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Milk snakes are members of the Colubridae family, similar to Corn snakes and King snakes. Milk snakes have a large natural range stretching from Venezuela north all the way to Canada. The majority of them are found throughout the United States. On average, Milk snakes are fairly easy to own and care for. Milk snakes can live in captivity for up to fifteen years, although, the average is ten to twelve years. Most Milk snakes grow to about four feet in length and come in different tricolored variations of red, black and yellow. Albino variations or morphs can be found, through captive breeders, as well.

A Milk snake needs, at the largest, a 30 gallon aquarium or similar sized enclosure. Include in a Milk snakes cage an ample amount of bedding which can consist of pine shavings, aspen, ground shells or even newspaper. Also, be sure to include two hiding places, one water dish and a heat source. Make it a point to provide extra security on the enclosure of a Milk snake. They are very determined escape artists so provide extra locking clips or other locking devices on any Milk snake cages. The snakes should be housed separately, with only one snake per cage. Milks can sometimes be aggressive towards one another and this behavior actually increases during breeding season. Breeding season begins in late spring and can last until mid summer. After breeding, a female Milk snake will lay between eight and twelve eggs. The egg must be incubated or kept warm for as long as nine weeks at which point they will hatch. The hatchling Milk snakes will average six to eight inches.

The ideal temperature for a Milk snake ranges from seventy to ninety five degrees. Humidity should stay between forty and eighty percent. While these snakes are easy to keep, it should be noted that many Milk snakes are somewhat nervous and therefore prone to bite, especially if surprised or caught off guard. Care should be exercised when handling them to avoid receiving a bite and to avoid having the snake defecate. As is also the case with King snakes, Milk snakes will defecate on their captor as a means of escape. Of course increased gentle handling will, over time, reduce the nervousness of the snake and lessen the number of instances where bites and defecations occur.

In the wild, a Milk snake preys upon mice, eggs, small lizards and poisonous snakes. In captivity they do well and live healthy lives on an exclusive diet of mice, occasionally with vitamin powder as a supplement. The Milk snake can be fed frozen/thawed mice or live/pre-killed. Only high quality healthy mice that are fed a high quality diet should be chosen to use as feeders.

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