New garter enclosure

[Princess Ri]

Hey guys! I just got an albino checkered garter, its my first snake that im taking care of 100% on my own, ive had a king snake but he lives with my father so i dont get to see him or take care of him much. He is just a baby but im already transitioning him onto pinkies and he can eat a whole one already!! i do have to scent them tho. Anyways i was just wondering if you have any tips on how to make sure im feeding him enough and any tips on how to improve the enclosure, also i have fed him a few times but cant find any poop or urea to clean out any tips on spotting that?


here is his tank, ignore the light i used my computer for lighting i dont know why the picture is upside down sorry


(https://imgur.com/a/c6fjI)

[Princess Ri]

oh and i forgot to mention, he has a zomed stick on heat mat under the tank and an exo terra 100 watt bulb on the same side as the heat mat

also the little stump is a hide, he really likes that one, its on the un-heated side

[Albert Clark]

Congrats on the new garter. The most important consideration in setting up your enclosure is to regulate all heating devices with a thermostat. It's paramount in safeguarding the snake from burns and improper temperatures. So I would disconnect the heat pad until you can get a reliable thermostat. They can be found on Amazon and are fairly inexpensive for the basic ones. The reason you are not seeing much waste is bc babies usually use up most of their food for growth especially if they are fed conservatively. I still would be very vigilant in looking for excrement and urates/urine spots in the corners and in the hides of the enclosure. Also the water dish is a common place for snakes to relieve themselves. Feeding baby garters should be every three to four days unless they are having feeding issues. They have high metabolic rates and burn food stores rapidly. A varied diet is best but the individual snake will let you know what they like best. Pink mice f/t, fresh cut up market fish, f/t Sally's silversides sliced to a appropriate size is a safe bet also. My checkereds all love cut up live Canadian Nightcrawlers, especially the babies.