New Baby Black Milk Snake

[jjspirko]

Well I have one big black milk that is a real hit with my snake shows for kids but sometimes he is in shed when a show comes up. That is too bad because the kids adore him perhaps the mot of all. So what to do?

Well I picked up this little gal from Don Sonderberg at South Mountain Reptiles. She is still tricolored and I plan to shoot her each month as she changes to use that for educational purposes once the color is gone.

She has started you can see tiny black dots on the tip of each scale and her yellow has gotten real thin.







To me anyone that is willing to pay for a permit to own an Indigo Snake with out first considering one of these has probably not

1. Ever held an adult 6 foot black milk snake

2. Cleaned the poo in an Indigo enclosure every other day for year and gotten tired of cleaning smeared snake poo off the SIDES of the viv.

I understand why people want Indigos but honestly think the "you can't have it" factor makes it more appealing. Just have a look at what an adult one of these turns into, what more could you want in shinny, jet black and docile?

[Patrick Long]

Is that a picture of an Eastern Indigo, or a Black Milk? (the bottome one)

[ChrisBowsman]

That's amazing the color changes so much. Very cool snake.

[jjspirko]

Is that a picture of an Eastern Indigo, or a Black Milk? (the bottome one)

The bottom is a Black Milk. Thanks to all for the compliments.

[Patrick Long]

Very Awesome! Indigos are awesome, but the price tag is not. These milks seem pretty relative. Thanx for the info.

[Skiploder]

To me anyone that is willing to pay for a permit to own an Indigo Snake with out first considering one of these has probably not

1. Ever held an adult 6 foot black milk snake

2. Cleaned the poo in an Indigo enclosure every other day for year and gotten tired of cleaning smeared snake poo off the SIDES of the viv.

I understand why people want Indigos but honestly think the "you can't have it" factor makes it more appealing. Just have a look at what an adult one of these turns into, what more could you want in shinny, jet black and docile?

You make it sound like cleaning liquid velcro poo from a drymarchon enclosure, your leg or the wall is something negative.

I love black pines and milks, and I have a beautiful female black pine, but can still say that my indigo and cribos are my favorite snakes.

However, that black milk is a stunning snake!

[pilot511]

what temps do you keep your black milk at? I've heard a lot of debate over it...I notice anything over 81ish my guy will start to kind of slightly "heat stress"

[missi182]

Wow. Thats another direction I could point my collection in...amazing. A very tame snake with a very *dangerous* look.

[jjspirko]

what temps do you keep your black milk at? I've heard a lot of debate over it...I notice anything over 81ish my guy will start to kind of slightly "heat stress"

Yea they do not like high temps. What I have done is take my UTC heat and move it to behind the back of the tub. This seems to keep them happy. I don't really worry to much about temps and measure much. I just adjust and judge the snake. When I had my heat under the tub with my Black Milk he never went to the hot side. Now with it in the back of one side of the tub he goes there after a feed and spends most other time at the cool side. Cool side is about 74. Hot side was 83 last time I bothered to check. Same as I keep my Spotted Pythons by the way they don't seem to like it as warm as a boa or corn, etc either.

[jjspirko]

You make it sound like cleaning liquid velcro poo from a drymarchon enclosure, your leg or the wall is something negative.

I love black pines and milks, and I have a beautiful female black pine, but can still say that my indigo and cribos are my favorite snakes.

However, that black milk is a stunning snake!

Naw Skip it ain't that bad. Note I said "CONSIDER" for that very reason. My point is there are people who want an Indigo so bad they will save for years, get the permit etc. Don't know if you ever read Raymond Ditmars but his early work had a lot to do with romanticizing the Indigo talking about how they actually "bond" with a keeper.

He mentions bonding at a point where the snake would follow the keeper if allowed to crawl on the floor. With all due respect what was he smoking the day he wrote about cribos, .

They are great snakes my point is only that those who want one someday could do a lot worse then a Black Milk today,