Description:
Scientific name: Lampropeltis triangulum gaigae
Life span: 20-22 years
Black milk snake hatchlings range in size from 12 to 16 inches. As hatchlings, they are red, black, and white or yellow. The black milk snakes start to change color between the ages of 6 and 10 months, and as they get older, they start to turn black. Black milk snakes can reach lengths of up to 7 feet, with the average adult measuring 48 to 76 inches (4 to 6 feet 4 inches).
Native Region/Habitat
Panama and Costa Rica are home to black milk snakes. In Costa Rica, they mainly reside in the moist, high mountain cloud forests between 5,000 and 7,400 feet in elevation, while in Panama, they do so between 4,300 and 6,500 feet.
Behavior:
Especially when they are young, several kinds of milk snakes can be a little nippy and quite wary. These snakes are, however, much more calm and manageable when young. Their less timid behavior may be attributed to their bigger size as hatchlings. Because they are nocturnal animals, they are more active at night. Nonetheless, they might go outside if it’s rainy and cold throughout the day. They will seek refuge in the shade, under logs, in cracks in the rocks, or in other cool places, to avoid the extreme heat of hot days.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
- A Black Milk Snake can live in a smaller enclosure just fine, unlike other snakes that need very big enclosures. Even the largest Black Milk Snakes do well in 30-gallon enclosures. Tiny full-grown Black Milk Snakes can survive in 20-gallon tanks.
- The temperature in your tank’s basking section should be between 85 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit, while the temperature on the other side should be between 75 and 80 degrees. Moreover, you must occasionally wet the tank to maintain the humidity level between 40% and 60%.
- In captivity, a Black Milk Snake doesn’t need a varied diet, like most snakes do. A juvenile milk snake should only be given mice two to three times a week at the most. One medium-sized rat every week is all that is required once your Black Milk Snake has achieved full maturity. A live rat can potentially hurt or even kill your snake, thus it’s recommended to only feed it frozen or thawed rats. Lastly, it’s common for your Black Milk Snake to stop feeding as they prepare to shed their skin.
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