I’ve kept snakes for a long time but have never owned a milk snake. I’ve seen them in pet stores and at reptile expos and I’ve always wondered why they are so popular. Do they make a good pet snake for a beginner?
I decided to do some research on this and here’s what I found.
Milk snakes make great pet snakes especially for beginners. They are affordable and easy to take care of. They don’t get too big, are non-venomous, tame and easy to handle even for children. They are beautiful, docile snakes that are available in many different colors and patterns.
Before we talk in more detail about all the reasons milk snakes make great pet snakes, let’s learn more about them.
Some Interesting Facts About Milk Snakes
- Where do they come from? –Milk snakes are found in southern Canada, throughout the eastern United States and into Mexico and Central America.
- How did they get their name? – Milk snakes get their name from an old folktale that is a story about a snake sneaking into a barn to drink milk from a nursing cow. People actually used to believe that they stole cows’ milk.
- Are they venomous? – No. Milk snakes are harmless, non-venomous snakes.
- How big do they get? – A milk snakes average size depends on the specific species. There are about 25 different kinds of milk snakes in the wild. They are a long slender snake and adults can range from 2 feet long to as long as 6 feet. (Though 6 feet is rare). Most don’t get much longer than 4 feet.
- How long do they live? – Milk snakes have been known to live more than 20 years in captivity.
- What do they eat? – Milk snakes eat a variety of prey. Like other snakes they are carnivores. In the wild they eat lizards, other snakes, birds, eggs and various rodents including mice and rats. In captivity they are most often kept on a diet of mice and sometimes small rats.
- Bonus fact – Milk snakes are actually a kind of king snake.
Now that we know more about milk snakes lets talk about all the reasons why they make a great pet snake for beginners. We will also take a look at some considerations to keep in mind when buying a pet milk snake.
Why Milk Snakes Make Good Snakes for Beginners
Milk Snakes:
- Are affordable
- Easy to find
- Easy to take care of
- Don’t Get Too Big
- Easy to handle
- Are active and fun to watch
- Come in many different colors
Considerations
- Can sometimes bite
- Are active
- Eat rodents
Now that we have a good list, let’s take a closer look at each of these.
Are Affordable
When it comes to pet snakes, milk snakes are very affordable. You can expect to pay between $70 to $100 U.S. dollars. If you are interested in any of the more exotic looking color and pattern variations you can expect to pay more.
This is very reasonable for a pet snake.
Easy to Find
Milk snakes are very popular and easy to breed. Because of this they are widely available and easy to find.
You can find them at pet stores, reptile expos, online or from a local breeder. We always recommend buying from a breeder because they generally know much more about the snakes they are raising and the specific snake you might want to buy.
Easy to Take Care Of
Milk snakes are easy to take care of which makes them ideal for the beginning snake owner. These snakes are extremely hardy (they don’t die easily) which means they can tolerate their owner’s mistakes better than other kinds of snakes that may not. It is still a good idea to learn all you can about how to care for your new snake.
You will need:
- A good sized enclosure
- A heat source
- A place for them to hide
- A water dish
- Easy access to food
A good sized enclosure – about a 10- gallon tank for younger milk snakes and about a 30-gallon sized enclosure for adults will do. Be sure to get one that is made for snakes and has a secure top. Snakes are really good at getting out.
A heat source – Milk snakes do not require special UV lighting but they do require heat. They are cold blooded animals and rely on their environment to stay warm which allows them to properly digest their food.
This can easily be achieved by an under the tank heat mat. Be sure to get one that is made for reptiles and don’t forget a thermostat. This can also be achieved with an over the tank heat lamp.
Put the heat mat or heat lamp on one side of the cage. This allows the other side of the cage to be a little cooler. You are looking for temps in the mid to upper 80’s on one side and the upper 70’s to low 80’s (Fahrenheit) on the other side.
A place for them to hide – Snakes need privacy sometimes, like we all do. This helps them feel secure in their cage which helps them maintain their health.
It’s a good idea to provide two hiding places. One on the warm side of the enclosure and one on the cool side of the enclosure.
A water dish – All animals need water. Even camels. Snakes need water too. It is important that you provide a water dish and change the water regularly so it stays clean and fresh.
Easy access to food – You will need to feed your new milk snake about once a week. They will eat readily which also makes them great for a beginner. Some snakes are picky eaters which can be disheartening for new snake owners. This is not the case for milk snakes.
You will need to provide your snake with rodents to eat. For your milk snake, this means mice. It’s best to feed them frozen thawed mice. It’s also easiest.
You can usually buy frozen mice from your local pet shop or online. Buy several of them at a time and just keep them in your freezer until it’s time to feed your pet milk snake.
Thaw them out in a bucket of warm water when it’s time to feed them.
Don’t Get Too Big
One of the big reasons milk snakes are good for beginners is that they don’t get too big. Milk snakes are a very, very manageable size for a pet snake. Even the largest species usually doesn’t often grow more than about 4 feet. They can get bigger but it’s uncommon.
They are also slender which means that even a 4-foot-long milk snake will be quite a bit smaller than a similar length ball python.
Their smaller size makes them easy to house which means you don’t need a huge cage. Perhaps the biggest benefit of their size is that it makes them easy to handle even for children.
Easy to Handle
Along with their very manageable size milk snakes are naturally docile when being handled. They are not known to be aggressive in the least.
In addition, their size makes them more durable when handled by a new snake owner. Children can be taught to handle them without much concern for the snake’s safety. Or the child’s for that matter.
Are Active and Fun to Watch
Milk snakes are active during the day. This means they will not spend all of their time hiding. They will spend time exploring their habitat and this can be really cool and interesting to watch!
Come in Many Different Colors
There are several species of milk snakes available as pets. They are considered by some the most beautiful snake in the world. They have bright colors and because of how easy they are to breed they are available in many different colors and patterns.
Breeders select various snakes with specific genetic traits and put them together to produce offspring that exhibit those traits more vividly or look completely different than their parents.
There are even albino milk snakes available!
Considerations
Now that we’ve discussed many of the reasons milk snakes make excellent pet snakes for beginners let’s talk about some things you should consider before buying your new milk snake.
Can Sometimes Bite
Milk snakes are great eaters. This is one thing that makes them such great pet snakes because you don’t have to worry about them refusing to eat.
Because milk snakes have such a high energy feeding response anything that smells like food is fair game. For this reason, they sometimes bite when being handled.
This doesn’t happen very often. The good thing is that if they do bite, it is usually very insignificant.
Are Active
Milk snakes move around a lot and will move around when being handled. This can be exciting and enjoyable but for some it can be unnerving.
Some people don’t want an active snake. If you are one of those people then a ball python may be a better choice.
Eat Rodents
As mentioned above milk snakes eat mice. Some people have a hard time with this. This is part of the circle of life and if your snake is going to stay alive you are going to need to feed it.
If this is a challenge for you then a snake probably isn’t the best option. It might be better to consider a lizard or a turtle or tortoise.
Conclusion
I’ve owned snakes for all of my life but I’ve never owned a milk snake. After learning more about how amazing they are I have to say I’m tempted. They are great for beginners or for anyone who wants a new pet snake!
If you are looking for a new pet snake or considering buying one for your son or daughter, a milk snake would make a great choice.
We sincerely hope this information has helped.