Checkered Garter Snake

[yellowfang]

Hi,

This is my first post on this forum and hope to become an active member.

I am considering getting an adult 4 year old Checkered Garter Snake (approx 3ft long).

Please advise what setup I need and any other useful info would be great.

Cheers.

[Stefan-A]

General care sheet here:
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

Other articles here:
Main Page - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Main_Page)

[guidofatherof5]

Great having you on the forum

Check out those Care sheets, then check out this link to our enclosure section:
Enclosures - Garter Snake Forum (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/enclosures/)

After that post any questions you may have.

Will this be your first snake?
Why a Garter snake?
In any event you've made a wise choice.;)

[gregmonsta]

Greetings :D

[yellowfang]

What is the average lifespan of Garter snakes?

Cheers.

[gregmonsta]

Generally 10-15 years in captivity. They can live longer on occaision.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon,yellowfang :)

[EasternGirl]

Hi and welcome! A garter snake is a great choice! You'll like this forum as well.

[yellowfang]

Hi All,

Thanks for welcoming me to the forum.

I have followed the supplied links and note that there is no mention of lighting or humidity. Is this a requirement for Garters?

Cheers.

[guidofatherof5]

Humidity yes, lighting not as much(this is discussed from time to time on the forum)
Humidity is important for shedding purposes. I supply large water bowls so as a rule humidity isn't an issue.
I still like to have the snake room at 40-50% humidity.

[ConcinusMan]

40-50 percent is fine. There has been debate over lighting. Some say light isn't important but my experience has been that a brightly lit enclosure with a broad natural spectrum, such as a combo reptisun UV florescent/ incandescent basking bulb has a positive psychological effect on their activity levels and appetite. Much like you and I feel more upbeat when it's nice and sunny outside, rather than cloudy and gray.

[gregmonsta]

To be honest I've never paid much attention to humidity. As long as you supply a large waterbowl the natural evaporation seems to take care of it.
Too much humidity causes problems and the substrate needs to remain dry.
Lighting is important. They are diurnal and light of sorts is required to mimic photoperiod. Again, I don't worry about it too much as my flat is well lit by velux windows so I don't implement the use of UV and simply stick to energy saving lightbulbs in my set ups.
If you keep them in a particularily dark room without a lot of natural light you should consider providing it.

EDIT - do not use UV with albinos, it can be detrimental to their eyesight.

[Stefan-A]

To be honest I've never paid much attention to humidity. As long as you supply a large waterbowl the natural evaporation seems to take care of it.
Depends on a lot of things, mainly the enclosure and the size of bowl (and distance to the hygrometer). My plastic enclosures manage to keep theirs at about 40-44 this time of year (without "assistance"), which is great compared to what I used to get in all my previous enclosures. Even with a large water bowl, there were times when it would drop to less than 20% during the winter. I think the record low was 18%, which is low enough to safely store grain. :rolleyes:

[riley_napalm]

EDIT - do not use UV with albinos, it can be detrimental to their eyesight.


i just got my albino checkered two days ago. so you should say no to UV? uv-a or uv-b?

[ConcinusMan]

Too dang low. My snakes don't soak, and still don't have any shedding problems. I try to make 50% the minimum. It's usually 60-70% in my tanks. I mist the tanks if it gets below 50%.

[riley_napalm]

EDIT - do not use UV with albinos, it can be detrimental to their eyesight.


is this just uvb rays? i have an albino checkered garter. but i have a white LED light on mine until i get his normal lighting set up.

[gregmonsta]

i just got my albino checkered two days ago. so you should say no to UV? uv-a or uv-b?

Either :rolleyes:

[riley_napalm]

what lighting would you suggest? i have a white LED light on there at the moment.

[gregmonsta]

That would be enough I would think ;) .... it's the UV that causes the problems in albinos so a standard LED should be fine.

[ConcinusMan]

Yes, I neglected to mention that. Never expose an albino anything to UVA/UVB rays.

You might already know that a tan is caused increased melanin in your skin as a protection against UV rays. They have no melanin, and therefore no protection. They can sunburn and/or develop cancer.

