Sinaloan Milksnake

Size: Hatchling: 9-10 inches Adult: 40-48 inches
Range: Mexico
Scalation: Dorsal scale rows: 21-23 Ventrals: 205-228 Subcaudals: 46-60	Supralabials: 7-8 Infralabials: 7-10 Saddles: 10-16
When Buying a Milksnake I highly recomend buying from a quality breeder.
Housing your snake Milksnakes tend to be escape artists. If there is any small hole or gap, any "give" to the fitting of the top your snake will most likely escape. Milksnakes are known for their tenacity at testing their environment. Once they do get out, they are very difficult to find. For this reason, the selection of an enclosure (or design of a custom enclosure) is very important. A tight enclosure is generally more expensive, whether you buy one or make it yourself, but if you want to keep you Milksnake you it is necessary.
Enclosure Milksnakes are commonly kept in everything from sweater boxes to high quality custom enclosures. I only recomend sweater boxes if used in a rack system as sweater box lids do not proved security. If you decide on an aquarium I do not recomend pegboard type tops as they are easily pushed aside by the snake. Placing bricks on pegboard and sweater box tops is not suitable to secure the enclosure. If in aquarium is to be used spend the extra money on the slide in screen top style. most commercial cages do a great job and easily facilitate both lighting and heating.
Heat The Milksnakes that live in climates that experience extremes in heat and cold alter their daily habits to accommodate such extremes. In captivity, the extremes do not need to be provided unless you are trying to breed your snakes. In general, provide a temperature ranging from 80-86 F, with nighttime temps in the low 70's. You will only want to heat one side of the cage not worrying about the temp on the other side. this allows the snake to choose its own best temp range. Do not try to guess the temperature. You must use thermometers. Try to keep one placed in the cool end, the warm end, and at any other area where the snake spends most of its time. The hot areas should not exceed the maximum temperature by more than a couple of degrees. Heating pads, people (not recommended) or ones developed especially for reptiles can be placed under half the tank. DO NOT use a hot rock as is. These "rocks" heat up to 105 F on the surface, capable of causing severe burns. Incandescent and other heat lights are impractical, they must be turned off a night (to create a drop in temperature) and they tend to bother nocturnal snakes. Snakes should be heated from below using a radiant heat source. You can supply radiant heat from below by many high quality reptile heating mats.. If the room temperature is always warm (in the low to mid part of the gradient required), then you may be able to make do with only one heat source.
Humidity and Water Always provide a bowl of water for your snake. This is usually all the humidity they will need. I highly recomend heavy crock style bowls as they are not easily tipped over. They often soak in the water, especially prior to a shedding. You must check the water daily, as they often defecate in the water, and make sure you clean. Disinfect the bowl before placing it back in the tank. Make sure that the substrate remains dry at all times. One of the problems experienced in keeping Milksnakes is that the substrate was kept too damp which can cause bacterial, fungal and respiratory infections.
Furnishings Milksnakes like shelters of some sort. These should be provided in both the cool and warm ends of the tanks. They can be purchased at your local pet store. Shelters can range from rocky caves, half-circles of tree bark, and upside-down flower pots or you can use recycled facial tissue and other suitably sized boxes as they are easily disposed of and replaced when they get soiled, they just don’t look at nice. This is very important if the enclosure is in a high traffic area.
Substrate The most commony used substrate for milksnakes is newspaper and aspen shavings. Do not use cedar, redwood and possibly pine as they are toxic. Astroturf, outdoor carpeting, aquarium gravel and silica free sand are commonly used and should washed and dried before use. The real key to substrates is how difficult they are to clean and change, and how often you are likely to do it. Try to find the balance between providing interest and variety for your snake and what you can reasonably do on a least weekly basis.
Feeding As a general rule try to feed mice that are as big around as the widest part of your snake's body. Start captive bred hatchlings on pink mice and feeding them is rarely a problem if purchased from a quality breeder as they will assure it is feeding well prior to the sale. Frozen/defrosted mice are recomended over live mice, make sure to defrost completely (leave under a light, on counter, or soaking in warm water). Hatchlings should be fed twice a week and adults only once every 7-10 days. Hatchlings can be started on one/two day old pinkie mice. Milksnakes are hungrier in the spring and summer, slowing down during the fall and may stop feeding during the winter even though the may still be active.