by A. Tucker

Created on: July 05, 2007   Last Updated: January 26, 2012

Milk Snakes make wonderful starter snakes. They have calm personalities and are usually free of major health defects. Adult Milk Snakes range in size from around three feet to six and a half feet. Since they are constrictors, they are not venomous. Milk Snakes will eat other snakes and reptiles so Milk Snakes should not be housed with other animals.

Milk Snakes can live quite happily for their entire lives in a 20-30 gallon long tank. A deep water dish should be available at all times on the cool side of the tank. Since Milk Snakes are rather secretive snakes their substrate (the covering for the bottom of the tank) should be between two and three inches and be made of aspen shavings or shredded newspaper. Since Milk Snakes are born escape artists, you must ensure that the cover for your tank is tightly secured and a lock is always a good idea.

Most Milk Snakes prefer a temperature range of 75 degrees to 85 degrees. There should be a "warm" side of the tank and a "cool" side of the tank and basking rocks are not suggested since snakes can inadvertently burn themselves. Commercially available heat lamps are the preferred source of heat and an inexpensive electric thermostat is a great way to regulate the temperature inside your snake's tank.

The diet of captive Milk Snakes is rodents, mainly mice.  While your snake is young, you should feed it "pinkies" (newborn mice) every 3-7 days. As your snake matures, so will the mice that it eats. Most Milk Snakes, at maturity, are able to eat large adult mice and/or small rats and should be fed every other week. Frozen rodents are commonly available and are a good choice for young, inexperienced snakes. The frozen rodents should be thawed in a warm glass of water and then dried prior to feeding to your snake.

You should have a separate enclosure just for feeding. The lid should secure firmly on the container and there should be no small holes that the snake and/or mouse could escape through. Feeding your snake in its home tank is not suggested as the snake may come to associate its tank with food.

Once a year, you should have your snake inspected by an exotic animal veterinarian. This will ensure that your snake is at an appropriate weight and size for its age and that it is parasite free.

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