Steve and I, on the other hand, are both homozygous for red hair and melanin deficiency.(a recessive trait that is becoming increasingly rare by the way) We fry like an egg when exposed to UV. I sunburn in about 30 minutes of sun exposure in the summer. The few skin cells we have that are capable of producing melanin, cause us to freckle instead of tan.:p

[riley_napalm]

i went out and picked up an additional set of LED lights. i already use a ceramic heat emitter for one of my lizards, but i know they are a bit pricey, but VERY much worth it. so i may grab another one of those, right now he's got an under tank heater. thanks for the heads up on the uv rays. that totally slipped my mind!

[kibakiba]

I'm sensitive to sunlight and I have none of that. I can get a sunburn in 10 minutes, 30 minutes with a thick coat of sun block. And not to mention, my skin is so pale you can see my veins and all that. I did get a little tan once after having a sunburn for a week, but it didn't look well on me.. You could still see my veins.

[ConcinusMan]

All I have to say is that your sunblock sucks. Nobody burns with sunblock that works.

But anyway, I didn't mean to get off topic. I was just trying to give you an idea why it's bad for albinos to get sunlight or any UV.

This is really why albino garters don't stand much chance in the wild. They need to get sun to warm up, but sun is deadly to them.

Any that manage to survive do so only because they are able to avoid the sun and still get the warmth and everything else they need, all while saying out of sight. Not an easy task.

[riley_napalm]

do you think that a light placed at least 12 to 16 inches above the snake would still pose a threat? i know that uvb bulbs do tend to lose their effectiveness if they are above 12 inches above your critter. these LED lights aren't really giving me the visibility i'd like.

[ConcinusMan]

Quite honestly, I don't think a 2.0 UV bulb puts out enough UV to do any damage if it's more than 12 inches away or if it's sitting on top of a screen. Still, if you're thinking about using a florescent instead of your LED's it might be prudent to just use a regular white florescent instead of a reptile bulb if your snake is an albino. An incandescent bulb for a basking area, tends to put out a rather yellowish light and would balance the overall spectrum quite nicely when used with a white florescent. Besides, the UV reptile florescent is more expensive.

[ConcinusMan]

i went out and picked up an additional set of LED lights. i already use a ceramic heat emitter for one of my lizards, but i know they are a bit pricey, but VERY much worth it. so i may grab another one of those, right now he's got an under tank heater. thanks for the heads up on the uv rays. that totally slipped my mind!

Just about any lizard needs at least UVA rays. Some need UVA and UVB. A ceramic heat emitter just doesn't cut it. I know that when I was keeping several species of lizards, even the UV reptisun florescents aren't quite enough. My lizards also had an outdoor screened cage and spent quite a bit of time out there in the summer to get exposure to natural sunlight.

Only with the UVA/UVB bulbs AND the sunlight in the summer time, did I have any success with them. Without it, they simply wither and die. Ceramic heat emitters are not really all that pricey. A UV bulb that is worth a darn at all is quite a bit more money.

As far as non-albino garter snakes go, some claim they don't need it, but they also say garters typically only live 10-15 years in captivity. Well, they get lots of sun in the wild, so obviously, the UV doesn't hurt them either. The longest lived garters I kept (much longer than 15 years) got plenty of real sunlight in summer and always had a UV florescent the rest of the time.

[mustang]

oh ya that was my other science fair idea for next year! zoo med made a statement that ALL REPTILES WILL NEED UVB and they said that they'll die without it and the effect will begin after 2 weeks! and i never used uvb! (they had a chart with a lot of species garters included and what lighting if any (and other things like humidity or undertank heaters are reccomended ) is need along with uvb light(iow uvb is manditory and other lights are optional)


Hi,

This is my first post on this forum and hope to become an active member.

I am considering getting an adult 4 year old Checkered Garter Snake (approx 3ft long).

Please advise what setup I need and any other useful info would be great.

Cheers.
oh ya if i hadnt allready said it "WELCOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!":D my names Robert! (or mustang or hothunterrobert if you go to youtube!) i got a checkered garter and they are wonderfull chick magnets! i have countless stories:D but all the girls so far i just want to stay friends with:rolleyes:

[Mix]

I just ordered an Exo Terra sun glo bulb, since it gives out the heat needed for the basking spot, is 'daylight' rather than yellow light and has UVA. Got it new on eBay, so wasn't too pricy (relatively), and it hopefully solves all things in one. Has anyone else tried these?
Lily is near to a window, but the basking lamp really outshines the natural daylight and makes her tank very yellow-lit.

