Things needed

[flickerfriend]

Hi, i have a question. i have a garter and im wondering whether or not a NEED a heat pad/lamp

[guidofatherof5]

I use under the tank heaters on all my garter snakes.
I find them fairly inexpensive and cheap to run. Just my opinion.
I think garters need a warm spot to go to in their enclosure. This way they can thermoregulate their body temp.
Check out the care sheet section on heat sources:
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[kibakiba]

I use a heat lamp for my snakes when its colder. On warmer days I keep it off. I keep the lamp on the side away from their water dish. When its colder they seem to be more sluggish and, in my experience, have bad appetites. Probably because at higher temperatures their metabolism is higher. Some people have told me that when the temperature is warmer , they're also able to fight infections better. Of course, this is my experience and someone else will probably say something different than what I have.

[flickerfriend]

Okay. thanks

[Mommy2many]

I use heat lamps. Welcome!

[ConcinusMan]

Heat pads are fine for some people, but your snake will still do better with a close-to-natural sunlight lamp during the day. They are sun-loving creatures and get depressed and don't want to eat sometimes without that light. Be sure to use a focused beam on one end of the tank so there can be a good temperature gradient. Choose an appropriate wattage so that the basking area gets around 85 while still not going above 75 on the cool side of the tank. 10 hours a day should be plenty. Let things go dark and cool down to room temperature (or a little cooler) at night.