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Garter Snake

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A garter snake may just be a perfect starter pet for a child older than 6 years of age.  They are small, inexpensive, exciting to watch feed, tame easily, and fun! These gentle snakes eat only fish (minnows or small feeders), unlike their larger relatives who eat small animals.  Garter snakes can be fed 10-15 feeders once per week.  They can also eat small frogs and earthworms.  An appropriate house is a 20 gallon aquarium which they never outgrow.  The aquarium should come with a mesh top for air circulation and locking clips to prevent escape.  We recommend you also put a couple of bricks on top.  They are known for escaping.  In the wild, these snakes are often found around lakes, ponds and marshes.  Therefore, they should always have access to a shallow rock bowl with clean water for soaking in.  The bottom of the aquarium should be lined with any appropriate snake substrate, however, we recommend Repti-turf.  Repti-turf can be easily cleaned by rinsing with warm water and can be moistened to provide moisture.  Decorations in the aquarium should include some foliage for hiding, bark tunnel for hiding and warmth, and a stick for rubbing against to remove skin.  To provide warmth for your snake, we recommend an undertank heater.  Heat helps your snake to digest it's food properly.  The heater should only cover about a 1/4 of the cage bottom (underneath the tank).  Do not cover the whole bottom with the heater.  Your snake needs to be able to get away from heat when necessary.  Put the bark tunnel over the area where the heat is located.  You will see your snake hang-out in there when it is digesting it's food.  Your garter snake will need some access sunlight to prevent bone malformations.  Keeping them in a room that has lots of sunlight is sufficient (not direct sunlight).  You can also carry your snake outside for 15 minutes per week.  To provide necessary vitamins and skin protection we recommend supplementing your snake with a bi-weekly shower of Four Paws - Nature's Reptile Vita-Spray.  Your garter snake will shed its skin about every 1-2 months if healthy.  This is an indication of health and growth.  You can tell when your garter is about to shed by the skin color covering the eyes....it will start to look cloudy.  Your garter will also not show an interest in food until after the shed.  It should only take a day or two for the skin to come completely off.  If you notice that your garter is having trouble...skin is not coming off in one piece...it is a sign of not enough moisture.  Try spritzing your garter with water to help the process.

We recommend you keep your snake in an active area of your house.  You will notice your snake is curious about the goings on in the house.  If left in a quite room, they will do nothing but hide.

Health problems in snakes include stomach and skin infections that can be life threatening.  Be sure to provide a clean environment.  Cages should be cleaned weekly, especially after eating when the snake goes to potty.  They usually potty directly after eating.

For more information on garter snakes:

 http://www.anapsid.org:80/gartcare.html

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