The numbers
Thermal gradient
Day: a real gradient, 32°C warm against 21–26°C cool, so the animal chooses. Night: 19°C.
Why
Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.
The sheet stateswarm 32 °C / cool 21-26 °C / night 19 °C
Humidity
The sheet states40-60%
UVB
The sheet statesArcadia T5 HO Forest 6% (8-16") ou Zoo Med T5 HO Reptisun 5.0 (8-16") [Bio Dude] ; tube 5% T8 ou T5 2-5% [reptilecentre]
Identity
Enclosure and conditions
Enclosure
Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.
Why
The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».
The sheet states36"L x 18"W x 18"H
What your climate adds
This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.
Diet
Feeding rhythm
Twenty-eight days, one row. Each band is a meal window. The sheet gives several ages on one line; this is the adult figure.
Why
The windows widen as they go because the interval is a range: four meals after a 10–14 day cycle land anywhere between day 40 and day 56.
The sheet statesAside from the usual mice and rats, you can add variety to your snake's diet with appropriately-sized hamsters, gerbils, chicks, quail, anoles, house geckos, and Reptilinks. Hatchlings should be fed once every 5-7 days. Juveniles should be fed once every 7-10 days. Adults should be fed once every 10-14 days
Common questions
Is it a good beginner snake?
Yes, it is one of the classics. Small, hardy, eats well, and the colours are excellent for the price.
Why does it smell bad when I hold it?
Nervous young snakes release musk as a defence. It washes off easily and they usually stop doing it once they trust you.
How big does it get?
Usually around a metre. A very manageable size for a first enclosure.
Is it an escape artist?
Yes, milk snakes push at every gap. Use a properly latching lid and check the enclosure seams before you put it in.
What it needs
Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation.
Sources
Others in this group
What this sheet states
This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.
UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.