# New milk snake



## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

Hi all,
First time posting here, hoping you guys can give me some advice.
Got my first snake a week ago, a 4 year old hypo-honduran milk snake. (Got him thru a work mate of my partner, who didn't have time for him anymore. Got full set up with him.)
I got a new, bigger hide for him, as he was way too big for the one he had, gave his viv a deep clean, and a chick to eat (previous owner suggested I feed him the day after getting him) which he happily ate. I've more or less left him alone to settle in, just checking his viv daily for any poo etc, and peeking in the hide to check he's ok.
Obviously being new to owning a snake, I've done a LOT of reading up on milk snakes, and snakes in general, and unsurprisingly have gotten a lot of conflicting advice lol
I have his viv set for 29 celsius through the day, and 25 at night, is this ok for him? He doesn't seem to come out of his hide too often during the day, I'm assuming because he will be more active at night? Does he need a hide at both the warm and cool ends of his viv? He has a branch, plant (fake) and cork wood tunnel/log, and I have aspen substrate. Is there anything else he needs in there? When should I start handling him and how often? The couple of times I have handled him, he has been very sweet, just a little shy, which is totally understandable seeing as I'm new to him. 
Sorry for the barrage of questions, I just want to give him everything he needs and make sure that he's a happy little snek dude 🐍✌


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

Jojo420 said:


> Hi all,
> First time posting here, hoping you guys can give me some advice.
> Got my first snake a week ago, a 4 year old hypo-honduran milk snake. (Got him thru a work mate of my partner, who didn't have time for him anymore. Got full set up with him.)
> I got a new, bigger hide for him, as he was way too big for the one he had, gave his viv a deep clean, and a chick to eat (previous owner suggested I feed him the day after getting him) which he happily ate. I've more or less left him alone to settle in, just checking his viv daily for any poo etc, and peeking in the hide to check he's ok.
> ...


Give him 30 at the hot spot and no heat at night. He hides during the day because he's primarily nocturnal, but will come out for food. Feed him from tongs outside his hide and he should strike and constrict.


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

wilkinss77 said:


> Give him 30 at the hot spot and no heat at night. He hides during the day because he's primarily nocturnal, but will come out for food. Feed him from tongs outside his hide and he should strike and constrict.


Thank you 😊🐍✌


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## jeremy68 (Dec 2, 2013)

Well done for rehoming this snake. I think milks are fantastic, and I kept and bred pueblans for a few years. I apologise in advance for rambling on and probably telling you a load of stuff you already know, but if you get just one useful tip out of a ramble its worth the read.

A hide at both ends is a very good idea. 

I would feed rodents in preference to chicks, anything big enough to make a _slight_ bulge in the snake's body and approximately every ten days, allowing the snake to defecate between meals. Depending on the size of your honduran this could be a jumbo mouse or a rat pup. The feeding regime does not have to be rigid and you can mix it up a bit, e.g.: its fine to give two medium mice if a large one is not to hand; if you think you've given a little too much, leave a longer interval or reduce the prey size next time, etc etc. 

Its good that your snake is calm when handled, but milks are typically less tolerant of handling than some other snakes such as corns, handling is not a goal in itself and and he might become stressed and lose appetite if handled too often (e.g. more than 5 minutes twice a week). I would only handle mine when necessary, for cleaning etc, and never within the two days after a feed. Also, beware the strong feeding response - if he is hungry, sees you coming with food or smells it on you, then any quick movement of your hand within the viv or in front of the glass may trigger a strike - and its not good for him to hit the glass or you. This can also happen just after he has eaten. I used to quietly put the food in a clean place on top of the hide, late evening time, and then put a blanket over the front for 12 hours. 

Also, milks are escapologists and will get out through unbelievably small gaps, so be very disciplined about security from the start, or sooner or later he will catch you out. Ensure that the front door is securely wedged and preferably locked. If the viv has those round ventilation grills at the back with cables running through, super-glue the grills into their holes (obviously not with the snake present as the fumes are nasty); otherwise, at some point the snake may lean on a cable and pop out the grill.

