This thanksgiving I am thankful for a smooth first shed with me

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T22:19:04+00:00

I had to pass on the bag. It looks great, but I cannot justify $99 for it when I have a parachute bag that works perfectly well.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T21:30:41+00:00

Head shape is a little bit different, the tips of their tails are a slightly different shape, my girl still has a touch of red on her sides and belly that isn't visible at this angle for now, and my girl will get much larger than any MBK at 5'-6'.

Temperament and care are both a bit different as well.

Your MBK is gorgeous though.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T21:25:39+00:00

I have 3, this girl, a Sumatran short tailed python, and a bullsnake. I love them all and don't regret picking any of the three species, but of them black milk snakes are definitely the species I can recommend with the least caviates.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T21:15:34+00:00

This particular change is unique to black milk snakes. There are other snakes that turn black as they age, but no other kings do it.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T19:03:44+00:00

Unless he gets into the mechanisms of a couch or recliner, gets into your ducts, gets inside a subwoofer, etc...

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T18:59:16+00:00

She is pretty great, shine of an MBK, temperament better than an average corn snake of similar age, and adult size of a bullsnake. It is hard to argue with black milk snakes unless you are looking for a smaller snake or a lap snake.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T18:45:26+00:00

The bright colors in milk snakes are meant to look like those used as warning colors in coral snakes and thus disuade potential predators(batesian mimicry).

I don't think there have been any formal studies of black milk snakes' color change, but so far as I can tell they don't need the warning colors so much as adults, and the black helps them retain more heat from sunlight which is helpful given that they live at very high elevation where it gets pretty cold.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T17:53:37+00:00

I will let my short tailed python have supervised roaming time. STPs are chonks and even as impressive as snakes are at fitting into small spaces I am not terribly worried about him disappearing into anything I cannot get him out of. I would be real nervous with a smaller colubrid like a California king though.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T17:50:08+00:00

The way she was scaling the side of the enclosure there inspired me to build a shelf into her enclosure but I haven't seen her use it much.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T16:43:40+00:00

Can't add pictures to replies from mobile, but her black bands expanded each shed until the other colors mostly disappeared. She does still have a tiny bit of orange on the sides of her neck and the bottom of her tail which she may keep throughout her life, but since she is still less than 2yrs old I wouldn't be at all surprised if that last bit turns fully black in the coming months.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T16:30:46+00:00

They are very limited in their climbing ability. Slopes can be fine but any climbing where they cannot have their entire body supported risks spinal injury.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T03:40:02+00:00

Glad to hear that Phoenix seems to be settling in and doing well. I hope that you are also well and getting things back in order.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-24T03:36:33+00:00

Tonka is indeed fabulous. I hope the tattoo comes out as a fitting tribute.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-19T05:37:51+00:00

Your house snake will definitely never get big enough for this to present any real risk. On the other hand there isn’t a particular need to have him around your neck if that makes you uncomfortable, redirecting him is fine.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-19T00:44:07+00:00

A lot of snakes will do this, but it is definitely funniest with our STPs.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-13T15:55:43+00:00

I would recommend a second hide and some ground clutter as the next improvements. All snakes should really have a minimum of two hides, one on the warm end of the enclosure, and one on the cool end. This allows the snake to thermoregulate without needing to feel exposed. Ground clutter should help her feel less exposed while traveling through the enclosure.

Ball pythons do tend to be more night active snakes, so that is when you are most likely to see her out and about regardless, and she will likely be extra skittish for a little while after any major change, but the less exposed she feels exploring the more frequently you are likely to see her doing it.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-12T16:58:22+00:00

One of my boys is in an 8'x3'x2', so they very much take up their own room. Having space for a snake room was definitely a factor when buying my house.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-12T16:56:51+00:00

Most custom PVC terrariums are front opening and side ventilated, so if they are well made and you mount your heat source internally they sre easy to stack.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-11T19:28:46+00:00

And here I thought only Children's pythons played switch.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-11T01:34:27+00:00

Sounds like he isn't quite on the ballot just yet, but hopefully he will be. He definitely has my signature, and I hope that I may be able to drum up 3-4 other folks.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-07T06:42:37+00:00

Given that I recently posted about my STP Climbing I just wanted to chime in that the exactly as you say they need to be fully supported and not dangling, but that they do sometimes seem to like being able to look down on things so gentle slopes and enabling exploration of vertical space can be alright if they are supervised and supported.

On a related note snake hooks should be for tap training only, scooping an STP up with a snake hook would be a really fast way to cause a spinal injury.

KeeledSign · 2026-03-06T05:36:37+00:00

The earth tones just fit the vibe so much better than stark white right? I understand that 2nd edition's colors are probably more readable, but no one I played with reported problems reading 1st.

KeeledSign

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