My Setup?

[JoeTurtleKing]

Hello everyone, this is my setup for my albino checkered garter snake please let me know what yous think as this is my first garter snake i have ever owned.

[EasternGirl]

You need some substrate...some bedding on the floor of the tank underneath the other stuff inside the tank...carefresh bedding is good, you can buy it at any pet store, aspen also works...you can also buy that at pet stores...or you can use reptibark...also purchased at pet stores. You want to put about an inch on the bottom of the tank. You need to move that lamp to one side of the tank...the tank must have a warm side and a cool side...because the snake must have a temperature gradient in order to thermoregulate body temperature...he/she must be able to get warm and cool as needed. What kind of bulb/heat are you using in the lamp? You need to monitor temperatures on the warm side and the cool side of the tank and monitor the humidity in the tank. Here is a copy of our caresheet this may help: Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

Let me also show you a picture of one of my enclosures: 4290 You want your temps to be about 80-82 on the warm side during the day and around 75 on the cool side....and around 75-78 on the warm side at night and 68-70 on the cool side at night. Humidity should be around 40-50%.....these are what my temps and humidity are...these do vary of course...but aim for around these ranges. Get yourself a thermometer and hygrometer at a pet store to help monitor temps and humidity. If you have any other questions...let us know!

Oh...also make sure the water dish is on the cool side of the tank away from the lamp.

[aquamentus_11]

very cool set up and great snake. like marnie said, they need to thermoregulate. i think i would even go as far as just putting the lamp in the corner if you're going to go with that much water (which i think is cool): they tend to like a warm hide and a cool hide and right now the water will be taking up the entire cool side. just my thought.

i like the foliage overhanging the water. my snake loves that. i would definitely go get an inexpensive water filter though: garters need their water changed daily (they poop in it) and you're not going to want to have to change out that water all the time. very cool set up

[guidofatherof5]

You should probably monitor the humidity. Too high a humidity can lead to all kinds of health issues.
Respiratory infections and scale rot to name a couple.
Having that type of setup might work better if it allowed more dry area so the snake could have a warm and cool place to be (as stated above)
Just some suggestions.

[chris-uk]

I like the setup, but it's difficult to tell how big the warm/cold areas are from those pics - the perspective doesn't allow me to see how wide the tank is.
A little more information would be great:
- what dimensions is it?
- what temperature are you keeping the sides at?
- is the water being filtered? What temperature is it?
- is the sloping earth type stuff easy to clean?

I've got a vague plan for something similar later in the year for some of our garters. I've got a 90cm ExoTerra that will be the basis of my setup, but I'm still working out exactly how I will do it.

[JoeTurtleKing]

Thanks for all the great info :)

[JoeTurtleKing]

I like the setup, but it's difficult to tell how big the warm/cold areas are from those pics - the perspective doesn't allow me to see how wide the tank is.
A little more information would be great:
- what dimensions is it?
- what temperature are you keeping the sides at?
- is the water being filtered? What temperature is it?
- is the sloping earth type stuff easy to clean?

I've got a vague plan for something similar later in the year for some of our garters. I've got a 90cm ExoTerra that will be the basis of my setup, but I'm still working out exactly how I will do it.

Its a 10 gallon tank not to sure of the dimensions

Its about 77-80 on the warm and around 73on the cool side at night is around 72-75 Humidity is about 60 i know it is kinda high

The water is being filtered. I have that sponge half log in the pic that i cut underneath and have a small internal filter in it. You can kinda see the water spilling out in the pic

The slop was just the way i liked it not easier to clean but i just liked the look. Its about 1in-2in of eco earth and then theres mesh and then clay balls to keep the water and bedding from mixing.

Hope i answered all your questions :)

[JoeTurtleKing]

I will try to post some better pictures.

[JoeTurtleKing]

I feed him/her pinky parts,mouse feet, and fish fillet parts. I also have live java moss in the water dont know if this matters but the snake does love hiding in it lol

[aquamentus_11]

oh yeah, i do see that. very cool. 60% humidity is the high side of ok. i have similar temps, but i like to keep a basking spot for her that remains 85-90F. the higher temps at the basking spot will help with digestion

[RedSidedSPR]

That's pretty damn cool... the other people covered everything i noticed, except i didn't see it mentioned that, shouldn't that snake, being an albino, not have that lighting??

[EasternGirl]

If the lightning is UV...then yes, it is not good for the snake...UV light is harmful to albinos...it can hurt their eyes, burn their skin, and cause cancer. If the light doesn't have UV...it won't harm the snake, but the snake may not like it...albinos tend to like it darker. I use red and black bulbs for my albinos so that they have the heat for basking without the light...although my snow does actually like some light...I sometimes put a lamp with a regular 60 watt bulb (no UV) near his tank...but I don't actually use a regular light in the lamp on his tank for basking...I use a red bulb for that. Good eye, Jesse.

[JoeTurtleKing]

The bulb is not a uv bulb and i use a red light at night but my snake hides/sleeps at night and as soon as I turn on the regular light 2-5 minutes later he/she comes out

[EasternGirl]

It's interesting with albinos...some of them do that. My albino checkered seems to absolutely hate any kind of light. He will not come out if there is any light on...even if he sees dim light in the room around him. He only comes out at night when the house is dark and his red light is on. But my snow seems to like some light...he doesn't like it too dark...he likes a little regular light near his tank so that he can come out and explore, and he is very active during the day and night.

[mikem]

it looks amazing! my only concern, as previously mentioned, is the humidity. i think if you could do something like that in a 20 gallon long and keep the same amount of water, then you'd be okay for a while. as it grows, it's going to have less and less dry space.

[JoeTurtleKing]

it looks amazing! my only concern, as previously mentioned, ithe s the humidity. i think if you could do something like that in a 20 gallon long and keep the same amount of water, then you'd be okay for a while. as it grows, it's going to have less and less dry space.

The humidity is at 60% which I think is the high end of ok? This is just a growout tank.

[mikem]

you probably want to lower it to the average humidity in your house. i'm just worried she's going to spend too much time in the water since the pool is big and inviting. like steve said, it's probably going to lead to blisters, respitory infections and a whole mess of trouble. i'd keep it dry with a water bowl big enough to soak in with a hide on each side of the cage. if any extra moisture is needed, you can mist.

[setfree]

Do you know whether it is a he or a she? One way to tell is if the tail abruptly comes to a thinning point then it is most likely a female. If the tail gradually comes to it's end then it is most likely a male. If you don't under stand you can go to www.gartersnake.co.uk/maintenance.htm. You can scroll down to "sexing snakes".It has a diagram and you can see for you'r self.
Good looking snake!