According to Law n.º 95/2017 of August 23, the sale and/or advertising of wild/exotic animals through websites/platforms on the internet is not allowed. To find out which animals we have available and the respective conditions of sale, please contact us using the button on the side.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This species is primarily native to the United States, although they are present in some parts of southern Canada. Due to their extremely wide range, they have adapted to a wide variety of habitats, including forests/woodland, rocky hillsides, swamps, prairie, farmland, and sand dunes.

Due to their vivid coloring, milksnakes are among the most popular pet snakes in the United States. They’re manageably-sized, fairly hardy, and generally tolerate human interaction well, which makes them good pets for people who are new to snakes.

Honduran milksnakes are terrestrial snakes found primarily on the Caribbean half of Honduras, Nicaragua, and a little bit of Costa Rica. Their preferred habitat is moist broadleaf forest, also known as tropical rainforest.

Honduran milksnakes are known for their distinctive, attractive appearance: oval head, round pupils, slender body, and smooth, glossy scales. The wild type has a bright red base color with narrow bands of yellow-white sandwiched between thicker bands of black. The head is black with a thick yellow-white band behind the eyes and another one encircling the snout, giving the snake something of a mustache appearance. However, due to selective breeding in captivity, other colors and patterns are also available.

Size

40-46” / 102-117cm

Life Span

With good care, milksnakes can live 20 years or more.

Caging

The majority of milksnakes are 48″ / 122cm long or smaller, which means that the minimum enclosure size for one average milksnake is going to be 48”L x 24”W x 24”H. This is based on the formula for calculating a snake’s minimum space needs:

snake length x half snake length x half snake length = length x width x height

Heating & Lighting

Humans are warm-blooded, which means that our body temperature is automatically regulated. Milksnakes, however, are cold-blooded, which means that they have to move between areas of different temperatures in order to regulate their body temperature. Milksnakes typically warm up by sleeping under objects that have been warmed by the sun, but they are also known to bask openly on occasion. In captivity, using a halogen flood heat bulb is the best way to replicate the type of warmth provided by sunlight.

Basking surface: 85-90°F (29-32°C)

Cool side: 75-80°F (23-27°C)

Nighttime: 70-75°F (21-23°C)

Based on data from milksnakes’ native range, lights should be on for 15 hours/day during summer and 9 hours/day during winter, with gradual adjustments in-between. Milksnakes are primarily active at night, so they don’t need much in the way of bright lighting.

Milksnakes generally need an average humidity of 40-60%

Substrate

Milksnakes are healthiest and happiest when they are housed on a substrate (a.k.a. “bedding”) that imitates the conditions of their natural habitat and facilitates moderate humidity levels. Milksnakes can be found in all kinds of habitats, so fortunately, they’re not too picky. 

Diet

Milksnakes are carnivores, which means that they need a diet of whole animal prey in order to get the nutrition that their bodies need. How often they need to eat can be estimated by age:

Hatchlings — every 5-7 days

Juveniles — every 7-10 days

Adults — every 10-14 days

The size of your milksnake’s prey should be no more than 1.5x the width of the snake at its widest point, or roughly 10% of its body weight. If the snake seems to be getting fat, reduce the frequency of feedings or the size of the feeders.

Although mice are the most common feeders, snakes need to eat more than just rats and mice to truly thrive. Wild milksnakes are known to eat other snakes, small mammals, lizards, birds, and eggs. In other words, the key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet snake is VARIETY. Provide as varied of a diet as you possibly can, and you will be rewarded with a healthier, less picky pet!

Water

Your milksnake should have always have access to a large bowl of fresh, clean water. It should be large enough for the snake to curl up inside if it’s in the mood for a soak.

Handling and Temperament

You will need to wait a little while after bringing your new pet home to let it settle in. This usually takes about 2 weeks, but you shouldn’t start handling until it’s eating regularly.

Once your milksnake is ready for handling, take it slow at first — just like any relationship. Start with brief handling sessions (no longer than 5 minutes), and don’t return the snake until it is calm. This teaches your pet how to behave during handling by using rudimentary positive reinforcement. Once this has been accomplished, you can work up to longer sessions. Handling should occur at least weekly, but no more than once daily.

While handling your snake, be gentle. Rather than grabbing it, let it crawl onto your hand. Lift it from below rather than above, and support as much of its body as possible. Use slow movements and don’t walk around too much. Milksnakes usually tolerate handling well.