The Case for Andean Milksnakes
Black Milksnakes became popular around the same time that Andean Milksnakes for some reason became unpopular. Since Black Milksnakes took off, Andean Milksnakes have become all but forgotten in the reptile hobby with just a few people actively working with them. And for the life of me I cannot figure out why…
Andean Milksnakes require the exact same care as Black Milksnakes – they are a cool tolerant, gentle giant but unlike almost all Black Milksnakes in the reptile trade, they do not turn black. And a giant black snake, while cool (I guess) is not why I got into Milksnakes. So, I’d like to make my case for Andean Milksnakes, as I believe they are the superior gentle giant of the Milksnake world.
Black Milksnakes are popular for a few reasons –
1. They get huge! Some folks, like the great and powerful Aaron Bayer have Black Milksnakes that exceed 7 feet long. This has led to the moniker “poor man’s Indigo Snake” for them. They also hatch out large and are very easy to get feeding.
2. They are gentle! Unlike many Milksnakes, Black Milks are often much more docile and easy to handle compared to other Latin American Milksnakes in the reptile trade
3. They are a breeze to care for! Black Milksnakes can be cared for like any other Latin American Milksnake, but are more sensitive to warmer temperatures. Most folks keep Black Milksnakes at room temperature and they thrive.
4. The color change! While not necessarily my cup of tea in a Milksnake, Black Milks undergo a color change that is quite impressive the most common locale of Black Milk in the reptile trade is the San Antonio Zoo / Limon Providence, Costa Rica line. They begin life as a beautiful tri-colored snake (often resembling the Andean Milksnake) and slowly turn jet black, and I guess folks think that’s cool.
Of those four reasons, only one doesn’t apply to Andean Milksnakes – and that’s the color change. Andean Milksnakes can get HUGE, like Black Milksnakes, are very gentle, and can be kept at room temperature with no issues. Now you may be saying – “Get to the point, Dave!”, so here’s my elevator pitch.
Andean Milksnakes get big and are easy to care for and don’t suck to handle, while having the added benefit of maintaining their coloration throughout their life. They have the added benefit of being much more variable than well a jet black snake. There are some different lines of Andean Milksnakes floating around out there, although they are rare. There was at one point an old line of bicolored snakes and the “Inca” line which was often characterized by snakes with broken bands, leaving a zipper pattern down the snake, however those lines seems to be gone. There is the striped line which may or may not have come from the Inca line. I currently have 1.2 animals from that line comprising of 1.1 Stripes and 0.1 “het” Stripe. It is my hope to make this line more prevalent in the United States as it seems the strong hold for the Striped line is in the EU, where I imported my group from.
That said, the most common line is the “Cave of the Oilbirds National Park, Huila, Colombia” locality, I currently have a group of 2.2 animals from that line and have been producing them since 2022. In Kenneth Williams great Milksnake bible, “Systematics and Natural History of the American Milksnake, Lampropeltis triangulum”, he describes Andeans as having 24-37 red body bands, with a mean of 30. In the reptile trade we don’t often get animals with band counts that high, but some dedicated folks like myself are working on it. Regardless there is quite a bit of variety within each clutch I hatch, some with more bands and some with less. Some animals are cleaner and have a much brighter look, while others are darker and have more “newsprinting” or black tipping on their scales. The variability within Andean Milksnakes (like most Milksnakes), is impressive and is one of the reasons they are some of my favorite snakes.
To wrap this up, Andean Milksnakes are everything your typical pet trade Black Milksnake wishes it was. They’re gentle giants that can be easily maintained, and they don’t go through a lame color change. As their popularity increases, the availability of cool existing traits like Striped line will become more prevalent and I’m sure more interesting stuff will pop up as we go. A 7 foot long jet black snake is pretty neat, but a 6.5 foot long tri-colored snake, at least in my opinion is coolerer. I am expecting at least two clutches of Cave of the Oilbirds National Park animals next season. If this article made you want some, send me an email!