eastern milk snakes??

while searching google, like i do when im bored.. i saw this gorgeous snake.. im looking to buy a pair.. but dont see them in the classifieds? are there no sales allowed? or am i just over looking something?? anyone know someone i might be able to get a pair from?? thanks..

tony

You're correct there are not a lot of ads for Eastern Milks. Lapropeltis triangulum triangulum I did find one elsewhere (not sure I can say where without violoating Fauna TOS) for Monster Island Milks which are a L. t. triagulum locality supposedly the island where the largest of the Easterns have been found. I also found some ads for Coastal Plains Milks which are a naturally occuring intergrade of L. t. triangulum and L. t. elapsoides the scarlet kingsnake. But I doubt the accuracy of these ads since they state they are from a New Jersey locality and the Coastal Plains Milk only naturally occurs in North Carolina where the range of the 2 subspecies overlaps.

Since you are from Ohio you might consider going field herping next spring and look for some yourself. Just a thought since you live in their range. The real pretty ones with the light ground color and dark rust red blotches are not that easy to come across. Most you will find have a muddier ground color but it's still worth the effort to look for the pretty ones.

There are also a number of other sub species in the L. triangulum complex that many breeders are working with. These are probably more popular for breeding as they are far more colorful than Easterns. Hondurans and Pueblan milks just to name 2 of these are relatively easy to find ads for and most are not very expensive.

It's most likely these other members of the complex are more readily available as they are much more brightly colored than true Easterns making them more popular. I agree though that a nice high contrast Eastern is a beautiful snake. I know when I go out next spring for local bulls and black rats I will also be on the lookout for some easterns.

thank you.. that does help alot.. very informative.. i'll have to keep my eye out next spring.. my buddy and i are going do to southern ohio mid to late spring next year, his dad has an almost 1000 acre farmland.. mostly woods, with down trees.. what a great place to go field herping!! cant wait.. and i'll keep my eye out.. only problem there.. every other snake we find will be a copperhead lol.. but thanks again..

Originally Posted by ajespo85

thank you.. that does help alot.. very informative.. i'll have to keep my eye out next spring.. my buddy and i are going do to southern ohio mid to late spring next year, his dad has an almost 1000 acre farmland.. mostly woods, with down trees.. what a great place to go field herping!! cant wait.. and i'll keep my eye out.. only problem there.. every other snake we find will be a copperhead lol.. but thanks again..

Mid to late May would be a good time for finding possibly gravid females. Catch and release those after they lay their eggs. Best places to look are in rotting stumps, under loose bark and under rotting logs. Those are the best natural places, also under anything like old sheetmetal, plywood, carpet and the like. I know a lot of old farms used gullies for dumps back in the day. Those are always a good spot to look for herps.

With the copperheads it's best to take a snake hook for flipping and always flip with the far side away from you.

yeah.. we have welding gloves and we are planning on wearing thick rubber boots.. not taking any chances there.. i look forward to every herp show.. and now im looking forward to this coming up may!!

The eastern milk snake is my favorite snake, its the snake that actually got me into the hobby 20 years ago. I live in nj in an urban area and when i was a kid we could catch them down by the meadowlands. This year I plan on exploring the places i caught them at years ago. I too have been looking for about 5 years now and have only been able to purchase a pair that i found by luck and was refered to by a breeder who has them but none for sale due to lack of interest from buyers. occasionaly you do see someone selling wild caught or wc/captive born babies which I am not above buying but someone always buys them first..your best bet is to check this site and ks.com on a regular basis. and be ready to purchase right away if they do pop up...we will be competing lmao..you might also be able to trade with someone who has them if they are willing....pm me and I will give you the name of the breeder who has them and maybe if a bunch of us email him he will breed his and we can get some..i spoke to him last year and nothing maybe this year he will have them. since i said I would buy the clutch. its been a year since i bought my pair and they are unsexed and only 2 years old easterns shouldnt be bred until they are 4 yrs old or at least 3....anyway good luck..

I am 16, but my grandparents live in pennsylvania. i do a lot herping, and eastern milks can be easily found on place where there are a lot of tin and roofing stuff on the ground. they are flipped fairly easily. i catch scarlet kingsnakes alot down here, and btw, the Coastal Plains Milksnake's range goes all the way up to Maryland. There found in maryland more than anywhere else. if you want the ultimate website check out www.dnsreptiles.webs.com

this guy dave niles breeds every kind of milksnake in the u.s including a few latin american ones.

hope you do well finding them, just check for any ticks, i have found many wild snakes with problems. I hope my information helps you, good luck

-Jordan

Keep in mind that native Ohio snakes are regulated in Ohio. If you are over 16 you must have a permit, have the snake PIT tagged (if it is over 18 inches), pay annual license fees, and be open to inspections from the ODNR.

Eastern Milks have not "caught on" for the very same reason most other North American Milks aren't popular - the babies often refuse pinkies as their first meal. This makes them inconvenient for many breeders to work with.

Some Ohio Easterns that I found last year:





Tim Spuckler
Third Eye Herp
http://www.thirdeyeherp.com/

Awesome pics!!! thanx for sharing

when field collecting we also use hay hooks to flip logs rocks ect over around here masses are found everywhere