Be careful with potting soil, many contain chemical fertilizers.
Unwittingly, we used some once, our snake shed twice in 12 days!
The fertilizer was eating at it's skin
Gertie, Have a look at one of my cages, it is only an idea, look around on forum at all the wonderful pics of everyone else's cages, and then feel free to get as creative as you want, just chose your substrate wisely.
Just judging by how much love you have for these animals, I know that if you had a baby snake die on you, it would break your heart.
Be really careful not to cook your little pets either. With Garter snakes (NO "exotics, tropicals here) they will live longer in your refrigerator than a cage that is too hot inside it.
One of the reasons Garter snakes thrive in so many places, tolerance for temperature differences! Garters are the ONLY species of snake to be found in Alaska. (But never in equatorial regions)
