Your Reptile and Amphibian Resource and Information Site

Back to Milk Snakes Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area  

Milk Snakes Forum

BrettA   Peter54   BrettA   Motley   Peter54   BrettA   Peter54   BrettA   Pueblan Jr  
 Member  Message

 #1824475


BrettA
View Profile

 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Hi.

I just purchased an 18" apricot milk snake. I have him in a 20 gallon aquarium, with aspen bedding, a rock, water dish, and a PVC pipe. I’ve got a heat mat under the tank and a basking light on top at the same end. Temp is around 83 degress. I have pinkies in the freezer, but haven’t attempted to feed yet.

So... three questions.

1. Is there anything I haven’t done that I should have? Is there anything I haven’t thought of?

2. Should I partially cover the screen top to help with humidity retention, or is it important for airflow that it be entirely open.

3. Is there anything I should do to promote maximum growth rate and health (other than feeding as much as he will take.) I am thinking of things like vitamins and minerals (I used to feed Reptivite to my snapping turtle.)

Thanks!



08/08/08  08:52pm

 #1824795


Peter54
View Profile



   Message To: BrettA   In reference to Message Id: 1824475


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

You don’t need to give vitamins or minerals to a snake that is fed whole prey items. You can powder the pinkie mouse with calcium about every third feed since pinkies have not developed hard sceleton and cartilage contain very little amounts of calcium.

Also, you might need to provide your snake with a humid box since a screen top makes all mist vapor away. The snake will need the humid box in rder to shed properly. Just put a small plastic box in filled with moist sphagnum moss.
08/09/08  08:02am

 #1824820


BrettA
View Profile



   Message To: Peter54   In reference to Message Id: 1824795


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Thanks!! As with most answers, this has jogged some new questions-

I’m fairly handy. Is a nice tight wooden lid with a hinged top appropriate? Should I leave SOME screen in the lid for ventilation? If so, how much is apprpriate?

Is calcium available at my LPS in the section with the other vitamins, etc.?

Now a feeding (sort of) question-
I’m going to bulk order food to save money. My snake ate two small pinkies last night... really easily... tossed ’em back like tic tacs. So I’m going to order large pinkies. Here’s the question:

I don’t know how fast this little guy is going to grow. Should I order 100 large pinkies, or should I order 50 large pinkies + 50 "fuzzies".

Thanks!
08/09/08  09:33am

 #1825749


Motley
View Profile



   Message To: BrettA   In reference to Message Id: 1824820


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Pueblan Milks need plenty of ventilation so that the vivarium stays relatively dry. An average humidity of 45 to 65% is fine. You can use a hygrometer to measure humidity. These can be bought cheaply from most shops that sell reptiles. Your snake may need slightly higher humidity when it sheds its skin. As Peter said, it is best to put a humid hide in the vivarium (a lidded plastic box with an entrance hole cut in the side and partially filled with damp sphagnum moss or damp paper towels). This will allow your snake to make its own decisions on the amount of humidity it needs at any given time.
The humid hide should be placed in the warmest part of the vivarium.
08/10/08  04:25am

 #1825770


Peter54
View Profile



   Message To: BrettA   In reference to Message Id: 1824820


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

BrettA
An 18 inch Pueblan milksnake should already be feeding on fuzzies or small hoppers.

You need not change top construction if you provide the snake with a humid box. However, if you decide to do so anyway, I’d suggest a wooden box kind of top, in wich you can cut the ventilation openings in the short sides.

Calcium powder should be available in any pet store.
08/10/08  05:43am

 #1825851


BrettA
View Profile



   Message To: Peter54   In reference to Message Id: 1825770


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Thanks TONS!

The pet store said pinkies, so that’s what I bought for the first feed. So I’ll buy 50 fuzzies and 50 hoppers. Sound right?

I have a hygrometer in the tank. Now that I’ve put a piece of cardboard over most of the screen lid, humidity seems to be doing fine.

Last question. (OK.... probably not the last one!) I want to put my basking light on a timer cuz I know I’ll forget. How long is it appropriate for the basking light be on out of 24 hours?

Thanks again.
08/10/08  10:35am

 #1826727


Peter54
View Profile



   Message To: BrettA   In reference to Message Id: 1825851


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Just see to it that you try a fuzzie before you go and buy bulk. If the snake has been fed porly it might be under weight and that could mean the snake having too little body energy stored to be able to digest a bigger prey.

About the basking light. I never use such items for my milksnakes since they are nocturnal and rarely show during daylight, so I really can’t answer.


Here’s a yearling Pueblan of mine, about the same size as yours.
08/11/08  01:37am

 #1826892


BrettA
View Profile



   Message To: Peter54   In reference to Message Id: 1826727


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

Thanks again. I thought I had all my ducks in a row before purchasing. But once I got the little guy home, all these little things keep occuring to me.
08/11/08  10:42am

 #1847103


Pueblan Jr
View Profile



   Message To: BrettA   In reference to Message Id: 1826892


 Newbie... Anything I Haven’t Done

We have young Pueblan, so we are using a red bulb in our heat lamp. Supposedly snakes can’t see red light so he gets the heat without the light. We have a 20 gallon long tank and are using a 75 watt bulb. The heated end can get about 100 F if left on just a little time. We keep a small analog thermometer in the heated end and have combo digital hygrometer/therometer in the cool end. The cool end will be 78-84 when the lamp is on. He can be very active a night when the lamp is on. We have even seen him in the hot zone holding his head up the the air like he’s sun bathing! This is usually after he has eaten.
08/30/08  03:08pm


Back to Milk Snakes Forum   Forums   Home   Members Area