General questions about Butterscotch

[Dan72]

So I posted for the first time in the welcome lounge yesterday. I know that Steve lives here in Iowa as well and has been very gracious with offers of help and connections. He had asked to see some other pics which I plan to place on the forum shortly. The pics should help all you wonderful snake lovers help answer a few questions my wife, kids, and I have about the new member of the family. First, SEX! What do we have here. Second and probably more important, over all health. I know you can only go by what pics I post but it might be enough for the experienced eye to see something maybe I wouldn't know to be worried about. Next up, I made a temp home for the snake. It will serve some other function down the road I'm sure but it has to be home for now until I get some things I need. One main question I have concerns a heat/light source. The snake is an Albino and I wasn't sure if this makes for special circumstances? I thought maybe it did. Also, the snake has a mark/scar down near its tail region and I wasn't sure if it was something to worry about when it comes time to shed or even before that. And, being wild caught but being taken in as a pet, should it see a vet anytime soon, or only when something comes up? I'm sure I'll have many more questions as I am learnning as I go but for now that should start some conversations going. Now for some pics......

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a link to a thread that will help you sex the snake yourself or show you the kind of photos we need to see to help.
Most garters need a warm and cool side so that they can thermoregulate.
I try to keep part of my albino enclosure dark as they don't do like bright lights.
A Vet. visit would be great. When you contact Mark he can give you his Vet's info.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/breeding/5069-sexing-pics.html

[Dan72]

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[guidofatherof5]

Nice. Looks like a Nebr. albino. That's wild. Found in the center of Iowa.
Looks like a tail injury. Some antibiotic ointment or betadine solution should help.
Just a suggestion but a nice 10 gal aquarium from Walmart would be much more secure for your snake and give you a better look at it.

[katach]

Looks like a girl to me. She is very pretty. My concern would be that tail. The injured area looks necrotic. Definitely keep an eye on that. Others that have more experience with tail loss can give advice on that better. Like Steve said, a dark side would be good for her in the enclosure. You may have a humidity issue with that tub. They trend to trap moisture and that can cause issues. She is really pretty!

[Dan72]

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[chris-uk]

I think you'll need to watch the tail injury during sheds, although given that there isnt any sign of a retained shed on the tail it,would seem that it hasnt had problems so far.
Regarding heating for albinos, I think heat mats are the way to go coupled with LED lighting.

[Dan72]

Thanks for the responses so far, keep them coming! I realize the tub isn't necessarily the Ritz right now but we're working on getting something better for her soon. Is the verdict female or do others want to weigh in still? As far as the mark on her tail, is the dark coloring some kind of scar tissue or dried blood?

Steve - You mentioned putting some antibiotic ointment on it. Is there a certain kind I should use and is it something I would just buy at our local pet shop?

Since being in our care from the 5th, Butterscotch has had 2 meals of worms from the yard. One on Saturday the 7th and again Monday the 9th. She ate about 3 small worms each time. Is this too little/too much/just right/too often?

[chris-uk]

I'd err with female based on these photos.

Could you get a good closeup of the tail injury from a couple of angles? It looks like the injury goes right through the tail, so some closeups will help to see if you might have a more significant issue.

Food-wise, sounds about right. Did you see a bulge after the worms? That's a good indicator of a good meal, if you can see fhe food bulging a little in the stomach.

[guidofatherof5]

Great talking to you Dan. Thanks for the time.

[d_virginiana]

That's a very nice looking snake! It's always exciting to me when people find albinos in the wild. Lucky for the snakes too, since I imagine most would not survive to adulthood outside captivity...

You can get betadine from your local pharmacy. Neosporin is good as well, but be sure to get the kind without painkillers added! I know that kind will kill amphibians straight away, and I had someone tell me it left an almost burn-like rash on their snakes once. But the regular kind is good. I can't really tell from the pics... Is the wound just scabbed over, or does it look necrotic?

She is small enough that a regular 10 gallon aquarium with a mesh top would be more than enough room for her. Like Kat said, the tubs can retain humidity, and that's generally bad for healing injuries (plus in a tank, you'd get to watch her more!). You might also want to look into getting a substrate that she can burrow under. I use carefresh bedding (it's paper based and easy to spot-clean). Babies especially seem to like burrowing in their substrate.

Also, just as a tip on food, nightcrawlers from walmart work great. You can cut of tiny pieces and put the rest of the worm back in the refrigerator for later :) Plus, it's like a dollar for a whole container of them. Just easier than backyard worm hunting IMO (we have solid clay soil where I live, so worm hunting was an undertaking).

[guidofatherof5]

Wow, our Walmart sells them for $2.97 a container.

[EasternGirl]

I agree with female for the sex. I use a red bulb for my albinos because they love to bask under the heat of the lamp...they like hanging plants...fake ones that stick onto the sides of the tank with a little suction cup...they like to climb up in the plants and bask under the lamp. I put a dome lamp with a 40 watt red bulb (no UV light for albinos) outside the tank on top of the screen. Sometimes I use an under tank heat mat on the same side as well if they need a little more heat. But I shut off the heat at night. I also use a thermostat to control the temperature. I also agree that you will want to watch that tail around shed time to make sure she doesn't retain any shed around that area. Steve's recommendation of treating with antibiotic ointment is good. A nice tank would be good and some substrate for burrowing as suggested would be good as well. A couple of plants and a hide on the warm side and one on the cool side would be great.

[mikem]

what a great find! lucky you :D

as everyone else has said, keep an eye on that tail. i'd try and find a vet to look at it. thanks for sharing! keep us posted :cool:

[d_virginiana]

Wow, our Walmart sells them for $2.97 a container.

Dang! I haven't checked recently, but the most I remember paying is like $1.50... Of course we're in the middle of nowhere, so maybe the prices are lower.

[Selkielass]

What a ovely little snake!
Congratulations on finding such a treasure.
Eating is very very good for healing, so I'm thinking she'll pull thru.
Best of luck!