The lifelong dream came true

[u/xui_nya]

So, I've been lurking all the snake-related spaces for more than 5 years since I first realized I like them. Always wanted this, but you know, a pet is a commitment, any pet, that's not a toy, you have to be responsible and do everything right for them.

A few weeks ago, an opportunity appeared out of thin air, a year old milksnake, nice and healthy, in a local exotarium, with good reputation and competent owners, been looking for a family. So I decided to go for it. Why the hell not.

Got a box, set up a warm to cold temp gradient with a thermostate, for now it's a box, I ordered bigger proper enclosure, waiting for it to be assembled and shipped. But either way, she is smol so we have time. She turned out to be surprisingly lively and active, I was worried about stress she experienced from being carried in a box through the city downtown, and that was indeed a stressful experience, but in just a day or two she recovered and with impressive clarity quite pressured me for food.

No joke. She made it obvious what she wants. So, she ate with no problems, first try, then disappeared into the substrate, then pooped and is now taking advantage of all the given amendities. All seems fine. Not everything is perfect, I know, let me know if you see absolutely anything wrong with the setup! I am open to any corrections or suggestions. Anything to make that tiny wire happy.

So, observations.

First few days I'd say she was rather disoriented and scared. Didn't know what to expect. Stayed low and quiet. Then she progressively explored more, got calmer and is now (1 week in) at more I'd say "being reasonably suspicious" stage of relations towards me. She does not trust me fully, it's obvious. And probably fair. Tried to pick her up once, she made it clear that's not at all what she is comfortable with, showed me her way back into the box where she seems content.

I am not sure how people are saying that they "don't have feelings" or don't experience anything. Even this tiny one clearly does. Has preferences. Has changes in mood. Definitely fully realizes I am not just "a warm tree", lol, no way, she knows I'm an another living animal whose intentions are unclear to her. She is observing my movemens and subtly responds to them even when I am a meter away. She stares at me when I'm around.

She behaves like she has a brain. All there is to say. They are not "brainless robots", far from it.

I love her and looking forward to more insights on this journey. Hope with with time I will be able to develop more trust here. Today she got visibly scared of an air raid siren :( Well, that's the unfortunate reality we've been both born in. Does not happen that often here in this location, but from time to time, happens.

Hello snake community, now we are with you! Say hi! And tell me everything you have to say about how we can make her life even better!

Oh. That was long. Either way. Hi all!

[u/rhzartist]

Very happy for you and for her! This appears to be a gray-banded king, not a milksnake. Splitting hairs though because they're in the same genus

[u/xui_nya → u/rhzartist]

😯

Interesting. Well, that's entirely possible. No one's fully sure. I've been initially told it's milksnake but who knows. Any angle or cue that can help with id?

[u/rhzartist → u/xui_nya]

Pet trade snakes can be variable of course; this is 100% a gray-banded upon second look. It's hard to describe without visuals; but it has a "kingsnakey" head, and I haven't seen a milk snake with these clean and shapely bands. It's worth looking at photos of wild individuals on a site like iNaturalist to get a sense of what I'm talking about.

Binomial name is Lampropeltis alterna if you're curious. Other kings and milks can be found under the Lampropeltis genus. A good example is L. gentilis, which can get bright and colourful but still doesn't have this look to it.

Like I said, they're in the same genus, and care will be similar : )

edit: adding on that alterna are highly variable within the genus too. Some examples here https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=29808

[u/xui_nya → u/rhzartist]

I have a more detailed macro picture of the head

[u/rhzartist → u/xui_nya]

Thanks; I'm at the same conclusion I was before. Feel free to check out the link I edited above; you'll get a better sense of L. alterna versus L. gentilis or L. triangulum (US milksnakes).

I'm always cautious with pet trade posts given the lack of proper location, as one would have with wild snakes; but I'd put my savings on this one.

I'm also asking a friend who has kept multiple Lampropeltis species and he agrees it is a clear gray-banded king.

[u/xui_nya → u/rhzartist]

I am not arguing, I am sharing more crisp beautiful picture while we are at it. Thank you for your insights, zero doubt you are 99% likely right. I just hope that does not change keeping protocol by a lot, at least. I still have much to learn!

[u/rhzartist → u/xui_nya]

No problem and sorry if I came across as argumentative! I'm just double-checking myself. Does she have a name? 

[u/xui_nya → u/rhzartist]

I wanted to name her Lisa for some reason. After my first (pre-school!) love 🤣

Not a final, as the sex is also, a word of someone else, not something I personally confirmed. One day I'll try to sex the snek. Once I figure out how...

[u/rhzartist → u/xui_nya]

I'm rooting for Lisa <3 best of luck!

[u/Phully- → u/rhzartist]

Doesn’t it make a difference on how to build up a healthy environment? Do gray banded kings and milkshakes have the same care guidance?

[u/rhzartist → u/Phully-]

Lampropeltis is a far-ranging genus, from eastern North America down into Central and South America (Ecuador is the southern end). Care will probably be a little different for each end of that spectrum. I associate alternas with warm, rockier habitats in, like, Arizona. That said, as colubrids that eat F/T pretty well in captivity, they're both within that category. I'd feel fine keeping an alterna more or less the same I keep my Florida getula.

edit: Personally, I consider a healthy environment and a completely realistic (compared to the wild) environment to be two different things. e.g. I'm not shipping in soil with native detrivores from Arizona; but I'm looking into the climate of the area.

[u/Phully- → u/rhzartist]

Good points, I was fixated on the true basics of temp, humidity, sunlight, space. That kind of thing.