Diary of a snake (and her girl)...

[EasternGirl]

Steve...I looked at her mouth today and it still looks a bit open on the one side...but she's eating fine. I have been misting her enclosure with water daily, and it looks like she finally got all of the retained shed off of her head....but not her eye...it looks as though the eyecap never came off and just folded back about a quarter of the way instead. Her eyes look milky now...and I have been suspecting that she may shed again soon. I know that you tried to call me earlier....we'll catch up at some point!

[Reptar!]

That's awesome. One of my snakes I had last summer loved when I would put my hand in the tank. That snake had the most personality I have ever seen in a Garter. The way you describe yours reminds me of him. Keep the diary going. Its pretty interesting.

[guidofatherof5]

Was nice talking with you.
I'd let that eye cap go to see if it comes off with the next shed or try the shed box and warm cotton towel.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks, Steve...and welcome, Reptar!

Selena is definitely going to shed. Her eyes are all fogged over and she is acting like a big fraidy-snake. She does not want me to hold her right now at all..and she wouldn't come out from hiding today until I put her night-bulb on....guess she felt safer with the lack of light. She also refused to eat a pinky I put in for her today. I really hope she can successfully get this shed off in one piece this time...I hope she can get those eyecaps off.

I got all excited because the weather got a little warm around here....thought I might be able to go herpin' in my backyard soon! This will be an interesting Spring...now that I have such an interest in garters...we have so many in our yard when it's warm. I never really cared much in the past...unless there was a hurt snake, of course. But now...I can't wait to get out there and look for snakies! Of course, my plans have been postponed...it's snowing again!

[kibakiba]

I always love looking around for snakes, we only see a couple a year though. Where I live it doesn't rain much in the summer and the snake's best source of water got torn up. Luckily we do see some cute ones every once in a while.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Reptar

[EasternGirl]

Selena is such a sweetie...this morning we had a little bonding session...I was lying on the bed and she was slithering around all over me...she found a warm spot next to my arm and stayed there for a while. My son took a couple of pics of her resting in my hand...

She is still such a little thing...

I'm a little worried about her though...she still hasn't shed and she has refused food for the last couple of days...I would have thought she would have shed by now...she still has the one eye cap on...the other came off. She is acting like she is going to shed...with the hiding and refusing food...but she has been acting like she's going to shed for about two weeks...

[kibakiba]

Is she crinkly? If she is, she could have retained her shed, which would need help coming off.
She also might not be ready to yet.

She's almost as big as Mama, and Mama is a fully grown northwestern

[EasternGirl]

I'm so proud...Selena shed today and she got it all off in one piece...even the head and eyecaps...she even got that retained eyecap off from the last time. Yay! It's kind of funny because as soon as I posted something on here this morning about being worried about her....she shed.

Chantel...so do you think she is about as big as she is going to get? I know Eastern Garters are supposed to be one of the biggest garters...I really thought that the snake living under my house was a garter....in fact, I thought she was Selena's mother...but that snake is big! She has a head the size of a half-dollar and she is about 3 feet long and big around. She has the colorings of a garter. I thought Selena would get big like that...but maybe she's going to be a little girl.

[ConcinusMan]

I always love looking around for snakes, we only see a couple a year though. Where I live it doesn't rain much in the summer and the snake's best source of water got torn up. Luckily we do see some cute ones every once in a while.

Northwesterns don't really care about that much. As long as their winter den wasn't disturbed and there's still enough grassy places and cover, they'll stay around without any water nearby. In open grassy places they get hard to find in the hot summer days naturally but not because there's no water. You should be able to find some around in the spring before it gets hot. Don't worry too much about the pond, you'll still find some around.