Mystery Snake

[Pal-O-Mine]

Hey gang! New member Devon here!

A few weeks ago I found a baby corn snake in my basement. I immediately figured it was the offspring of an adult snake I caught sunning itself on my stone walkway to the front door several years ago. I was able to get one very blurry pic before he decided he didn't like show biz and scooted off into the rocks! I just went back and looked at that pic and it seems that I was wrong. I have no idea WHAT kind of snake it was. ( I'm 90% sure its NOT a copperhead! It didn't have diamond "saddles" but bands. ) I was wondering if anyone here might know. Since attaching the pic might be rather problematic with my dial-up 'puter, ( We're rural! The neighbors have DSL but we don't! ) I will attempt to describe it as best I can.

It was coiled up so I don't even hazard to guess its length but it seemed to be the size of a very well-fed adult. It did NOT have a wedge shaped head. It had large, fat, brown bands around it interspaced with thin yellow bands. I have no idea if the yellow bands were bordered by black and its too difficult to make that out in the pic. It did NOT have markings on the back of the head, it was brown just like the body's bands.

I live in southeastern Pa. near the Md/Pa border. I grew up in Delaware so my experience with wild snakes has been common water snakes, ( ICK! They're smelly! ) black snakes and here and there a garter snake. Every now and then, the snakes would come in the house and I would have to catch them and relocate them since Mom was terrified of snakes! Now I'm rural again and still finding snakes in the house! I found a black snake coiled up on top of the T.V. this summer while I was watching "Eragon"!

Sigh! Just like home!

Maybe if you could attach pics to me of what it possibly could be, I could figure this out.

Devon

 

[Drewby07]

I don't think anyone here will even bother trying to guess without a picture. I'd suggest you search the internet for snakes native to your area? :shrugs:

 

[sarcare]

You found a corn snake in your basement?! Are you sure it is a corn snake? I agree the other could be anything--some states have lists of snakes native to their areas, try looking that up!

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

As far as the hatchling goes, I'm positive! I sent a pic to my dad, the wildlife biologist, and he said yes. He LOVES looking up stuff like that and will usually give you the Latin name and any other little bits of info he's found in his 30 years experience of wandering the marshes and observing wildlife. It also looks EXACTLY like the other hatchling corn snake pics I've seen here and other places on the internet.

I'll send another e-mail and see if my computer will allow me to send pics of both but I'm not promising anything!

Devon

 

[Brewster320]

you sure it isn't an eastern milksnake, they look incredibly similar to corn snakes but live much further north.

 

[mbdorfer]

Not sure where you are at in PA. But if you are located in the southeastern part of the state, it may be an eastern kingsnake. There can be quite a lot of variation especially where coloring is concerned.

 

[Tim66/corns]

Wow now I want and Eastern Milksnake. I have lived in Ma. my whole life practically and never saw one of these beauties. Hey Brewster320 are they endangered? Is it legal to keep one if caught? Can you buy one from breeders. Sorry for going off topic Devon.

 

[Chip]

Eastern milks are available. I got one several years back for $75, I'm pretty sure. The babies aren't known to be great feeders, and they aren't exactly popular, but they are out there.

 

[Brewster320]

Wow now I want and Eastern Milksnake. I have lived in Ma. my whole life practically and never saw one of these beauties. Hey Brewster320 are they endangered? Is it legal to keep one if caught? Can you buy one from breeders. Sorry for going off topic Devon.

Haha, I live in MA too and ya it is legal to keep them. I've only caught one before and it is actually the only adult snake thats bitten me, I guess they have a habbit of being nippy compared to other milk snakes although they calm down with handling. Since I caught that one when I was in 5th grade I havent seen one since, and I'm 16. I guess they are very secretive so they're hard to find although there are people who breed them but you have to actually go looking because not as many people breed them as their other milk snake because they don't have the crazy tri-colored patterns. But i've seen them on the kingsnake classfields every now and then. Also as far as I know there are no color morphs out although someone down at the Cape found a little albino in their yard a while ago and I think it'll be bg enough to breed this year. They are really beautiful and they are my favorite MA native snake and i'd like to own one some day too.

 

[Brewster320]

Sorry to double post but I jus did remembered there are anery individuals to, and the fact there is now and albino too hopefull in a few years there will be some snows also.

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

To Brewster and your pic of the Eastern Milk snake.

You know that head looks awful.........oh crap! Ya mean his lovely gray is gonna go white? Ya mean my dad is wrong?

I think I need to crawl back under the rock with the "Stupid!" painted on it!

D

 

[Chip]

One thing about easterns, if you are new to 'em, get some 2nd opinions on them to be sure they aren't hybrids (either intentionally or intergrades). I was about to buy a STUNNING male for my female a decade back and posting it on the Internet brought it's genetics into question. One glance at the picture by a few serious herper friends and they all were certain it was a hybrid. I'll dig for pics of mine and others and this "too good to be true" male -it's been a long time, so I may not have 'em on this PC.

 

[sarcare]

pal--post some pictures here--maybe someone here can id it!

 

[Brewster320]

To Brewster and your pic of the Eastern Milk snake.

You know that head looks awful.........oh crap! Ya mean his lovely gray is gonna go white? Ya mean my dad is wrong?

I think I need to crawl back under the rock with the "Stupid!" painted on it!

D

No, the picture is of a young eastern. As they grow that white will change to gray so yours should keep the gray coloration it has. The difference between corns and easterns is hard to see for people who are not used to seeing corns. The main difference is in the shape of the head and neck, corns have a well defined head and neck while most adult easterns look like they have no neck and their body just connects to the head. It is a very is mistake to make, especialy in young ones.

 

[Pal-O-Mine]

Yes, PLEASE clarify whether I've broken any laws by keeping said snake! ( Hopefully I haven't! )

Well, technically speaking I didn't KEEP him. I had a friend spending the night with me the weekend that I found that beauty in my basement and she had been yammering for a pet wild caught snake. She also had a proper environment to keep one in while I had nothing but a mason jar. So little "Puck" is living with her and doing quite well. He's got a voracious appetite for crickets and is easily handled although every time someone takes him out, he acts like a racehorse just released from the starting gate! He wants to go somewhere really quickly. Other than that, he's seems perfectly friendly and healthy.

I think its a very good thing that I picked him up because about a week later ( 1. the cats would've had a great ol' time tormenting him to death! ) 2. we had snow and it hasn't warmed up since! That's very unusual weather for us. Snow before Jan. 1st?? Ya gotta be kidding!

Devon

Devon

 

[Tom Tuttle]

You now need a permit for any native species & cannot breed them.

 

[MegF.]

Uh, milksnakes do not eat crickets! They are like any other colubrid and eat rodents. They will take crickets if they are starving but are unable to digest the exoskeleton. The snake will eventually become impacted and die. You need to do your homework if you are going to keep a species!!!