found a garter!!!!!

[b23ball23]

when coming home from my football game i found a garter snake in my garage. i have him currently in a 5 gallon aquarium. I am still probably getting a cornsnake but it would be nice to have two!!!!
how should introduce it to captive feeding?
and what to feed him??

any input on what to do?

she is about 15 inches

[ohh_kristina]

Let it go.

[enso]

Where do you live? If temps are warm enough, let it go like Kristina said. There are plenty of captive bred garters if you really want one.

[JD@reptiles]

and it needs a way bigger cage. they are really active snakes. they move around a lot.

[b23ball23]

i live in md and it was a really warm week. I am getting a bigger cage as we type........... a 15 gallon.
but i think i might get a 25 gallon cage , then let it go and buy a corn snake

[NewLineReptile]

Why wait until you get a 25 gallon to let it go? just let it go in the day

Brandon

[JD@reptiles]

they need about a 25-40 gallon.. plus UV light. where is MD?

[enso]

Maryland. They need UV??? " they are really active snakes" , um, not really. I have 2.2 commons and they only move to thermoregulate, deficate, eat, drink, or see whats going on when I'm near their enclosures. 90% of the time they are sticking their heads out of their hides, just sitting doing nothing. Please explain why you say they need UV light.

[Vanan]

enso, I think what Jordan meant is that they are pretty active compared to other snakes sans maybe the racers. In fact, I have to agree as from what I've observed from captive and wild garters, they are pretty active in their search for prey. Not an ambush predator.

As for the UV lighting, me and Jordan share the same views. Although I don't agree that they "need" UV but rather they would benefit from it. Nothing from case studies or research but from personal observations from keepers of garters and rough green snakes. Or any other arboreal colubrids for that matter. As I mentioned in some other post. It's more the UVA part of the spectrum that they benefit from rather than the UVB (considering that they eat whole prey items). Probably to see better (just like in most diurnal lizards). This in turn probably helps to lower stress levels and better feeding response.

[Zoe]

Please explain why you say they need UV light. It has yet to be proven if they need it or not, but I believe that the general concensus is that being diurnal snakes, garters should have some exposure to UV light as they would in the wild.

However, I believe you should let it go. If not, you need to take the following steps:
1. Get a fecal done on the snake
2. Pay for the meds to kill the parasites the snake may have
3. Get rid of the mites the snake may have
4. Get used to feeding live fish and tadpoles, maybe even frogs or little lizards
5. When you get your corn, make sure as heck that they aren't even in the same room for several months, and that if you are traveling from the room the garter is in to the snake the corn is in, you must wash your hands. You need to quarantine any new snakes you get, but you need to make double sure with wild caught snakes!

Zoe

[enso]

Thanks Vanan.

[JD@reptiles]

its not a Need, sorry. they just seem healthier than ones without the UV

[RepTylE]

Still it would be best to let it go. There should still be time for it to go into hibernation.

[b23ball23]

i let him go:D but it was cool watching him because i rarely find them in the wild. thanks for the input

[Vanan]

You did a good thing. :) Check your local laws and look out for injured or debilitated ones to help and keep. May stand a better chance with you, those ones.

[eyespy]

I'm glad to hear you released it. Taking in a garter this close to the long winter's nap can be really hard on a snake. It's better to find a captive bred, or at least collect them during the more active feeding season if local laws permit you to do so.

[b23ball23]

in the short time that i had it,.. (about 5 days) it did not eat. It seemed very comfortable in it cage (i put him in a big cardboard box) and he seemed as if he was looking for food. I offered him slugs, earthworms, and a frog and he never ate. Wat else might he have eaten? i am curious to figure ouyt what i could've done differently

ps: no streams were within a half mile of my house, therefore he probably didn't eat fish