Behavior change

[Maleko]

My Puget Sound Garter once extremely friendly and willing to be picked up has now become very skittish around me. She's started to slither away very quickly when I put my hand in her enclosure to have some "bonding time", and she's lunged at my hand a couple of times. Today has been the worst. I was able to pick her up at first and she started thrashing. She slithered out of my hand and onto the floor (i was kneeling down, so she didn't fall) and I ended up having to chase her around the garage. She also musked all over my hand for the first time.

What happened? She was fine a few weeks ago.

[RedSidedSPR]

Weird. I don't know.. Is she getting ready to shed?

[Maleko]

Her eyes aren't cloudy. She's about five months old and I don't believe she's shed yet. Not to my knowledge anyway, I got her in mid August.
Do garter snakes go through an estrus period or do they have a time of the year where they're "in heat"?

[RedSidedSPR]

Not that I know of...

[katach]

Our Pugets go through "cranky phases". Mostly when they are too warm.

[d_virginiana]

How does her vision seem like when you're feeding her? When my snake's vision went he started getting really nervous whenever anyone other than me went into his cage, tail rattling and musking and everything.

[Maleko]

Vision is great. She eyeballs her food when i hold it in front of her and strikes accurately.

I have a heat lamp and she tends to curl up right smack in front of it (it shines through the side of my aquarium from front to back, not side to side), so there is a temp. gradient for her if she needs to cool down.

[Maleko]

She stays in the garage generally devoid on human life, but I do go in there regularly to check on her and change her water and stuff. Might lack of socialization be a factor?

[katach]

Yes. She needs to be socialized if you are wanting a cuddly, hold-able pet. Our Pugets get held daily, and they are still more difficult to hold than our NW.

[RedSidedSPR]

Since when do you shine the lamp through the glass? Nevermind.

Yes lack of socializing could be it, but this is new right?