Black milksnake details?

Hey everyone :) I'm considering getting a black milk someday and am in the preliminary research stage. I haven't been able to find that much information on them and I'm aware they're not common; can anyone who has experience with the species give me some pointers?

There seems to be a general consensus for heating (room temps are fine, no gradient necessary?) but I'd like some solid info concerning adult sizes, appropriate enclosures - mainly the latter, as 6' seems to be the average size I'm seeing most online, but there are very few mentions of enclosures. I've seen people that think a 3' cage is big enough while others say they wouldn't go below 5'... would a 4x2x16+ be enough for one of these guys? And other than their large size, is there anything else specific I should know about black milks? I've only had a baby boa for a few months so I only vaguely know what to expect from a colubrid.

The breeder I purchased my black tail cribo from breeds a lot of colubrids. This being one.

If you’d like Pm me and I can give you his info he’s a great guy and I highly recommend him!

I had a pair of black milksnakes for years. Ambient: 72, hot spot: 78-80F

Gentle inquisitive personalities.

Mine HATED water, they would not soak and so I had to mist them on a daily basis to prevent shedding issues/retained eye caps.

I used them as 'garbage disposal' for uneaten f/t rodents for other species I kept at the time. They grew to an impressive 6 feet relatively fast. They ate pretty much any food item regardless of condition. Twice frozen rodents that my ball pythons wouldn't even consider...whatever-sure, toss them in: they will eat them...

I was keeping each of the adults in a 40 gallon breeder tank at the time 36 x 18 x 16. I think the tanks were a bit 'snug': unlike ball pythons they were more active and needed the space.

I never successfully bred them (they were much more interested in eating each other).

A rich girl in a neighboring state saw pictures I had posted on MySpace (remember that one?) illustrating the rainbow iridescence scatter they have in the sunlight: she thought it was quite impressive and made me a very generous cash offer for the breeding pair.

Same care as any milkshake. I have a pueblan and what was said above is true with mine as well. They eat anything, at anytime! Lol and mine teases my cats and actually plays with them because he knows they can't get to him lol. It's kinda funny to watch. Most people says a 40 breeder is fine.

Thanks for the responses! I had a hard time deciding between a colubrid or something else for my first snake, and since finding out about black milksnakes I don't think I'd want to settle on anything else, they're so beautiful and their temperament/care requirements are pretty amazing.

Are colubrids significantly messier than boids? I of course know they eat and poop more often... I'm already so used to my slow-paced boa haha.

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Originally Posted by caravaggiooo

Thanks for the responses! I had a hard time deciding between a colubrid or something else for my first snake, and since finding out about black milksnakes I don't think I'd want to settle on anything else, they're so beautiful and their temperament/care requirements are pretty amazing.

Are colubrids significantly messier than boids? I of course know they eat and poop more often... I'm already so used to my slow-paced boa haha.

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They will leave plenty of care packages!!

the trade off for the activity and fast metabolism

We keep our adults in enclosures measuring three feet wide, two feet deep, and one foot high. We use shredded aspen as the substrate with a large water dish to keep humidity levels up. They are not any messier than any other snakes we keep, they just have a faster metabolism. We provide a hide box which is used often. They are curious and seem to enjoy being handled. By far my favorite species of snake to keep.

Some guy told me Black Milk snakes look like Mexican Black Kingsnakes but have the temperament of a Royal python :)


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Originally Posted by piedpiperballs

We keep our adults in enclosures measuring three feet wide, two feet deep, and one foot high. We use shredded aspen as the substrate with a large water dish to keep humidity levels up. They are not any messier than any other snakes we keep, they just have a faster metabolism. We provide a hide box which is used often. They are curious and seem to enjoy being handled. By far my favorite species of snake to keep.

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Thanks!! Yeah they seem fantastic, and it's great to know they're fine in standard-sized enclosures. I was worried I would have to give up on them if they require big cages - I just don't have the room.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Some guy told me Black Milk snakes look like Mexican Black Kingsnakes but have the temperament of a Royal python :)


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What a dream. I was interested in MBKs but not too enthused about their supposed personalities, plus I think the black milks' size is awesome!