Feeding !!!

[bigstan03]

I am a newbie to the website and to owning a snake and I was wondering how often do you feed your Garter snake and what watt incandescent bulb should I use ? I have a 150 one but I don't no if that is to hot or not I put the snake in a 30gallon high tank .Thanx

Stan

[Cazador]

Hi Stan,
You

[KITKAT]

Hi again, Stan!

Feed your Dekay's snake 2 - 3 times a week, as much as it will eat in an overnight period.

For the light bulb, you will need to set up a basking spot. This is usually a branch to climb on, which has a section of the branch that is up high in the cage, and which is directly under the light. Next you'll need a good reptile thermometer. You'll want to set up the basking spot with the thermometer right there in the hottest place under the bulb.

You want a basking temperature of around 85 degrees I think (not sure for a Dekay's snake, as there are few care sheets for this species). If you measure the temp in that spot and the temp is too high, you can raise your lamp higher off the screen, or you can try a lower wattage bulb. You will have to experiment until you have the right bulb and height that result in the right temperature.

No one can answer your question exactly, because the temps in your room, the type of lamp, and other variables, make each situation a bit different... so trial and error are the best method.

[Cazador]

Hi Stan,
You need to buy a thermometer, and put it in your snake's basking spot. Then you'll know what temperature your snake is experiencing. The temp of the basking spot for garters should be in the upper 80s (~88F) during the warmest part of the day (don't know about Dekay's snakes, though). I think a 60watt bulb should get you in the ballpark. Rheostats are very nice because they let you decrease the wattage to get the right temperature.

[bigstan03]

Thanx for everyone that gave me some good info . This is a great website for info on garters and Dekay snakes ..

[GarterGuy]

Hiya Stan,
I'm also a newbie here, but I have kept Dekays before. All the advice given was good, but here are some other tips. Make sure that you have a somewhat moist spot for you Dekay. The tend to dessicate very easily and if kept totally dry like most snakes do best in they may develope respiratory problems and/or problems with shedding. Best to have a hide for them that has a dish of moist sphagnum moss (you can pick it up at most gardening stores or some petstores) under it. Keep the rest of the tank dry and this should be enough to give them the moisture they need with out any problems from having excess moisture in a captive environ. Also unlike garters, Dekays are not real sun warshippers and may not bask under a bright heat lamp....so make sure there's a hide for him under the heated section as well and I also used the red heat bulbs too, as this seemed to be to there liking. As far as the wattage, a 60 watt should be sufficient unless you've got a really cold house. Oh and you're better off having a flat basking surface for you Dekay then a branch....they tend to be rather secretive and although the will climb around on stuff in the tank...they feel most comfortable on the ground.

Hope this helps...Roy