Pueblan Milksnakes are one of the most commonly bred
Milksnakes in captivity. There popularity is down to their
ease of keeping, bright colouration and relatively small size.
Wild Type Pueblans have black red black bands on a white/cream
coloured background.
with very wide white neck bands, were the first mutations to appear.
has bands of black, orange, black then red. These are very
popular because of there bright colours.
The orange bands, yes you have
guessed are a pale orange colour.
Oreo Pueblan's
have very wide white bands and little
red colouration.
Halloween Pueblans are black & orange.
These Pueblans are bi-coloured having very wide black bands with thin
orange bands.
Albino Pueblan's are a result of breeding the Albino gene from
a Ruthvens Kingsnake or Nelsons Milksnake into the species. They are
gorgeous looking snakes in shades of bright oranges, lemons and creams.
Both striped and aberrantly
patterned Pueblans are known but whether
they are genetic patterns will have to
be determined with selective breeding.
In captivity these animals will eat a diet of mice. They are generally
aggressive feeders that are easy to start. In the wild they feed on small
lizards, small snakes, nestling birds but there main diet is rodents.
Hatchlings can be fed every 3-4 days on pinkies, where as adults will
only require feeding once a week on appropriate size mice.
Although Pueblan Milksnakes come from arid regions where little or no
water is available for drinking, it is important that whilst in captivity
fresh water is made available at all times.
Hatchlings can be a bit nippy but soon calm down with handling and age.
A thermal gradient with a hot spot of 84 degrees F and a cooler end in
the mid 70's.
Although some keepers/breeders have kept Pueblan Milksnakes together
in a communal vivarium, without them expressing the cannibalistic tendencies
associated with other King & Milksnakes. We would recommend keeping
them separately, especially the Albino forms that have been hybridized
with Ruthvens Kingsnakes or Nelsons Milksnakes
Hatchling Pueblans should be kept in a small container with a paper towel
substrate, provided with a hide and fresh drinking water.
Adults & Juveniles can be housed in aquarium type enclosures, vivarium
or a racking system, a general rule for deciding the size of a snakes
home is length approximately equal to three quarters your snake's length.
The cage's width should be about a third of your snake's length. A hide
should be provided at both ends of the vivarium. Good husbandry and overall
cleanliness are essential to your Milksnakes general state of good health.
If the enclosure is dirty, too wet or dry, or too hot or cold, this will
cause skin or respitory problems or both.
Hatchlings are best kept on paper towels.
Adults & Juveniles can be kept on a sterilized bark/wood chippings
or aspen bedding, newspaper and paper towels are often used in racking
systems but are not very pleasing to the eye when used in other forms
of housing. Pine & Cedar shaving should never be used as these can
be potentially dangerous to the snakes as they could digest some when
they are being fed, and the fumes from the shavings can be toxic and
could cause respitory problems.
To hibernate a your Milksnake for the winter, make sure it has had no
food for two weeks and that the temperature is normal during this time
allowing the snake to fully digest it's last meal and empty it's guts.
After this the temperature should be lowered gradually over a few weeks
until its 55-60 degree F . The snake should not be fed during this period
but fresh drinking water should be available at all times. After 10-12
weeks the snake can gradually be warmed up over a two week period and
can then be offered food again.
After hibernation and approx 3 weeks into a normal eating pattern for
the female they can be introduced to one another, males will sometimes
not eat at this time being more interested in breeding than eating. Female
Pueblan should only be bred from if they are healthy and feeding well.
A female that has eaten well from a hatchling may be sexually mature
by 18 months of age. The female should be introduced into the males cage.
Once several copulations have been witnessed or the female looks fatter
mid body they should be separated. The female should be given a laying
box. A plastic container big enough for her to coil loosely in, filled
with damp sphagnum moss. She may refuse food during her pregnancy, or
may only except smaller prey items than usual. Expect her to lay her
6-10 eggs from 5-14 days after she has shed. The eggs when they are laid
should be removed to another container two thirds filled with damp vermiculite
( when a handful is squeezed in the palm of the hand only a small amount
of water should be produced. ). Do not rotate the eggs, and don't unnecessarily
handle them. The box should have a fitted lid, and the humidity inside
should be 100%, some condensation will form on the lid if this is too
much and is dripping on the eggs, the vermiculite is too wet and a little
dry should be sprinkled over the surface to take up the moisture. I usually
have the egg boxes ready in the incubator a few days before I expect
her to lay, this way the vermiculite is at the right temperature and
any mistakes made in making up the vermiculite mixture can be rectified.
The eggs should be checked weekly removing the lid will give a good exchange
of air. The Eggs should be incubated at 80-83 degrees F, expect them
to hatch after 58-66 days. The female should be offered food after she
has laid, although some will refuse until they have had there post laying
shed. It is a good idea then to feed her twice a week on smaller prey
items until she has recovered her weight lose.
The hatchlings should be housed separately, and feed aggressively after
their neonate shed which will occur anywhere from 5-10 days from leaving
there egg.
© Sue Knight 2002
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