Proper care??

[Cazador]

Hey Matt,
I think what ssssnakeluvr is saying is that you don't want obvious moisture in your substrate. Don't worry about the atmospheric humidity (relative humidity; RH) unless it gets too high or too low. If the RH is too high, it can lead to blister disease, fungal growth, and bacterial blooms. If it is too low, it can cause shedding problems.

As I recall, you have an Eastern garter, so about 55-60% RH is probably about the upper end that you want to have. There isn't a whole lot you can do, other than get a smaller water bowl or move your water bowl from underneath the heat light (or off of your heat pad). You can also replace moisture-absorbant substrate (shredded aspen) with less absorbant substrate (bark, paper towels). To increase the RH, you can either mist your substrate, get a larger water bowl, or move your water bowl under/over your heat source. Any other tips for Matt?
Rick

P.S. Other species/subspecies, like the Florida blues, can tolerate higher humidity, but those from more arid regions need even less.

[Cazador]

Originally Posted by garter newbie

Can someone advise me on how to insert a picture from my computer? .

Hi Chrissy,
The link, below, will help you post pictures into your thread.

Posting Pictures

[garter newbie]

Cazador - Thanks for the instructions on picture posting.

Here's the picture of my garter:



Chrissy

[garter newbie]

I followed the directions exactly but not sure why the picture is not displaying properly in my post. However when you click on the blank square an enlarged picture does come up. Hopefully now someone can identify what type and the approximate age.

On the subject of humidity - I repositioned the gauge low in the cage and am getting a reading of 64 now. But according to Matt and Rick's comments, this is still too high, correct? I am currently using the aspen bedding so I guess I should switch to the wood chips or newspaper. Couple questions about these substrates -(1) Should I just use sheets of newspaper or shred it? (2) Can the bark chips be the kind you use in your garden for weed control (as long as it's not cedar) or does it have to be the kind specifically made for animal bedding (purchased at the pet store)? Sorry if I'm asking a lot of questions but I am a total novice on the topic of snakes.

[ssssnakeluvr]

That's a brown snake, not a garter..they are a little trickier to keep, big eaters of worms.

[ssssnakeluvr]

aspen beeding should be ok for that snake. You might want to put the worms on a small plate or lid so the snake doesn't get them in the bedding and ingest itl I don't know if brown snakes are as susceptible to humidity and skin problems.

[sschind]

Looks to me like you have a Brown snake or Dekay's snake Storeria dekayi. If so, he most likely will not eat minnows or pinkies, at least mine never did. I never kept these guys long term because I found it difficult to provide the proper food for them. They like earthworms and slugs and I have noticed that the one I have now will eat the rolly polly bugs on occasion. Setup can be like a garter but they seem to be even more secretive. They will eat readily in captivity if you can find the proper food. Leaf worms are not appropriate (see other threads regarding worms on this site) and earthworms can be difficult to find in winter. At least here in Wisconsin. We've had a few unseasonably warm days now so this afternoon I am going out log turning to see what I can find. If I can get enough to fatten it up I will probably cool it this winter with the rest of my breeders.

Good luck with it.

Steve

[Cazador]

Just seeing if I have the same problem that you did posting your picture.



Strange. You loaded it correctly, so then it's just a matter of pulling your picture up; clicking "copy to clipboard"; and pasting the link wherever you want it. Should have worked. Make sure you don't have the icon of your picture (at the top of the screen) highlighted when you click "Copy to clipboard." Wanna give it another shot?

[Thamnophis]

That's why I posted that picture in the beginning of this topic.
From the description I figured it had to be a Storeria dekayi.

[Cazador]

Nice job Steve & Fons (Don & others). Your ability to recognize the many morphs of each subspecies is remarkable, but to identify similar snakes from another genus is amazing!