All very good points........

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Posted by hotshot on March 11, 2003 at 07:03:14:

In Reply to: Milk Snake on a budget posted by BruceHallman on March 10, 2003 at 16:27:11:

However, milk snakes can be very jumpy, wiggly, and musk alot as babies. I dont want to turn you off towards milk snakes if that is what your daughter wants. But be forewarned that most milks do not calm down nearly as much as a corn, king, or rat snake, and some will always musk no matter how old they are! I have owned a honduran and a pueblan, and will never own one again. The Honduran calmed down somewhat after he was around 18 months old, but would still musk as soon as I picked him up. After the initial musking, then he was fine. The pueblan on the other hand, never calmed down and would musk all the time. Just didnt like the way they were always jumpy and skittish.

There are some very beautiful morphs of corn snakes, and they are cheap as well. Kings and rats are just as beautiful in their own way and arent expensive either. All three are very hardy and hardly ever go off feed and most calm down pretty quick.

Like I said, I am not trying to dissuade you from getting a milk, but do some research on them first. IMHO, if your daughter wants a milk, then a honduran would probably be the best. They calm down much more than any other milk (besides the black, and they are pretty expensive), and are available in lots of color variations. Do some research on prices, and I think you will be surprised at how cheap you can get a nice honduran, especially if you go to a reptile show.

Good luck and happy herping
Brian

:My daughter [11 yrs old] has been begging me for over a year to keep a pet snake, and she is especially fond of Milk Snakes because of her experience with them in her classroom. I really want to say yes to her!

:I don't have a lot of money to waste, and I see that keeping a snake for a pet can cost a lot of money!

:I would appreciate some advice about how to enjoy a snake as a pet, while not spending an arm and a leg .

:1) Equipment, I have already scrounged a used 60 gallon tank, with undertank heater, screen lid, and thermometer. I also found a 60 watt ceramic IR radient heater.

:2) The snake, we can live without the expense of owning one of the rare fancy breed that cost upwards of $500! Are more common varieties cheaper? [I hope.] Where might they be found?

:3) A mouse a week, hmmm, what does that cost?

:4) What other costs haven't I thought about?

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