Help

[Jigsaw]

:) Hi im new to this but i just bought a 45-50 gallon tank for $18 and i went out and caught a garter snake. i have a couple questions,
What should i feed it ( he is pretty small for mice)
What should the temps be in the tank,
how many snakes can i have in the tank? ( im thinking about getting another one)
and how do u tell which sex the snakes are.
Please post comments and HELP ME

[Lulu Bennett]

right. to start with it sounds asif your panicing lol DON'T!! if he is too big for pinkies then try nightcrawlers/guppies/pinkie pieces... if it wont fit whole then try cutting into small pieces. remember a snake can eat food as big as the widest part of its belly as the jaw can unhinge into four pieces.
temp needs to be about 75f at night and 85f during the day.
as for the sex i am sure if you post a couple of pics of the underside of the tail then we might be able to work it out for you but it can be very hard on some snakes.

what type of garter do you have? and when are we going to see pics?? :D

[Jigsaw]

i am not sure the name for it but i think it might be the common one. ill get some pics up today or tomorrow

[Jigsaw]

how many snakes can live in a 45-50 g tank?

[Stefan-A]

I suppose one, maybe two. One female or two males, perhaps.

[Jigsaw]

how do u post up picks,? i tried and it wont work

[Stefan-A]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/site-feedback-suggestions-questions/1008-guide-posting-pictures.html

[Jigsaw]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/snake_017.jpg
its not very good i hope u can tell the species

[Jigsaw]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/snake_015.jpg
Heres another one! im gonna go and try to catch another one soon

[Stefan-A]

In what part of the country did you catch it? And dont forget to check out the http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet

[Jigsaw]

i onyl have 1 snake but im gonna go get another today

[Jigsaw]

calgary, alberta in fish creek provincail park

[Jigsaw]

ive heard its A "common" garter, im not sure though

[Stefan-A]

My guess it's a T. sirtalis or T. elegans.

According to: snakefinder (http://www.gartersnake.de/snakefinder/snakefinder.html), the sirtalis subspecies found in Alberta should be T.s. parietalis, and in my humble opinion, that doesn't look like a typical parietalis. Although, their appearence does vary quite a bit.


You have half an hour to edit your posts if you want to add something or correct errors. ;)

[Jigsaw]

Why do i have to edit it?

[Stefan-A]

Why do i have to edit it?

No other reason, than that you don't have to make multiple posts. :) Didn't mean anything needed to be changed.

[stonyloam]

My guess it's a T. sirtalis or T. elegans.

According to: snakefinder (http://www.gartersnake.de/snakefinder/snakefinder.html), the sirtalis subspecies found in Alberta should be T.s. parietalis, and in my humble opinion, that doesn't look like a typical parietalis. Although, their appearence does vary quite a bit.


You have half an hour to edit your posts if you want to add something or correct errors. ;)

I didn't know that (about edit). Learn something every day.:)

[zooplan]

I´m quiet sure that it is no ´parietalis, a close up picture of the side of the head will help.
http://www.zooplan.net/images/Rotbaeckchen.jpg
This is a red sided gartersnake. Thamnophis elegans should have 8 supralabial shields.

[adamanteus]

:) Hi im new to this but i just bought a 45-50 gallon tank for $18 and i went out and caught a garter snake. i have a couple questions,
What should i feed it ( he is pretty small for mice)
What should the temps be in the tank,
how many snakes can i have in the tank? ( im thinking about getting another one)
and how do u tell which sex the snakes are.
Please post comments and HELP ME

Hi Jordan, there are some pretty basic questions there. I would suggest the first step would be to buy or borrow a book on the subject, just to get a basic grounding. Try having a read through our care sheets;
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet
I would normally recommend this kind of basic education on the subject before getting yourself a snake. I'm inclined to agree with the other guys...that's not parietalis.

[Jigsaw]

ok well i can try to get a pic of the side of the head