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Re: Baby Sinaloan advice, please!


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Milk Snake Forum ]

Posted by Roy Stockwell on March 02, 2003 at 21:16:42:

In Reply to: Baby Sinaloan advice, please! posted by GunillaMolly on March 02, 2003 at 13:53:21:

:Hi,
:We are going through some traumatic experience in our family. It all started back in December when my daughter Molly got a corn snake for her ninth birthday. Two moths later we found it dead in its water bowl with a lump on its body. It had eaten fine every week until then, but that morning it had refused its food. We waited two weeks for a reptile fair to come to town and got Molly a Sinaloan Milk Snake from LLL this time. After getting the snake I started reading up on it and I suppose I should have done that prior to getting the milk snake instead. Could someone please give us advice on the following issues:
:1. We have a ten-gallon tank with the bottom covered with Aspen bedding that the reptile guy recommended. The milk snake goes under it all the time though. Is this the correct bedding for a milk snake? We also have a branch for it to climb on and a hiding spot.

I would recommend starting the snake in a shoebox size rubbermaid container,or similar sized food saver with a very secure lid and with several small holes along each side. Use a soldering iron or small drill about an eight of inch in diameter. Large tanks are a mistake with baby snakes, as they tend to be too dry, and the food scent is lost too quickly in the large air space.
I would avoid any ingestible substrate with young snakes, especially skittish ones that really need to be fed in the cage they are living in. Go with serviettes or papertowel.Something they wont swallow

:2. We have a heating pad and a 75 W red lamp on the same side of the tank. The temperature on the hot side is 77-78 degrees. Is this too cold? If it is, how can we make it warmer?
75Watts is usually way to hot and will gererally produce temps much higher than you state. You need to double check that with another probe type thermometer.Snakes don't need light,so it's best to heat the substrate. Undertank pads and heat tape is the best. A hot end of 85F should be provided for Sinaloans, and temps in that range will help promote an appetite.
:3. I read that it should be humid. Is it enough to have its water bowl and spray the tank twice a day to get enough humidity? It has to humid enough for proper shedding. Use that as your guide.
Aqariums typcially have screened type tops, and this lets out too much humidity. Once again, using a smaller food saver type container will help hold in the humidity, or if you insist on using the aquarium, put a piece of glass or plexi over most of the top to hold the
humidity in.
:4. We tried to feed it a defrosted pink mouse yesterday but it would not touch it. I called LLL and asked them and they said to stop handling the snake for several weeks until it has eaten at least 2-3 times. Also to put it in a brown paper bag together with the pinkie overnight in a couple of days. Does this sound right? He also said that the snake could go without food for several months without suffering. The snake is a little bit over a foot long - 3 months old maybe?

I'm not surpised! Baby milks can be tricky to get going. You may need to used brained pinks or live ones, but start by opening the head of the pinky you thaw out. It may sound gross but it often works by putting more scent molecules in the air.Sometimes simply pinching the nose off works. Try it by placing the food just in front of the door to the snakes hide. Do this without disturbing the snake. Turn the lights out too, and leave it overnight.

:5. A couple of days ago it started shedding. It only lost the skin from its head. This morning a little bit more came off but the major part of the snake is covered in dry skin. Do we need to help it get it off? I read on the forum about putting it in water for 10 minutes and then help rubbing it off. If we are not meant to handle it for a month would this not be a bit traumatic for the snake?

If the snake doesn't shed properly, it is a definite indication that either the snake is dehydrated, or the cage is far too dry. Sometimes both.
I would put the snake in a shoebox rubbermaid with a damp towel.It will probably get the skin off by itself. If the skin is still stuck after a day, then it's OK to start peeling it carefully by hand.
Sure it is a bit of stress, and the snake wont eat right after that, but the skin needs to come off, and that is the first priority. Make sure the eye caps shed.

:6. We are keeping the new milk snake in the same tank and with the same accessories as the old corn snake. I never thought about bacteria or anything. Molly cleaned the tank out, but it might not have been good enough and the branch and hiding spot are still the same. The water bowl was cleaned properly. Anything we should do about that now?

That was probably not a great idea. If you are not sure what the first occupant died from, I would toss out all the original branches etc. and scrub the tank down with bleach. You can let the bleach sit overnight, then rinse it out thoroughly the next day.
You're right, its a bit late, but better late than never.

:We would be so grateful if someone could spare some time and answer these questions. Thank you!
:Gunilla and Molly.




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