Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Mexican Milk Snake

Mexican Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum annulata) Mexican Milk snakes are found in northeastern Mexico in Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, but it can be found as far north as the United States, in southwestern Texas. There are 25 subspecies among the milk snakes, including the commonly named scarlet kingsnake. The subspecies have surprisingly different appearances, and many of them have their own common names. Some authorities suggest that this species may be split into several separate species: Guatemalan Milksnake Louisiana Milksnake Andean Milksnake Mexican Milksnake Jalisco Milksnake Blanchard's Milksnake Pueblan Milksnake New Mexico Milksnake Conant's Milksnake Dixon's Milksnake Mexican Milk Snake Scarlet Kingsnake Black Milksnake Central Plains Milksnake Honduran Milksnak Ecuadoran Milksnake Pale Milksnake Nelson's Milksnake Pacific American Milksnake Atlantic Central American Milksnake Sinaloan Milksnake Smith's Milksnake Stuart's Milksnake Red Milksnake Utah Milksnake Eastern Milksnake Pueblan Milk Snake Morphs: Spotted Albino Pinstriped Milk snakes generally grow from 2 to 4 feet long. Typically, milk snakes live in forested regions, however, in some regions they can be located in open prairies. In various parts of across its distribution, milk snakes often abide in rocky slopes. These snakes usually live 10-12 years. This reptile is sometimes confused with coral snakes, beacause they feature the same colors. Little rhymes have been made to tell the difference, "Red to black venom lack. Red to yellow kill a fellow." The milk snake is not listed by the IUCN, but in some areas, they may face significant pressure due to pet trade collection. Milk snake left, Coral snake right Milk snakes are oviparous, laying an average of about 10 eggs per clutch. The milk snake mates from early May to late June. In June and July, the female lays three to twenty-four eggs beneath logs, boards, rocks, logs and rotting vegetation. The eggs incubate for approximately two months, and hatch around August or September. The milk snake reaches sexual maturity around 2 or 3 years of age. milk snake eggs Milk snakes are escape artists. If there is any small gap or hole, or any give to the fitting of the top attached to their tank or between the doors and casement, your snake will escape.Hatchlings may be housed in a ten gallon enclosures. Medium sized adults may be housed in twenty gallon enclosures, but you might as well get hatchlings and young adults set up in a tank large enough for a full grown one. The longer and larger snakes should be housed in a 60 gallon enclosure. Try to get high-sided enclosures so that you may put in some vertical climbing and above-the-floor basking areas. Hatchlings can be started on one to two day old pinkie mice. Feed one to two mice every two to seven days. Usually, a snake will grow faster being fed several small prey a couple of times a week rather than one big prey once a week. The smaller prey are more digestible than the larger prey, so the snake is getting more nutrition from them. Subadults can be offered bigger mice one or more times a week. You will find that the snakes are hungrier in the spring and summer, they wind down during the fall; and many stop feeding altogether during the winter months even though the may still be somewhat active. Feed adult mice or just weaned pink rats to adult snakes. You should choose your substrate on what's best for your pet and how easy and likely you are to change it. Untinted aspen shavings, astroturf or outdoor carpeting, number three aquarium gravel and clean playground sand, and a mixture of sterile potting soil and sand or orchid bark shreds are all acceptable methods. In captivity, extreme temperatures do not need to be provided. In general, provide a temperature gradient ranging from 76-86 F, with nighttime drops into the low 70's. Milk snakes are secretive and like to hide under rocks or logs, so it is ideal to put some kind of furnishing in the cage to give them something to hide in or under.

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