The must-have guide for milksnake owners!
- General information on milksnakes that any aspiring herpetologist will want to know
- Acquiring your milksnake and what to look for to ensure your new snake is healthy
- Housing requirements including substrates, shelters and hide boxes, humidity, heating, and more
- Feeding information, including frozen rodents, vitamin and mineral supplements, and strategies for finicky snakes
- Breeding considerations, from determining sex, hibernation, and incubating eggs to caring for the babies
- Diseases and disorders such as parasites, mouth rot, and URIs and how to recognize and address them
- Subspecies, hybrids, and "almost" milksnakes, from Nelson's milksnake to the Pueblacorn to Ruthven's Kingsnake (aka Queretaro kingsnake)
Milksnakes have become a favorite among reptile enthusiasts due to the striking patterns and wide variety of colors displayed among subspecies. These hardy snakes are also easy to maintain: They generally breed readily, feed eagerly, and welcome human interaction!
Milksnakes by Bryan Engler and Jerry Walls is devoted to this most diverse of snakes and contains everything you need to know to begin your relationship with this attractive and even-tempered species. 128 information-packed pages deliver helpful details that will be of interest to everyone from the novice needing the basics of feeding and housing care to the seasoned veteran herper.
An elite member of the kingsnake family, the milksnake is found exclusively in the Americas and has one of the largest ranges of all snakes. Inside this comprehensive recourse, you'll find information about the most popular milksnake subspecies—including many interesting hybrid varieties—and discover how to properly select, purchase, house, handle, and care for your milksnake.
Milksnakes' color variations in the pet world exceed those found in nature, illustrating how wildly popular milksnakes are with hobbyists. Thanks to their hardiness, ease of breeding and feeding, and generally friendly nature, these attractive snakes have few disadvantages for keepers. They're modestly sized (maxing out at 3 or 4 feet), and their many colorful patterns are undeniably eye-catching, as captured in the beautiful photographs inside this book.
This Advanced Vivarium Systems title includes information about selecting and purchasing a healthy milksnake, housing and maintenance needs, feeding, handling, and health care. A separate chapter on diseases and disorders provides a complete primer on the health needs and veterinary care. The authors discuss fifteen superb milksnakes in the chapter "The Most Popular Milksnakes," from the black milksnake to the Utah milksnake, offering descriptions and color photographs of each. The chapter "Almost Milksnakes," covering six similar kingsnakes, and a fascinating chapter about milksnake hybrids will both prove of great interest to lovers of these friendly snakes. A list of resources and a complex index is also included.
Whether you just got your first milksnake, you're considering it, or you're already a milksnake enthusiast, Milksnakes from the experts at Advanced Vivarium Systems is packed with the definitive advice you need!
