Any professional or hobby farmer will tell you barns are hot spots for mice and rats (I call my barn rat “Harold” though I have no idea if it is male or female and it could be five different rats). The reason Eastern Milksnakes spend so much time around barns has nothing to do with milk, but it does have to do with food. I can’t think of a single other non-venomous species with so much myth and misinformation surrounding it, so I thought this month it would be helpful to go over factual information about this unique species and hope that by doing so, I might also help endear this species to at least a few people who aren’t all that fond of snakes to begin with. On top of that, many who correctly refer to the species as a Milksnake have been informed at some point in their lives that they got their name from their propensity to steal milk straight from the udders of livestock in the barns they frequent. Common knowledge, especially in more rural areas, is that these spotted snakes commonly found around barns and stone walls are highly venomous and that a bite from one will make you sick, when in actuality nothing could be farther from the truth. Early European settlers who had some familiarity with the venomous adders of Europe likely thought the Milksnakes here looked similar, and unfortunately this centuries old case of mistaken identity persists today, resulting in many of these harmless snakes being persecuted across the northeast. Unlike species such as Northern Watersnakes, which are often confused for similarly-patterned Copperheads or Cottonmouths, the Milksnake is mistaken not only for Timber Rattlesnakes, but also another venomous species that doesn’t actually exist: the “checkered” or “spotted adder”. You can read more about the care of your snake by looking up a milk snake care sheet online.One of the most common, yet misidentified, snakes in Northern New England is the Eastern Milksnake. This means the size is fine, but it wouldn't necessarily be bad to upgrade to slightly larger one.Īs for warmth, you should provide your temperatures of the cage or else we won't be able to tell you if it is because they are cold. in your case you have a 3 x 2, so 2*3 + 2*2 = 6 + 4 = 10ft (around 3 meters) which is exactly twice your snake's length. You can find an example of a hideout here.Ī general rule for snake enclosure size is that you take the perimeter (length + length + width + width) and if that is less than double the snake length, you need to upgrade. If there is something sticky in your cage, a snake will find out how to get it stuck on them (trust me), and hot glue isn't sticky or harmful when removed. If you really didn't want it behind there, you could try to hot-glue the formation to the side of the cage but do not try to tape it. If that doesn't work then I would say it isn't that big of a deal. I would say, maybe pick up another hideout or two (two being the preferred if you don't have any) from a pet store or online, then try to reset the wall and see if it still prefers that. If it chooses a hiding place behind the wall, it is probably doing so because of a lack of other hideouts, the other hideouts are too big and don't help it feel secure, the hideouts are too small and it feels exposed, or it doesn't like the hide/material of the hideout or it prefers the wall. As you can tell, a snake loves to squeeze into the tightest space possible that can still cover them. Usually when this happens, it is because the snake feels there is a lack of adequate hiding enclosures in the cage. The terrarium is 3' x 2', and she's grown to about 5 ft. Anything to worry about? Is my tank too warm for her? Or does she just find this area cozy / safe. I try to move her and set the wall more securely, but she always finds a way back there again. My milksnake likes to find a way behind the foam rock wall and hang out against the glass.
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