Found a garter in the cold!

[HoneyBee]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum and to snakes! Ive always been an avid animal lover, have always enjoyed reptiles, but I have never personally owned one. I have however caught and picked up plenty of local snakes, frogs and toads to look at and let go.

I live in Connecticut USA and a week and a half ago I found a garter snake outside in the cold this late November that my cat somehow found. It was lethargic but irked off, though due to the winter weather, it hardly had the energy to try and strike. I thought it seemed odd that it was not hidden for the winter months and brought it inside where it seems to be doing well.

After doing research I came to understand that its probably to cold now for it to find a home someplace past the frost line and I decided to keep it over the winter, though ive come to really love the little guy, I make keep him as a pet, he/she is quite docile and taming very well.

I planned to get it a nice terrarium habitat to live in, but I have a few questions still. My main concern is its eating. I bought it small feeder fish from the pet store but it was not interested in them. I caught it some worms from outside and it has eaten a few times, however, maybe five or six days ago I managed to get it to eat a pretty fat worm and it since has not seemed interested in any more? I read they should get at lest two a week if not more, so I am concerned about it not eating? Is it to full still? maybe not warm enough to want to eat? should I buy it some pinkies?

Right now Im keeping it in a plastic 10x10 tub on pine pellets for substrate, with a water dish a stick and some things to hide under. I have no heat lights so for now he lives in the temperature of our home wich is maybe 65 to 70 degrees.

Im not sure the age of my snake, maybe a "teen?" Im sure if seen thicker garters then mine, maybe an inch around at the thickest point and 19 inches long?

Thanks in advance!

[infernalis]

This time of year, it's normal for them to go off feed.

During winter brumation, they do not eat.

After some time inside the warm house, it should come around.

[iBaman]

pine is a no go!! the oils are bad for snakes

[Gungirl]

pine is a no go!! the oils are bad for snakes

As long as the pine is kiln dried it is perfectly safe.

[iBaman]

are pine pellets kiln dried? i have no clue xD

[Gungirl]

The ones I have seen are.. But I can't say all of them are.

[HoneyBee]

This time of year, it's normal for them to go off feed.

During winter brumation, they do not eat.

After some time inside the warm house, it should come around.

Are you suggesting it will "come around" to eating? is it possible I can get a more descriptive response to all of my specific questions?

pine is a no go!! the oils are bad for snakes

Im not sure if its the safe pine, so I will look into something better, he seems to want to burrow allot anyway.

[Zoo Nanny]

Most pine pellets are recycled pine board that's been compressed and kiln dried. For individual brands you can look up the MSDS for them. They should say right on the packaging if it's kiln dried.

[Gungirl]

Aspen would work fine for him..

As far as eating if he is stressed out it will take longer for it to eat. Seeing as it did eat for you just give it time. I would be more concerned if it hadn't eaten anything for you yet.

[EmbraceCalamity]

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/gsnakecare.pdf

Some important bits:

"The ideal temperature for most snakes is in the 25-30°C range (about 75-85°F), but it’s important that the snake have the option of warming up and cooling off when it chooses. You give that to your snake by heating one side of the cage, creating a temperature gradient."

"Keep an eye on the heat with a thermometer. Stick-on thermometers aren’t terribly accurate, but they give you a general idea. It’s not important to achieve precise temperatures — remember, these snakes encounter all kinds of temperatures in the wild. As long as it’s somewhere between 22°C (72°F) at the cold end and 30°C (86°F) at the warm end, you’re probably fine."

If you raise the temps, he might be more willing to eat. Their body temp directly affects how well they can digest their food.

~Maggot

[infernalis]

Are you suggesting it will "come around" to eating? is it possible I can get a more descriptive response to all of my specific questions?.

Yes, I'm sorry.. I was trying to say it should come around.

Here is the best care sheet for garter snakes ever written...

Thamnophis.com Care Sheet (http://www.thamnophis.co/caresheet/index.html)

[HoneyBee]

Thank you all for your help, I have since given my snake a big upgrade and this is how he is living now. None pine bedding. Nice large water dish, rock to hide under, rope to climb and most important some heat lights. I am going to let him settle in again and attempt to see if he will eat more worms in a few days, I also picked up a pinkie to see if I can get him to try that.

[infernalis]

If you rub a little raw fish on the pinkie first, you will have better luck.

[HoneyBee]

He didnt like fish when I offered feeders, I was going to try and rub worms on it, he likes worms O.o

[infernalis]

That works too. Good thinking.

What I have observed over the years is that specimens that spend their lives in meadows grow to be fond of worms and toads, specimens that live near water are fond of fish and frogs.

when they are babies, they all seem to favor tadpoles, tiny newts and baby worms.

[HoneyBee]

Im in Connecticut USA, its all woods out here, so Im hopeful coming across mouse nests are common for these guys, mice build nests in everything around here. Cuz I understand if you can get them eating mice, its considered a complete diet but that they can be picky.

[Snakeman8]

pinkies can be taken,my garter had eaten pinkies and nothing else when i had him.

[limey]

How's your garter doing? Would love to see some more pics and news on his status.

[Lankyrob]

This reminded me of something i saw on TV the other day, apparently garters produce a natural antifreeze in their bloodstream which means they can survive for hours and hours completely buried in snow and when the snow melts they can warm up and slither off :)

[infernalis]

This reminded me of something i saw on TV the other day, apparently garters produce a natural antifreeze in their bloodstream which means they can survive for hours and hours completely buried in snow and when the snow melts they can warm up and slither off :)


If anyone remembers, I dug a garter snake out of the snow when we had that 2012 spring storm.

Kept it until the weather warmed up and the released it exactly where found it.

[limey]

This reminded me of something i saw on TV the other day, apparently garters produce a natural antifreeze in their bloodstream which means they can survive for hours and hours completely buried in snow and when the snow melts they can warm up and slither off :)

Is it just garters that can do this? If so, that would be quite a cool, unique little evolutionary trait.

[infernalis]

Actually I believe the entire Natricine Snake group have this.

That includes Garter Snakes (Thamnophis) Brown snakes & Red Bellies (Storeria), Water Snakes (Nerodia) and the European Natrix.

They all range the farthest north of any reptile.

[EmbraceCalamity]

Is it just garters that can do this? If so, that would be quite a cool, unique little evolutionary trait.If you think that's impressive, you should read up on the water bear:
'Water bears' are first animal to survive space vacuum - space - 08 September 2008 - New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html)

Little BAMFs.

~Maggot

[poison123]

If you think that's impressive, you should read up on the water bear:
'Water bears' are first animal to survive space vacuum - space - 08 September 2008 - New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-space-vacuum.html)

Little BAMFs.

~Maggot

these things are cute
http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/dn14690/dn14690-2_250.jpg