Eastern lays in cold water dish all day.

[jtroyner]

I have a 3 yr old eastern, Harvey, that recently has been spending alot of time in his water dish. I originally thought it was mites, but I'm not finding any evidence of them. What worries me is that during winter i usually allow the tank to maintain a colder temperature. Also, i notice that sometimes he'll have his head under water too. I've been searching the forum, but haven't found anything close to this behavior. He is otherwise very healthy. He eats a fuzzy a week, sometimes 2. Sheds well, super friendly. The only thing i can link it to is that it seemed to start around the same time i noticed small ant infestation in his tank. I noticed a small lump near his bum that i assume was an ant bite. It all seems kinda weird. Any help would be appreciated.

[Light of Dae]

That sound like he is found a spot to hide from the ants that would definitely be bothering him. Have you gotten rid of the ants? Switch him to paper towels n take care of those ants if you haven't done so yet. How did ants get in his tank? If there are ants in your house I'd suggest putting petroleum jelly around the outside bottom of his tank so the cannot crawl up the sides. Many people suggest using double sided tape but that can become a snake killer if he ever gets out. Plus its hard to clean up after.

Pictures would help.

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum. The ants would be my first concern.

[d_virginiana]

What temperature is his tank?
First thing is getting the ants gone. Can you put up a picture of the ant bite?

[ProXimuS]

I would also say it sounds like the ants are the problem. I had a small Earthsnake that was being bitten by ants when I found her and had a few small lumps afterwards.

[EasternGirl]

I am also curious as to how ants got in the tank. If there is an infestation in your house...an exterminator would be able to take care of it using non-toxic treatments. We have an exterminator that comes to treat our house for ants and other bugs...and he knows about my snakes and other pets and only uses non-toxic treatments. Diatomaceous earth is one solution for ants that will not harm people or pets. Also, there are tanks available with screen tops that have very small meshed screening that insects can not get in. Another thing to consider is that you cannot always see evidence of mites. Eggs and babies are microscopic and cannot be seen by the human eye.

[Mommy2many]

Get rid of bugs. Also, my Eastern has done that in the past, completely underwater and not moving where I thought he was dead in the water bowl. Silly serpent! Imagine how surprised he was to be yanked out of the water!

[Greg'sGarters]

Ants are probably bothering him. This reminds me of one of my own stories. I was out in the back woods behind the Days Inn I was staying at in Florida. I was herping for anything I could find from Gators to Hots to Anoles. Anyway, the previous day, I had seen a pair of nice big black racers. So I was particularly looking for those, so I lifted up a log hoping to find me a nice black racer, instead I got a colony of Fire Ants. They immediately started swarming my feet and legs and started biting. I got bit 13 times. But what was the first thing I did? I took off my shoes and socks, and without thinking, sprinted at top speed to the pool, hopped the fence, and jumped right in. I'm assuming that this is what your Garter Snake is also doing. Getting away from the ants in the water. Clean out your tank with a 3% bleach solution and let it soak for 30 minutes. This should kill any ants, wash it out and add some paper towels as bedding so if they come back, you will see.

[chris-uk]

I agree that the ants are probably the reason for the behaviour change. As for worrying about submerged snakes, I used to panic when my Cuitzeos were new and would stay submerged, I once timed Vlad at over 12 minutes, and on other occasions when I didn't start a stopwatch I think they have gone longer. They're also good at just popping their nostrils above the water to breath in.

[d_virginiana]

My youngest one will hide under his water and kind of follow you as you move around the room. I think he's under the impression he's invisible while he's under the water.

[chris-uk]

My youngest one will hide under his water and kind of follow you as you move around the room. I think he's under the impression he's invisible while he's under the water.

Now that's a good point. My garters spend more time in their water when they are settling, so when new or after I rearrange their viv after a clean out - I've seen this with Cuitzeos, radix, and checkereds. Have you rearranged the viv, perhaps when you eradicated the ants, which could just have unsettled him?

[Foxrun402]

Whoa yeah you should get rid of the ants and any trace of them! I would probably even take that tank and all the substrate out of it and wash it out thoroughly and air dry it... Not only can they bite and harm they can reproduce and cause an even worse problem...

I keep my tank up off the ground about 4ft up and away from the wall a little bit... I don't want any unwanted guests trying to get in there.. already witnessed a fly doing push-ups on top the screen trying to break in... I'm a little over cautious though... I don't even like it when I look in her home and see small substrate pieces or anything floating around in her water lol... I'll change it asap if I do

Cleanliness is next to Godliness! I hope he is doing well for you!