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Both are great milks...


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Posted by nategodin on November 14, 2002 at 11:57:15:

In Reply to: Opinions wanted...best milk snake for beginner posted by Amanda E on November 14, 2002 at 11:13:45:

:I've been thinking of getting maybe some Sinaloans or Black :Milks. Is there any other one that might be a good beginner? Or :is there a reason why I shouldn't get either of the two I :mentioned?
:Thanks.

I'm a long-time herper who's relatively new to snakes, and I have both an adult sinaloan and 2 black milk hatchlings. Both are excellent milks, but there are a few differences between the two subspecies... sinaloans tend to be medium sized, about 3-4 feet as adults, and have wide red bands. If you like snakes with a lot of red, this is the one for you. They come from warm areas of Mexico, so they'll need heat and possibly a basking light. Black milks one of the largest milksnakes, adults are 5-6 feet or longer, and a sort of iridescent black color. The hatchlings have the typical tricolor pattern which fades to black within a year or two. If you like big, black snakes (indigo envy), get a black milk. My hatchlings are surprisingly tame and easy to feed. (this is not always true with the smaller milks) They are also very simple to care for, since they come from the mountains of Costa Rica and Panama, where the temperature never gets above 75-80 degrees. If price is a factor, sinaloans tend to be much cheaper (about $50) than black milks ($100-150), but if you consider that you'll never need to buy a heater or basking light for your black milk, they are arguably cheaper to keep in the long run. To summarize, both are excellent snakes, I'd choose whichever one suits your budget and personal taste.




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