Garter snake disposition

[confused]

I know enough about reptiles to know that when a snake that was half dead 2 months ago and had a voracious appetite suddenly changes her behavior 100% and stops eating for the better part of a month besides a few snacks (plus she is not showing any sign of activity whatsoever for a week), its trying to tell me something. She's not going to die, she just needs proper care, which I am trying to find info on. I have no good place to brumate her. Whats next?

[drache]

I have no good place to brumate her.

depending on where you live, you might be able to come up with a creative solution for that
what have the outdoor temps been like where you are?

[ConcinusMan]

I was sort of lucky I guess. I had a huge uninsulated add-on room to my house. It reflected changes in temperature that occur outside, while at the same time, gave me some degree of control with air conditioning/heating. Simply turning off the heat in the dead of winter, and closing it off from the rest of the house resulted in 40-60 winter temps. I moved before my pair died, and at the new house, I put them in the attached garage in winter and monitored them closely. I knew a few other snake breeders that converted outdoor rabbit/pigeon enclosures for brumating quarters.

@ Confused: In the interest of staying on topic, I wanted to note that I recently acquired a healthy adult milk snake that defies what I would expect her to behave like. Sometimes she clings to the under tank heater for days even though ambient temps are around 70. Other times, she stays on the cool side for days even if the room is only 65.(she even did that after eating a large meal!) Sometimes she's quite active, and other times she hides for days and won't come out. But she's not a garter, and I have only kept kings, this is my first milk.

I wouldn't be so sure that your garter isn't going to die. With the exception of the bad attitude, she's behaving like the 3 garters that died of old age under my care, and behaving much like a fatally wounded gopher snake I had.(she had internal injuries and took months to die). Not drawing any conclusions though.

I don't know what else to say. The only other thing I can suggest is that if you can afford it, and you care enough, take her to a vet that is knowledgeable about snakes and is willing to do some tests. Fecal analysis can rule out parasites and/or problems related to internal organ functions.

[ConcinusMan]

I really don't think she's dying. Didn't mean for it to sound that way. She looks healthy, and I highly doubt she was half-dead 2 months ago. She looks healthy enough to go a month or two with no food at all. She's pretty fat. I think you're expecting too much from her to expect her to eat so often, or to behave in a certain way. Also, I wouldn't bother with the vet thing unless the snake was highly valuable. Set aside your preconceived notions of how much she should eat and how she should behave. Provide her with her basic needs and monitor her physical health. I think you are worrying to much.

[confused]

depending on where you live, you might be able to come up with a creative solution for that
what have the outdoor temps been like where you are?

Strangely oddly warm. About 50 degrees in the day and 30 at night. Within a week or two it will be down to about 30/20. Followed by about 20/10 within a few more weeks. The coldest room in the house stays in the 60-70 range and the entire thing is heated. I have a garage that stays at ambient temps (freezing).

If I can't get her to eat in a week or two, shes going to sleep. I don't want to buy her her own fridge, i doubt I can afford one stable enough for her to be in safely. I am kinda sad, because I fear the worst putting her into slumber, she is tiny, though healthier I think. She was so hungry when I found her she would eat pork, yes I know this isn't garter food, it was fresh and organic the night I found her, so I offered it and she took it. She ate her weight x10 in fish in a few weeks so she is better than she was by tons. Guess she will tell me whats best.

If I don't brumate her and she doesn't eat enough what will happen? (lol, I hope thats not the obvious answer)


She just sleeps all day now. If I pull her out she seems active, but she is friendly, which I take as a bad sign, she only does that on a totally emptty gut, no striking for two weeks again. (or whenever she bit me a ton in one day and I posted about it)

[confused]

I jinxed myself, she bit me almost as soon as I hit submit on the thread.

[guidofatherof5]

She's just keeping you in line and making sure you know who the boss is.

[ConcinusMan]

Never had a garter that continued to bite beyond the first day or two. I think she just hates you!

[drache]

If you have a garage with outside temps, you can rig something in a relatively small space
I put my snakes in tanks that are lined with that blue styrofoam insulation, filled with a deep substrate (aspen or carefresh), have an ample damp moss hide in addition to a good-size water bowl, and several cork and styrofoam slabs to crawl under; then I tent the entire set-up with space blankets, making sure there are spacers on top of the tanks, and monitored heat pads outside, or one of those little oil-filled electric heaters that have a good thermostat and do low settings
once the space is enclosed, it takes astoundingly little heat to maintain good temps, and space blankets are pretty safe (and low cost)
I've tented a group of six tanks that way one year, making a little tent I could duck into
it takes a bunch of monitoring in the beginning when you set it up, and some checking and upkeep if there's wind, but basically the idea is to create a little "personal" climate for them with insulation
it's not that hard finding free or cheap insulation materials either

[guidofatherof5]

If you have a garage with outside temps, you can rig something in a relatively small space
I put my snakes in tanks that are lined with that blue styrofoam insulation, filled with a deep substrate (aspen or carefresh), have an ample damp moss hide in addition to a good-size water bowl, and several cork and styrofoam slabs to crawl under; then I tent the entire set-up with space blankets, making sure there are spacers on top of the tanks, and monitored heat pads outside, or one of those little oil-filled electric heaters that have a good thermostat and do low settings
once the space is enclosed, it takes astoundingly little heat to maintain good temps, and space blankets are pretty safe (and low cost)
I've tented a group of six tanks that way one year, making a little tent I could duck into
it takes a bunch of monitoring in the beginning when you set it up, and some checking and upkeep if there's wind, but basically the idea is to create a little "personal" climate for them with insulation
it's not that hard finding free or cheap insulation materials either

Rhea,
You've got to post a few photos of that set-up. Sounds great and I know I'd like to see it. Maybe step by step photos to help us visual learners.
You can do it when you are trying to figure out what to do with all your free time