![]() A long tank is best because these snakes need a temperature gradient, with hiding spots on each side. The tank needs to have adequate ventilation to prevent too much humidity, so a tightly fitting vented or mesh lid is ideal. Even the largest specimens do fine in a 20-30-gallon glass tank, but the bigger, the better. One of the best aspects of keeping one of these snakes is that they do not need a large enclosure to stay happy and healthy. Overall, they are not difficult snakes to keep and are certainly not as high maintenance as some other snake species. Selective breeding has resulted in unique morphs, but almost all morphs still have the tri-color banding, though some morphs have cream or yellow hues replacing the white bands.Ĭaring for a Pueblan Milk Snake is relatively easy, though their tank conditions need to closely match the conditions of their natural environment. They are tri-banded snakes with repeating patterned bands of white, black, and red, with a slender body that rarely reaches more than 4 feet in length. One of the reasons that these snakes are such popular pets is their gorgeous coloring. Image Credit: anythings, Shutterstock Appearance They can thrive in various conditions and are ideal for beginners. They are hardy reptiles that can be regularly handled and have long lifespans. They are moderately sized and don’t need large enclosures. They are active reptiles that can be fairly challenging to handle as juveniles, but with some taming, they grow out of this as adults. Like all king snakes and milk snakes, they must be housed alone, apart from the breeding season, because they are cannibalistic.Pueblan Milk Snakes make great pets. Honduran milk snakes adapt well to captivity due to their relative ease of care and docile nature, and their moderate size and brilliant colors make them impressive and attractive pets. The hatchlings are 8 inches long and darker in color than their parents when they emerge from the eggs. The eggs incubate for approximately two months, and hatch in August or September. The females are oviparous, laying an average of 3–18 eggs per clutch in early June. Honduran milk snakes become sexually mature at 18 months. In captivity they are kept successfully on a diet of mice and rats. The Honduran milk snake uses constriction to kill its prey and tends to be opportunistic when it comes to its diet they eat other snakes ( ophiophagy), including venomous snakes, lizards, rodents, birds and eggs. The Honduran milk snake inhabits low to medium elevations of the tropical areas of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Northeastern Costa Rica. The Honduran milk snake has a resemblance to the coral snake and this similarity in color, known as Batesian mimicry, helps protect the snake from potential predators. The Honduran milk snake is one of the larger subspecies of milk snake, attaining a length of 48 inches in the wild and some captive specimens reaching a length of 5 feet. In some cases the yellow is actually a deep orange color and the animal in question is referred to as a tangerine phase. The Honduran milk snake's base color is red with distinct rings or bands of black and yellow. Its subspecific name hondurensis is a Latinization of their primary country of origin: Honduras. Its specific name ( triangulum) is Latin for "triangle" and refers to the three colors found on the scales of the species (red, black, and yellow). ![]() The generic name ( Lampropeltis) is derived from the Ancient Greek lamprós (λαμπρος) meaning "bright" and peltas (πελτας) meaning "shield", after the sheen of their scales. A two-month-old albino Honduran milk snake Taxonomy
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