Help! Surprise in the bin!

[Dracorex5]

So i checked my wild caught reascue Mahonri's bin today.... And found extra tails! Three extra tails to be exact! They cant be more than a few days old, as i fed Mahonri two days ago. They are already shedding, and are in a seperate bin drinking water. What the heck do i do? What do they eat? What do they need? Should i worry about cannibalism? When should i seperate? And will these babies contain any parasites their mother had? These are little eatern garters from north carolina. Oh, and how many more should i expect!? Shes giving birth again right now!

[Steveo]

First step: deep breaths.

Which species? litters of 30+ are not uncommon.

They should eat cut up nightcrawlers or fish or pinky parts. Check the care sheet.

Cannibalism is not a concern between scrubs and they shouldn't live with adult snakes anyway.

[EasternGirl]

My eastern was gravid twice...the first time she had a litter of 30 and the second time, a litter of 40...not to panic though...garters often have many stillborns in large litters...the first time she did not have any live young...all 30 were stillborn. The second time, only 3 were born live. You should put the babies in a separate tank with a very secure lid, give them a shallow bowl of water that they can drink from and soak in...but that they can get out of, and give them some hides. Feed newborns small meals every 2 days at first and then when they are a couple months old..you can feed every 3-4 days. The babies will be fine together for a while. I am not sure if they will have parasites if their mother has them. Maybe someone else can advise on that. Let us know if you have anymore questions. Congrats!

[Didymus20X6]

Chopped up nightcrawlers and fish parts, maybe sprinkled with a bit of ground calcium. Make the pieces about bite-sized for them, and that should be fine. I'd suggest using a cheap santoku, if you don't want to use your good kitchen knives.

[Dracorex5]

Thank you guys! Shes seems to have either stopped or taken a break. I dont think this is her first, as she succesfully birthed fifteen very much alive babies so far. Ill start feeding chopped pinkies tomorrow once i get bins set up. Now a big question... What do i do with them?

[Steveo]

Depends on your local laws. I've heard Georgia's are pretty strict. Releasing them is always an option.

[Dracorex5]

And whats the best substrate? Any preferences?

[kibakiba]

Don't release if their mom isn't from your area, take them back to wherever you caught the mom from if you chose to release.

[EasternGirl]

Wow...15 live is a nice little group of scrubs! If you feel that they are too many to care for practically...then you could release them in a safe place...but I would probably wait at least a month until they are eating and you feel they can make it on their own. Mother's do leave babies right away in the wild though, so they have to be self-sufficient from birth. I just wouldn't be able to do it though...if Cee Cee's 40 babies had all been born live, I would probably be going out of my mind trying to care for 40 babies along with my other garters! I use recycled paper substrate for my babies because it seems to be the safest for them. I use carefresh if I don't have the recycled paper. I also put a pile of moist moss in the corner for them to keep them hydrated...they love to burrow in it. I put paper towels down on top of the substrate and put a dish of food on top of the paper towels...and supervise closely when they eat. Sometimes babies will have a bit of trouble eating at first and get into food fights.

[Invisible Snake]

So i checked my wild caught reascue Mahonri's bin today.... And found extra tails! Three extra tails to be exact! They cant be more than a few days old, as i fed Mahonri two days ago. They are already shedding, and are in a seperate bin drinking water. What the heck do i do? What do they eat? What do they need? Should i worry about cannibalism? When should i seperate? And will these babies contain any parasites their mother had? These are little eatern garters from north carolina. Oh, and how many more should i expect!? Shes giving birth again right now!

Pics or it didn't happen! :p

[Dracorex5]

And i was thinking of letting them go, but she wasnt caught anywhere near here. And ive gone herping in my area and have never seen an eastern here. Id have to travel a bit but it may be the easiest option!

[kibakiba]

Which is one of the reasons you don't release them in areas they weren't caught. It causes all sorts of trouble.

[Dracorex5]

They are the cutest little things, their eyes are too big for their heads! What to do with them will comes later i guess, the goal is to keep them alive and healthy! I have them in a big bin with wet moss an paper towels with a couple of small water bowls. Ill split them into groups when they get a bit bigger and easier to organize! On tomorrows menu.... Mouse guts! Pics to come later :)

[Didymus20X6]

The particularly iffy part of the problem is GA state law concerning native reptile species.

Have you tried talking to a GA wildlife professional - like maybe a park ranger or something - to see what they might have to say? Maybe there's some advice they can offer about what to do with the little scrubs.

Easterns are pretty much all over the state of GA. And with NC in close proximity, I seriously doubt that a WC NC garter would be a problem if released in GA. But I'm not a wildlife professional, so don't quote me on that.

[katach]

In my opinion if you are going to release them, do it where the mother was caught only. Releasing them anywhere else can cause problems to local populations, over crowding, introduction of foreign bacteria, and if there are no easterns in the area you release them, inbreeding. The best thing to do is care for them until they are big and strong and then find homes for them. Congrats on the litter, and pics are not optional! :D

[Dracorex5]

The dude i reascued her from claims to have caught her all the way in North Carolina. Its about three or four hours from here, and im not even sure exactly where to put them when i get to the state! Not only that, but i really do not trust this boy in the least, he could have gotten her from his backuard or off the internet for all i know (my friend says he's a very cumpulsive liar... He lives with him and doesnt even remember him getting the smake in the first place!) ill raise them to a good size, and then maybe some friends from the wildlife preserve i work at can help me out. Though im not so sure.... One of my bosses at the preserve commented on facebook and told me i should sell them on fauna for a pretty penny to people i trust! But we'll see what the top reptile lady says

[Dracorex5]

Does anyone know if i should be worried about her getting gravid again? I understand fully that this was likely a stored sperm situation, and i am not sure of the dynamics of pregnant garters!

[Steveo]

Does anyone know if i should be worried about her getting gravid again? I understand fully that this was likely a stored sperm situation, and i am not sure of the dynamics of pregnant garters!

It's possible that she could become gravid again next year. Won't happen again this year, though.

[guidofatherof5]

Congrats.
Make sure those babies have their first shed. A couple hours in an inch of warm water should do the trick.

[d_virginiana]

Just a suggestion... Don't contact a wildlife official about the babies. I think (you might want to look it up to be sure) that it's illegal to own any native reptile species in GA. Since easterns are native to GA yours would count even though it's from NC. They don't care about people having a couple native reptiles as pets as long as they aren't protected species, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea to talk about it with an officer regardless.
Posting on forums like this is a good way to find homes for them as well, that way you know they're going to a good home. :)

[Dracorex5]

I work at a wildlife place and already grabbed suggestions from some employees. Most of them consider the laws guidelines, and because im in training for an animal rehabilitation licence, they said im "technically" allowed to keep them as "training" animals.... And the boss told me letting them go wouldnt be best in this area due to recent frog issues, and giving them to good homes may be my best bet anyway :D alls well and ends well!