Ohhh Wayne, those are pretty cool pictures!

infernalis · 04-09-11, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistersprinkles

Did you catch it or buy it?

She was frozen solid in my back yard, we had an unusual spring that year, in the 60's by day and thick frost by night.

I was out back with a flashlight, I thought for sure she was dead already, I brought her in and warmed her up hoping for the best.

She lost a good part of her tail to frostbite, when it first turned black and fell off, I could see bone.

I treated her with Silvadine SSD and she healed up fine.

I honestly feel that strange weather was responsible for the massive reduction of the snake populations on my property, it's slowly recovering, but it went from snakes so thick that I found them everywhere to a population so small I hardly found any that summer anywhere.