Do Milks ever calm down?!

[Blackmagebasser]

Hello! I am new here, but my lovely girlfriend introduced me to this site. I have browsed it a lot and loved how nice everyone seems to be!

But that is besides the point

I have a little Sinaloan Milk Snake whom I've named Monty. He's about 8-10 months old and he's a little over a foot. He's got a great personality and he's a hearty eater (just upped him to 2 pinkys every week!) his only set back is that he's so danged jumpy. He's really not happy whenever I got to handle him and he's terrified when I do. He tends to pee/poo on me whenever I hold him and usually tries to jump from my hands.

Now the bodily fluids I can handle, but it's the jumping that makes me nervous. He's still quite tiny and my house is really quite cluttered so it's not easy for him to even readily explore. I feel like whenever I take him out, I have a rubbery pencil trying to jump from my hands.

I talked to the guy who sold him to me and he said that Milks are initially skiddish but calm down after they get a little older. Does anyone know if that is more or less true? He's still little, so I'm hoping it's just a phase. Most adult Milks I've seen are really quite mellow and easy to handle, and I'm just hoping Monty will cool down too.

Does anyone have any pointers for getting him used to his handlings?

[Shaun J]

Milk snakes and Kingsnakes have a reptutation from that stuff, but if you handle him regularly, we probably will realize he's safe and you aren't trying to eat him.

Welcome to the forums.

[frankykeno]

Welcome to BPNet, glad you've joined us!

My daughter has an albino Nelson's Milksnake. They are pretty jumpy little colubrids and from what we understand that's basically normal. Poor little worms probably figure everyone (including you) wants to eat them LOL. Our milk just turned a year old and is pretty calm for a milk but is a challenge to handle as they just never stop moving and are so small and wiggly.

I think it's just a matter of keeping up with the handling, not going overboard with it that the snake is highly stressed by it, trying to make the time you handle a fairly quiet time without a lot of people and noise around the snake and just waiting for them to mature more. We have a friend with mature corns and they are really quite gentle and calm but as young snakes were very hyper so I think it's probably pretty close to how milks mature as well.

[haroldo359]

most do, some don't.

[frankykeno]

I'd also add that my daughter's Milk is always a bit hyper when you first take her out for handling but does calm down though likes to keep moving at all times. Also when she's hungry and in hunt mode she's a little tiger and will strike wildly and move very quickly but that's understandable...the little beauty wants her mouse LOL

[Lady Python]

I've got a Pueblan Milksnake (Ringo). I've had him over a year, so he's about 20 months old. He has got musking down to a fine art and if he doesn't want to be handled I get musked - and so does everything in sight Once he's been out for a while he calms down. Depends a lot on what mood he's in. If he's not in a handleable mood he certainly lets me know about it (yuk). I know the feeling of having a live, wriggly pencil only too well. Ringo's just under 30" long now and can move like lightning when he wants. He's quite a character and was my first snake. I've got 14 snakes now

[Blackmagebasser]

Hey guys, thanks for all the insight. He's actually been a little better. I've noticed that initially he is jumpy and afraid, but as I hold on to him a little longer, he will calm down a little more. I'm sad, though because he is back down at my home, in Mesa. I'm up at college getting settled, and he's currently at my parents, under the best care of course . Once He's up here with me, my life wil feel complete.

[frankykeno]

Just remember when you move him he might get a bit skittish and need settling in again in his new place with you. I should have also mentioned...I don't know about all milks but the yearling milk we have is nutso on her feeding day. She's the only snake in the house that feeds outside her home enclosure (it's a bit busy in there to feed her with all her cage decor) and she's a crazy snake getting her into her feeding tub. She knows what that means and she's so hyper to get her food that she's a real little handful. Not sure if all milks eat with such excitement but Emi sure does LOL.

[fergie]

Hi blackmassebagger, at eight to ten months old your milk should be on at least fuzzies. Maybe if you upped his feeding he may calm down

[Blackmagebasser]

I went down to my house this weekend and saw Monty. He's doing well and had a perfect shed (his first perfect one ever). I'm pleased to say that he has moved from jumpy to exploratory. I am soo happy!