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Mrs. froggie Mrs. froggie Mrs. froggie Motley Mrs. froggie Concolor1 |
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Mrs. froggie View Profile |
Need some help with the Nelson’s milk snake.
I am going to a reptile expo on August 31 and there will be milks for sale, nelson’s milks I think. I would like to ask a few questions. I would like if a real person answered them, someone who owns milks. I would arther have a person answer my question then reading a care sheet. :) Questions.... 1. What is the basic milk’s setup? 2. How big/long do milks get? 3. Are they good snakes, like corn snakes? Are they moody at all? 4. Is a 30 gallon tank big enough for a milks it’s whole life? 5. What are the price range for nelson’s milks? 6. They don’t need any UVB light, correct? I all ready have a UTH. 7. What size water dish do they need when they become adults? I think that is all the questions I have for now. :) I already have a setup ready for a corn snake OR a nelson’s milk. The setup includes: 20 gallon long tank with locking lid (getting a 30 gallon tank at the expo), paper towels (plan on getting reptile carpet or aspen), UTH, water dish (a platic green dog dish, it has a hole already cut in the side of it for another hide), paper towel roll, strawberry hide (got at petco), fake flexible plants, fake plant with fake rock base, another hide (cottage cheese cotainer with reptile carpet on it, a hole cut in the side), flixible fake branches. I do plan on buying a extra-large half log when the milk becomes full grown and buying a bigger water dish. I am going to upgrade everything in the tank when it becomes a adult. Please answer all my questions and comment if you’d like to. :) Best regards to you, Emma. |
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| 08/04/08 07:04pm |
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Mrs. froggie View Profile |
Message To: Mrs. froggie In reference to Message Id: 1819716 Need some help with the Nelson’s milk snake.
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| 08/04/08 07:07pm |
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Mrs. froggie View Profile |
Message To: Mrs. froggie In reference to Message Id: 1819717 Need some help with the Nelson’s milk snake.
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| 08/05/08 01:29am |
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Motley View Profile |
Message To: Mrs. froggie In reference to Message Id: 1819716
A well ventilated vivarium with 3 to 4 square feet of floor space will house any milk snake for its life. You need an undertank heatmat covering 1/3 to 1/2 of the floor area. The temperature at ground level above the mat should be 28 to 32 degrees centigrade. If you live in an area with very hot summers i would advise buying a thermostat for your mat to stop the cage from over heating. A water bowl that is just big enough to curl up in should it want to, in order to cool down or aid skin shedding. Two hides is preferable to one as Milk snakes are shy creatures. As with the water bowl these should be only just big enough for your snake to squeeze in side. A snug fit in other words. Substrate is your choice. Aspen bedding or simply paper towels both work well, but aspen looks nicer. These are the basics. You can add plastic plants and climbing branches for decoration and for your snake to explore. A rough rock is useful for your snake to rub against when shedding. The rock must not be large or heavy enough to hurt the snake if it decides to try and burrow underneath.(Milks like to burrow) Water should be changed evey 2-3 days. 2. Length Milks range in size from 2 to 6 feet. Nelsons average 4ft but can occasionally exceed 5. 3.Temperament Unlikely to bite but rather nervous in general, but personalities differ between individuals. 4. If you are getting a Nelsons then a 30 gallon tank should be fine. If your snake should exceed 5ft it may be necessary to go a step larger. 5.I live in the U.k and here they range from £50 to £80 (roughly $130). Snakes in the USA are generally less expensive than in U.K. though. 6.UVB lighting is not necessary but is thought to be beneficial to sick snakes. |
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| 08/10/08 05:10am |
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Mrs. froggie View Profile |
Message To: Motley In reference to Message Id: 1825758 Need some help with the Nelson’s milk snake.
Thanks again!!! |
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| 08/11/08 03:12pm |
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Concolor1 View Profile |
Message To: Mrs. froggie In reference to Message Id: 1827178 Sorry, Didn’t See This One . . .
I’ve owned both milk and corn snakes for several years, and both are good beginner snakes so long as you get one with a good appetite . . . So you pays your money and you takes your choice . . . The big thing about milk snakes is they are incredible escape artists. I’ve had three escapes in the last four years and only re-captured one . . . So cage security is paramount . . . Corn snakes are also good at getting out, but milk snakes get the edge in my book . . . I think I saw on another thread that you had about $80 to spend plus your mother was helping, so you should be able to do fine; my het Nelson’s was only $30 last year, and either an albino corn or one of the more common varieties might be even less . . . |
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| 08/17/08 02:49am |
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Need some help with the Nelson’s milk snake.