Wild Garter -- Care Suggestions

[gwynhwyfar]

Hi, all!

I recently 'came into' a garter ... she came into the building to get out of the cold and by the time she was discovered, it was too late to put her back out so that she could hibernate like a sensible critter. In order to save her from the screaming non-snake-people around, I brought her home and set up my tank (which has been uninhabited for awhile).

She seems to be settling in nicely -- she took some earthworms from me during a few days that were warm enough that I could dig a few up from the garden. She has also expressed an enthusiastic love for fish. I know that a diet of all fish isn't healthy for her, and now that the ground is frozen, I won't be able to dig up worms.

I have a series of questions:

1) Are worms from a bait shop likely to be safe for her, assuming that I do just get plain nightcrawlers and not any of the red varieties? There are no local pet shops that stock worms as a food source for snakes, unfortunately. Just crickets, frozen mice of various sizes, and feeder fish.

2) My ultimate goal is to release her in the spring -- is it likely that she'll be too 'tame' after several months of handling (since I DO move her to feed her -- I have her bedded in aspen which she adores burrowing in) and regular feeding?

3) Since she has NO interest in even scented pinkies, is it likely to harm her to not eat mice during the few months that I'll be keeping her?

Additional information that may or may not make any difference: She (or he ... I haven't gotten that up-close-and-personal with her) is fairly young -- she's about 10" long or so. She has the markings on her face of a garter and given her fondness for earthworms, I feel pretty secure in my belief that she's a garter and not a ribbon. She seems to be healthy -- her scales are bright and shiny, she's active, and she plays in the water every time I change it almost as soon as my hand has vacated the tank and left her 'alone' with the water dish.

[adamanteus]

Hi Jennifer, and welcome to the forum. It seems you already pretty 'clued up' on what's going on with this snake. I would suggest, if possible, that you brumate her artificially in your home. There are threads here all about brumation (just type it into the search box). Failing that, you could simply keep her alert through the winter, feeding her, as you are, on a combination of worms (not 'Red Wrigglers') and fish (trout strips are a good and safe option). Good luck, please feel free to ask any further questions you may have.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

releasing back into the wild might be a bad idea pluss it will probaly grow on you so by the ttime spring comes u wont want to get rid of it

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Jennifer

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard, Jennifer.

[Cazador]

Hi Jennifer and welcome to the forum.

Fish, in general, aren't bad for snakes at all, but certain species can be harmful. Have a look at this article for more details (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets...?title=Thiamin,). The bottom line is that your snake will be just fine without eating pinkies.

A 10" garter is not more than several months old, so this is its first winter. It's common practice for people keeping snakes NOT to brumate newborns, even though it would happen naturally in the wild. Your snake will grow faster if you keep feeding it throughout the winter. If you decide to brumate it, its stress level will likely remain lower, making it a better candidate for release in the spring. If you don't, you increase the likelihood of causing at least temporary stress, which depresses the immune system and may make your snake more vulnerable to any pathogens that it may currently be carrying. Therefore, releasing it in the spring (without brumation) potentially allows pathogens to multiply, turning your snake into a "Typhoid Mary" by spreading pathogens to every other snake it comes in contact with.

Some states have laws against releasing captive reptiles, but for the most part, it's a personal decision that you'll ultimately have to make. If you decide to keep the snake active, just clean its cage regularly with 10% bleach, and enjoy your snake. You'll find a lot of good advise on this forum, and I hope you become a regular contributor. Speaking of which, here's another great link (Guide to posting pictures.) that'll help us to determine what species you have . Kind regards,

Rick

[anji1971]

Hello and welcome to the forum! Sounds like a real cute little snake you've got-- are you sure you'll want to let it go??

[gwynhwyfar]

Thank you for the welcomes and the advice! I hadn't really thought about trying to brumate her -- with the other snakes that I've had, it's never been an issue since I wasn't doing any breeding and they were pets. Since she's currently very enthusiastic about eating, I'm thinking that I'll keep feeding her and see if she goes off her food as it gets cooler outside (if not all that much inside).

Originally Posted by anji1971

Hello and welcome to the forum! Sounds like a real cute little snake you've got-- are you sure you'll want to let it go??

Really, no. I want to believe that I'll release her back to the wild, but ... she is a total cutie-pie and adorable and fascinating to watch. I have her in aspen and she is a burrowing queen. Sometimes, all I can see of her is her little head sticking out. And sometimes, it's just the end of a tail. I love watching her play in the water, too.

I'm going to see if she's feeling photogenic and see if I can get some pictures of her. I'm fairly certain that she's an Eastern Garter, just as that's the most likely candidate given my location. If she's feeling shy, I might only get a picture of the tip of a nose sticking out of the aspen chips, though!

[Elliot]

What ever you decide to do with it, good luck, and welcome to the forum!

[enigma200316]

Welcome to the forum..............