Finally got a better pic....

[EasternGirl]

I hope this one will work to tell me what sex you think Bibur is...

A couple of questions: This morning I was holding my hand outside of Bibur's little cave to try to get him to come to check me out....he kept opening his mouth and shutting it....does that mean he was trying to be tough? That he is hungry?

Can you hurt a snake by holding his neck to tightly?

Thanks!!!

[guidofatherof5]

She's a Lady, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa, She's a lady(Done with my best Tom Jones imatation):D

[EasternGirl]

Ha! She is going to get big then, huh? The mama lives under our house and she is huge! (for a garter). Very good Tom Jones....what about my other questions? Can you tell me anything about those things? And one other thing....Bibur...I'm thinking of changing her name to Medusa...or Selena...is not going in her water dish....what can I do to ensure she will not dehydrate?

Thanks for your help!

[EasternGirl]

Okay....my son and I have officially decided to call Bibur...Selena....coming out party for the boy snake that turned out to be a girl....lol!

[gregmonsta]

I hope this one will work to tell me what sex you think Bibur is...

A couple of questions: This morning I was holding my hand outside of Bibur's little cave to try to get him to come to check me out....he kept opening his mouth and shutting it....does that mean he was trying to be tough? That he is hungry?

Can you hurt a snake by holding his neck to tightly?

Thanks!!!

:rolleyes: Trying to be tough and yes to the neck holding thing ..... essentially you shouldn't need to restrain the neck at all for any reason other than administrating medication, etc.

[Tyrel26]

As a rule I never hold my snakes by force unless its an emergency, and yes you can damage a snake if it is held to tightly. Snakes "yawn" the same as people do, to the stretch the muscles of their jaw. Also, you well rarely ever see your snake drink. The only time I've seen mine drink is after a feeding or after clean water has been added to the enclosure. (just because water looks clean to us it doesn't make it clean, change the water on a regular basis)

[EasternGirl]

Isn't she supposed to be going in her little pool, though? I put a water dish big enough for her to lie in or to swim in...I thought that was necessary to keep her skin moist. I pick her up behind her head because she is still skiddish and I didn't want her to bite me....when I pick her up I have to hold her firmly to keep her from flipping out and escaping....she is quick! But, I don't want to hurt her....

[Tyrel26]

If you continue to hold her like that she will probably never get adjusted to being held. scoop your hands under her and hold her just a couple of inches above the enclosure floor, do this from time to time and it will help. IF she did bite you would barely feel anything, it seems you are the skiddish one :). Be brave and hold your snake as if it were a fussy baby (i hope you dont hold a fussy baby by the neck lol)

Snakes will soak when necessary, usually around a shed but not always.

[guidofatherof5]

Ha! She is going to get big then, huh? The mama lives under our house and she is huge! (for a garter). Very good Tom Jones....what about my other questions? Can you tell me anything about those things? And one other thing....Bibur...I'm thinking of changing her name to Medusa...or Selena...is not going in her water dish....what can I do to ensure she will not dehydrate?

Thanks for your help!

As long as she has easy access(not to tall) to the water I wouldn't worry about dehydration. You always have the option to put her in the water once in awhile.
As far as the mouth thing goes I doubt it's anything to do with aggression or showing dominance. Does she do it all the time or just this one time?
Garters yawn and stretch to make sure everything is in place. Sometimes they can have a lip out of place or have a piece of foreign matter in their mouth. It's not something they do with great frequency.
Keep us posted.

[EasternGirl]

Okay...yes, I will admit I am a bit skiddish...this is all new to me. I have held boas and pythons that were pets of friends and never tried to bite me. I have never had a wild snake. I guess you are right, her mouth is so small she couldn't actually hurt me. I always held my son by the neck when he was a fussy baby...is there something wrong with that? Lol....just kidding! Selena and I will get used to each other...

This is the only time I saw her do the mouth thing....I put my hand down for her and she kept poking her head out of her cave and opening and closing her mouth...perhaps she thought I had food...

[guidofatherof5]

Most garters as a rule bite as a last resort. Holding them by the neck would probably put them on guard and that could lead to a bite. Picking them up under the body and allowing them to move through your hand is the most accepted way to hold them. You maintain control but allow them to move. They usually calm down rather quickly when held this way.
They have to learn to trust you. and you have to learn to trust them.;)

[EasternGirl]

Okay..I tried it...she is just terrified at this point....she just gets out of my hand as quickly as she can and slithers away....really fast! Then she hides... Should I just leave her alone for a while? I don't want to push her and scare her...but I want her to get used to me. She didn't try to bite me....you guys were right about that. thanks for the help with this!

[Selkielass]

I found my snakes didn't like porcelain, glass or smooth plastic dishes. They will bathe if given one of the rough, rock like plastic dishes they sell in the pet stores, but not if the pool is smooth.
*shrugs*
Go figure.

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...she has one of the rock dishes...I saw her slither through it a couple of times and drink from it once, but she doesn't sit in it. I think that right now she is just scared to be out where people can see her. I cover her cage with a towel when I feed her...that way she feels safe to come out and eat her worms..then she goes back to hiding. She does come out...but most of the time if she sees me...she goes for cover....sometimes she stays out and stares at me, though. Lol...

[kibakiba]

I'd give her a few days to adjust to living there, only go in the enclosure if you need to feed her or change the water. That's what I did when I got Mama, who didn't like me at all. After 3-4 days she was pretty tame, she wasn't biting at me like she did before and she'd let me hold her a little bit.

[EasternGirl]

One more question...

I tried the heated seedling mat that someone suggested to heat the bottom of Selena's enclosure. It seemed to get too warm...warmer than the human heat pad I was using. I am waiting for the pet store to get a 25 watt night bulb... Should she be warm enough with only her basking bulb for now? It stays about 68-70 degrees in my house...maybe 65 at night. I am afraid to use heat on the bottom until I get a glass tank. Also, the guy at the pet store said she probably only needs a lamp...not underneath heat. I am going to buy her a ten gallon glass tank on Friday...should I increase the wattage on the basking and night bulbs from 25? Okay...that was more than one question...lol. Thanks for helping!!!

[kibakiba]

That temperature seems fine. My room is usually 65-75, no less than 60 at night. I think how you have it is perfectly fine.

[ConcinusMan]

One more question...

I tried the heated seedling mat that someone suggested to heat the bottom of Selena's enclosure. It seemed to get too warm...warmer than the human heat pad I was using.

Sorry, but I don't believe that. If that is the case then take it back - it's defective. They are designed to raise the temperature of the root area, or in this case, the substrate, by only 10-15 degrees. That is definitely not too hot. Reptile heat mats get way hotter. I use my seedling mat with about an inch of substrate. It warms the substrate to about 90 degrees but only if used in conjunction with a heat lamp. It only gets to about 82 by itself.