new snake owner needs advice!

[Estrelita05]

Hello, everyone- :)

I'm new to this site- my name is Heather, and I live in Colorado. (USA) My son brought home a little garter snake last Sunday, and we would like to keep it as a pet- the only problem is that I have never been a snake owner before, so I don't know what to do. I've been searching online, and it seems that my snake is a Western Terrestrial Garter. We think it is a female, and she is about 5 inches long, from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail. (So, I'm assuming that this is a baby snake?) I put her in a 10 gallon aquarium, with a shallow water dish and a nice rock to hide under, and we've been trying to feed her nightcrawlers cut up in pieces- the problem is that she doesn't seem to be eating. :( Is there something else that I should offer as food? Should we even be trying to keep a "wild" snake? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Cazador]

Hi Heather,

A 5" garter is definitely a newborn. The question is whether it was born late last year and managed to overwinter or if it was somehow already born this year. Has this been an unusually mild winter in Colorado, or has it been warm for a while now?

Starting off with a newborn at this time of year might be one of the most difficult ways to start. Snakes that were taken from the wild don't usually eat right away if there was a big temperature difference between outdoors and indoors. Sometimes it takes a week or two before they eat. Unfortunately, baby snakes have limited energy reserves, so don't let it go for more than about 2 weeks at room temperature without considering force feeding it (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Force_Feeding).

The first thing you need to do is to make sure the snake has the right environment in its enclosure. It needs plenty of hiding areas to provide a sense of security, temperature gradient from approximately 75-85 degrees (more or less, but one end of the enclosure should be warmer than the other), water, and a normal light:dark cycle. You can get some more tips here (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Main_Page).

Getting a newborn snake to eat can be challenging, but it usually helps to offer live food. You might try putting several small guppies in a shallow dish, or lid (not a lid from something smelly like pickles, though). Make the water just deep enough so that the fish have to disturb the water surface or flop around to create a lot of activity. They shouldn't be allowed to swim very efficiently because that little baby isn't a skilled hunter yet. The worms are a good idea, and you can also try cut up pieces of fish or baby mice (often called pinkies). You can offer them in a dish or with a pair of forceps to provide a bit of motion. Basically, you'll want to offer different foods at different times of the day until the snake decides that something smells good. Hope this helps,

Rick

[Sid]

Hi Heather and welcome to the forum. Rick's advice is right on the money. Often even cpative born snakes may refuse to eat for a week or two due to the new enviroment. I'll add to Rick's advice to avoide handling or other wise disturbing the little guy a smuch as possible for a while to let it "settle in'.

Sid

[abcat1993]

Yup, I made the mistake of handling mine A LOT and it didn't eat for a week or two. So, resist the urge.

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard, Heather. :)

[GarterGirl]

Welcome to the forum!
I don't think I can answer your question. I'm only 8 years old!:o

[GarterGuy]

Howdy and welcome to the forum. I'm sure you'll be able to get good advice on caring for you little one here. You'll have to post some pics of it....always cool to see other garters.:D
Roy

[adamanteus]

Welcome to the forum heather. If you follow Cazador's advise your new snake should be eating soon. It would be nice to see pictures!

[Snaky]

I don't think I've anything to add, except a welcome from Belgium:)
Enjoy it here!

[drache]

welcome to the forum Heather

[ssssnakeluvr]

Feeder guppies in a water bowl are a good food source for babies. Sex is impossible to tell on newborns by looking at them, they have to be probed or "popped" to tell for sure. Western terrestrial garters don't range into Colorado... Wandering garters do...probalby is a wandering...pics would be nice too. That would help with ID.

[Estrelita05]

:) Many thanks to everyone for your great advice! My snake, Slither, has finally started eating worms, and she is nice and active, and even seems to have grown a little! ;) I will go and buy some feeder guppies today, and see if she likes those. Can she eat them whole, or should I cut them up, like I do with the worms??

As for her environment, I have her in a nice big fishtank, where she has plenty of room to move around, with a shallow dish of water and a flat rock to hide under. At first, we had little rocks (like you would use for fish) in the bottom of the tank, but I have read that rocks aren't good for snakes, so right now I have paper towels in the bottom of the tank for her. Is there a substrate that is considered best for a baby snake?

:) I will post some pictures of Slither as soon as I can get a good pic of her- she seems to dislike having her picture taken!

Once again, thank you all so much!! :p

[Cazador]

Hi Heather,

As long as you're heading to the pet store, but sure to pick up a small container of Calcium powder to lightly sprinkle over the pieces of worm. You only want to do it every two weeks or so, but getting enough Calcium is very important for a growing snake. As far as the diameter of the guppies... they should be a bit smaller than the diameter of the snake's head. You can give them larger food later, but don't challenge a baby too much right away. Also, do you have a thermometer and a heat source, like a spot light or a heat mat? They're important.

Rick