Honduran milk snakes are eye-catching snakes with red, black, and yellow colors on them. They look a lot like poisonous coral snakes, which helps to keep them safe from predators. These beautiful snakes can be kept as pets, but how should you care for them?
You can care for a Honduran milk snake by giving it around 60% humidity in its enclosure, feeding it thawed mice, keeping its enclosure temperature between 80 and 90°F (26.6-32°C), and providing it with 12 hours of light during the day.
In this article, I’ll explore essential care tips and must-know facts about Honduran milk snakes.
Honduran Milk Snake: Care Sheet and Must-Know Facts
If you want to own a Honduran milk snake, you’ll need to know some essential facts about this species, which gets its name because of an old myth. According to legend, milk snakes would hang around barns and sneak into them to steal milk from cows.
Facts About the Honduran Milk Snake
| Scientific name | Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis |
| Appearance | Narrow body with bands/rings in yellow, red, and black |
| Weight | 2.77 lbs (1.3kg) |
| Diet | Other snakes, lizards, birds, eggs, rodents |
| Lifespan | Approximately 20 years in captivity, 7-12 years in the wild. |
| Place of origin | Tropical regions of Nicaragua, Honduras, and Costa Rica |
| Activity | Solitary and nocturnal |
| Length | Up to five feet (1.5m) |
| Predators | Birds of prey, raccoons, foxes, coyotes |
| Temperament | Docile |
How To Care for Your Honduran Milk Snake?
This table provides a summary of how to care for your Honduran milk snake. I’ll explore these in greater detail below.
| Tank size (minimum) | 36 inches (91.44cm) |
| Temperature | 80-90°F (26.6-32°C) |
| Humidity | 50-70% |
| Diet | Thawed mice |
| Substrate | Orchid bark, aspen shavings, damp moss |
Tank Size
Whether you choose to house your Honduran milk snake in a terrarium or enclosure, it should have the correct size to accommodate its growth phase.
Adult milk snakes should be in an enclosure with a surface of at least 48 x 18 inches (122 x 46 cm).
You should never keep more than one Honduran milk snake in the same cage or enclosure. These snakes are carnivorous and will eat each other!
Honduran milk snakes love to climb, so you want to fill their enclosure with items that they can slither up, such as artificial plants or rocks.
Temperature
Generally, Honduran milk snakes want a temperature range of between 80 and 90°F (26.6-32°C). Snakes want to have a small area in their enclosure where they can be exposed to cool temperatures. Aim to keep the temperature a bit lower in one-third of the enclosure.
If the snake’s enclosure doesn’t get enough light, you will need to use a basking light for your milk snake. Switch it off at night but leave it on for 12 hours per day as this will help your snake to know if it’s night or day.
Humidity
Since Honduran milk snakes originate from tropical regions, they need a lot of humidity: between 50 and 70%. You can achieve this by ensuring their enclosure contains the following:
- Live plants
- Substrate
You should also mist your snake’s enclosure once a day. If it’s very hot and dry, you can mist them twice a day.
Diet
While adult snakes should be fed thawed mice, hatchling snakes need to be fed smaller prey, such as cockroaches and crickets.
You want to avoid giving your snake anything larger than the above, as this can be too difficult for them to digest. You should feed your adult Honduran milk snake once every two weeks, while small hatchlings should be fed once a week. Feeding your snake too often can cause it to become overweight.
Food aside, place a water bowl in your snake’s enclosure. It should always be clean, and make sure it’s large enough for your snake to soak in.
Substrate
There are many different substrate types you can use in your snake’s enclosure. Examples include:
- Orchid bark. This maintains humidity well.
- Aspen shavings. This will enable your Honduran milk snake to burrow, which is something these snakes love to do.
To help increase the humidity and comfort of the enclosure, you should fill approximately 30% of it with damp moss. This will also be a good addition to the cooler area of the enclosure where your snake can relax.
Be Careful When Handling Your Snake
Although Honduran milk snakes are gentle, they can be tricky to hold. They might try to bite and chew your hands, so you have to be careful and protect your hands.
It’s best to be gentle whenever you pick up and handle your snake. Give your snake a chance to get used to its new enclosure after you bring it home, and avoid picking it up for the first few days.
You should also avoid picking up your snake when:
- It’s just eaten a meal. Wait a few days so that your snake can digest its food, or it could regurgitate it.
- You’re not wearing gloves. Protect your hands!
Final Thoughts
If you want to keep a Honduran milk snake, you must give it proper care. This includes:
- Giving your milk snake an enclosure that’s at least 36 inches (91.44cm).
- Keeping a humidity of between 50 and 70%
- Feeding your adult snake thawed mice.