Change the water every other day and immediately if dirty.

When he comes up for a skin shed the eyes and scales will go dull and then turn milky white for a few days and he may refuse food until afterwards, which is not a problem. While the snake is "in blue" like this, I would very lightly spray mist his body, but not the surrounding viv, once a day with clean still spring water. Keep the plastic spray bottle in the viv to ensure the water is warm. This will help him to have clean shed when the time comes. Eventually the skin will go clear again for a day or two before the actual shed, ideally in one piece. Always check the shed skin, whether whole or in pieces, and make sure its all there, and especially the two eye caps and the tail tip. If any of these are retained then further action will be needed. The tail tip section may look as if the very tip is missing but on close inspection this will usually be seen inverted, i.e. tucked back into the sleeve. The eye caps may drop out of the head section and be found singly, and I would go so far as to sift through all the substrate to determine whether or not they have actually been shed, which may not be immediately obvious when looking at the snake.


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

jeremy68 said:


> Well done for rehoming this snake. I think milks are fantastic, and I kept and bred pueblans for a few years. I apologise in advance for rambling on and probably telling you a load of stuff you already know, but if you get just one useful tip out of a ramble its worth the read.
> 
> A hide at both ends is a very good idea.
> 
> ...


Thank you, very informative! I dont know when he last shed, so it's good to know what to look for 🐍✌


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## Sylvi (Dec 30, 2008)

I have 2 Hondurans - one a tangerine female about 3 years old and an albino male now about 9 years old. The female is a bit nervous but calming down as the years go by. The male which I've had about 8 years is the most calmest and nicest chap I've owned and by far my 'snake of a lifetime'. He is the go to snake for visitors, school trips, Scout meetings, and the neighbours children if they want to get a snake out. He has never let me down.


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

Sylvi said:


> I have 2 Hondurans - one a tangerine female about 3 years old and an albino male now about 9 years old. The female is a bit nervous but calming down as the years go by. The male which I've had about 8 years is the most calmest and nicest chap I've owned and by far my 'snake of a lifetime'. He is the go to snake for visitors, school trips, Scout meetings, and the neighbours children if they want to get a snake out. He has never let me down.


Aw, fab! My lad, Wotsit, is 4 and is a wee sweety. He's tangerine coloured too. (not the best pic of him, but gives you an idea)


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## Sylvi (Dec 30, 2008)

Jojo420 said:


> View attachment 369597
> 
> 
> Aw, fab! My lad, Wotsit, is 4 and is a wee sweety. He's tangerine coloured too. (not the best pic of him, but gives you an idea)
> View attachment 369597


He is gorgeous! My girl has gone quite dark with black ticking on the orange scales, the fact that your boy is a hypo means he should stay that nice orange


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## Malum Argenteum (5 mo ago)

Lovely looking hondo. 

My first snake was a honduran -- well, a hondo/pueblan hybrid, but I'm trying to forget that I didn't know better. Sweet snake. I also bred nelsons and pueblans, which weren't nearly as pleasant. None of them every seemed to be upset by regular handling, even though the latter two types (which are now the same species, by the way) weren't much fun to handle.


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

Malum Argenteum said:


> Lovely looking hondo.
> 
> My first snake was a honduran -- well, a hondo/pueblan hybrid, but I'm trying to forget that I didn't know better. Sweet snake. I also bred nelsons and pueblans, which weren't nearly as pleasant. None of them every seemed to be upset by regular handling, even though the latter two types (which are now the same species, by the way) weren't much fun to handle.


Thanks 😊 He is a sweet little guy, seems quite happy to be handled, hasn't tried to bite or hiss at me or anything. His previous owner said he never did with him either, so I think he's just a chilled out, happy wee dude.


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