Juvenile color and patterning may remain visible until the Black Milk Snake is nearing adulthood.

Lampropeltis triangulum gaigeae is an Interesting Milk Snake. Brightly tricolored at hatching, not only does this subspecies undergo rather remarkable ontogenetic changes, but this Central American (Costa Rica and Panama) subspecies is also the longest and probably the heftiest of the milk snakes, attaining the rather remarkable length of 7 feet when adult!

Hatchlings are 10-12 inches long, a notable length for any member of this group, and they are strongly tricolored and can easily consume pinkies. By the time a hatchling has undergone 2 or 3 sheds, a suffusion of melanism will be seen dulling the hatchling brilliance somewhat and by the time the snake is a subadult there will be no doubt about its parentage. It has been many years since I last kept tricolors of any subspecies, but I still recall the amazement felt when I compared hatchling photos with those taken as growth ensued. Try this beauty yourself. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised. And strangely, in these days of upwardly spiraling hobbyist costs, I think that the price of Black Milk Snake hatchlings remains comparatively affordable.

Kingsnakes (this is a South Florida or Brook's phase) may hunt their prey in surface or sub-surface locales.
Interestingly the different groupings of rodent-eating snakes tend to orient themselves a bit differently. For example the nonvenomous rat snakes, prominent members of the serpentine rodent patrol, tend to be more ubiquitous in their hunting techniques than, let’s say, the kingsnakes, milk snakes, or pit vipers. The former, the rat snakes seek prey (rats, mice, and other unwanted furry visitors) on the ground, in barns and other out-structures, in trees, and under surface debris. Even long grasses and shrub cuttings may suffice as a harbor for rodents and these predators.

The venomous pit vipers, rattlers and moccasins, tend to be ambush rather than active predators. To heighten chances for success, these, especially the rattlers, often seek out rodent trails and position themselves next to a fallen tree or other such visual barrier in hopes of a careless rat or squirrel coming along. Small rattler species may be more active. Cottonmouths often seek out road-killed carrion and pry it from the pavement. Copperheads overindulge on cicadas and other insects as well as frogs, lizards, nestling birds and rodents.

Kingsnakes, milk snakes, and members of the bull/pine/gopher snakes clan are often active ground-surface predators that follow trails of mice, voles and other prey through grassy/weedy tunnels and may follow prey trails into subterranean burrows. In fact the pine/gopher/bullsnakes are dedicated hunters of gophers and voles within the burrows. Kingsnakes and milk snakes are adept at following rodents or herps but are not as specialized at burrow-hunting as the gopher snake group.

Snakes seek prey wherever the trails lead them. Besides their individually preferred hunting sites almost all snakes—yes even kings and pit vipers, are capable of ascending trees. We humans, or Mother Nature, will either purposely or accidentally create the habitats. Our friends, the snakes and their prey often closely follow.