Humidity level in Terrarium?

[Kurly1]

Hello everyone! I am new to the site and new to having a Garter snake as a pet. (Well, it is my 11 year old son's pet because he begged me to let him keep it after he caught it in my garden!) He named him "Kurly" because he like the way the snake curls around his fingers when he holds him or her - lol

Anyway, my question is how do you keep the humidity level in the terrarium in the normal range between 50 and 70? I have noticed that the reading on the Hygrometer tends to get past 70 sometimes and I don't know how to keep it down.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Josh]

welcome to the forum.

[adamanteus]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. What species of Garter do you have? You can lower the humidity by placing the water container in a cooler part of the tank or by reducing the size of the water container. Is the substrate you're using dry?

[Stefan-A]

You might need to improve the ventilation as well.

[ssssnakeluvr]

you want to keep the humidity levels low...garters can get skin infections easy in humid environments. a 10 gallon tank or 20 gallon long with a screen lid will work just fine to keep the humidity down.

[Kurly1]

Thanks for the welcome.

I have no idea what species the garter is. I need to look online for pictures or get a snake book to figure that one out I guess.We have a 10 gallon terrarium with a screen lid and repti cage carpet on the bottom of it. I have a basking light on one side and it's water container is on the opposite side in the cooler part. The snake is in my son's bedroom upstairs so it is a little warmer up there. Could that possibly be the problem? Would turning on the air conditioner in the house help?

Oh, and he poops in the water container sometimes (ewww). When we put that container in there, he was so happy and began slithering in and out of it immediately. We have only been feeding him earthworms so the poop is very runny too. We are going to add more to his diet like fish this week but I need to read a little more about that on the site.

And to think I always told my children no to getting a dog because it would be too much work taking care of it - lol.

[Sputnik]

Garters don't really take much work. It just takes a little time to familiarise yourself with them. But once you've got the hang of it, you'll find it a doddle. Just enjoy exploring this new field. I feel it's as much fun as keeping the snakes. And there are plenty of people on here who are amazing at helping you out with information and support. You'll find this is a lovely place to be part of!

[Sid]

Welcome to the forum. Can't add to the advise already given concerning your humidity problem, you've already received good ideas. What part of the US are you from? The location will help to narrow down the species you have.

You can find photos of a number of Thamnophis species on this site under the care Sheet section.

Sid

[Kurly1]

Sid,
I live in Ohio. Thanks for the info about pics on the site. I am off to look at them. Hopefully we'll see one that looks like Kurly.

[LushLulu85]

also if you post a pic of the snake from the top and the side and also a close up of the underside of the tail then i am sure that someone will beable to identify the species and also the sex of it.

welcome to the forum by the way. we will all do what we can to help and i can also say your in safe hands here. everyone looked after me when i joined