[riley_napalm]

Quite honestly, I don't think a 2.0 UV bulb puts out enough UV to do any damage if it's more than 12 inches away or if it's sitting on top of a screen. Still, if you're thinking about using a florescent instead of your LED's it might be prudent to just use a regular white florescent instead of a reptile bulb if your snake is an albino. An incandescent bulb for a basking area, tends to put out a rather yellowish light and would balance the overall spectrum quite nicely when used with a white florescent. Besides, the UV reptile florescent is more expensive.


right on. so you think i'd be safe to use a regular old incandescent bulb for basking and then a standard florescent or a 2.0 bulb by, sayyyyyy exo terra? i've never had an albino anything before, and i'm a tad bit worried. i don't want to screw up in the early stages and regret it later. i really appreciate all of the help, this is great!

[riley_napalm]

I just ordered an Exo Terra sun glo bulb, since it gives out the heat needed for the basking spot, is 'daylight' rather than yellow light and has UVA. Got it new on eBay, so wasn't too pricy (relatively), and it hopefully solves all things in one. Has anyone else tried these?
Lily is near to a window, but the basking lamp really outshines the natural daylight and makes her tank very yellow-lit.

i use those bulbs regularly. i have a 40w on my arizona hairy scorpion and it does a good job of lighting as well as heating. and a 25w on my dumpy frog. the color isn't yellow and gross for me either. it does a good job of providing an overall temperature increase in the tank. i also use them on chameleons too. so i can say i've been happy!

[Mix]

Excellent! That's what I was hoping to hear :) Can't wait for it to arrive...

[gregmonsta]

right on. so you think i'd be safe to use a regular old incandescent bulb for basking

;) that would do the job.

[riley_napalm]

Excellent! That's what I was hoping to hear :) Can't wait for it to arrive...


let me know if you like it! :D

[yellowfang]

Hi,

Just a quick question - can different breeds of Garters be kept in the same viv?

Cheers.

[Stefan-A]

Same reply as in the other thread.

[mustang]

can mixed garter species create fertile hybrids? is because there in the smae family? in ap bio almost all hybrids are claimed to be sterile, they arent tho right?

[Stefan-A]

can mixed garter species create fertile hybrids? is because there in the smae family? in ap bio almost all hybrids are claimed to be sterile, they arent tho right?
It's very likely that they can.

Same genus, by the way. The family would be Colubridae. Close relatives are more likely to be able to produce fertile hybrids, or hybrids in general, but it depends on whether the DNA is "compatible". Once you combine the DNA from both parents, it can result in eg. an inability to produce a necessary protein, which is likely to result in failure to develop into a viable offspring at all.

Far from all hybrids are sterile. The reason why they claim that, may be because they don't think further than the hybrids that occur among domesticated animals or animals in zoos. As far as fertility goes, it can vary from sterile to vastly increased.

[ConcinusMan]

Due to the fact that most other snake hybrids are fertile (king X milk or Corn X king) I would say it's very likely that crossing thamnophis species or T. sirtalis subspecies would result in fertile offspring. In fact, it has been repeatedly reported that the king, corn, milk, etc. crosses have increased fertility. Supposedly, they have much larger clutches of fertile eggs than either of the parents typically have.

[Mix]

let me know if you like it! :D

I do love it! :D Does everything I wanted.

[ConcinusMan]

Well I think I finally figured out what the "pastel" (as shannon calls them) checkered garter is. It has been proven to be a genetic color morph. I found some really old photos she posted.

For comparison here's a normal:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/86/248425846_abe26176ef.jpg?v=0

And now, the much brighter pastel:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll86/aSnakeLovinBabe/Snakes/Garters/P1080934.jpg

[mustang]

then aint there hypo and granite?
ill post a pic of checker while hes neon lookn (hes always neon until a week or 2 before his blue phase through untill he sheds.) hes less elusive when hes about to shed

[ConcinusMan]

"hypo" is an over-used term. It's come to mean just about anything. Quite meaningless unless it's part of a word such as "hypomelanistic" or "hypoerythristic" When the "pastel" was first discovered and being bred, they were calling them "hypo" for a while but they aren't really "hypo" anything. They're just a normal pattern with a bright light colored background. In other words, they look pretty much like granite except that the checkered pattern is normal. Granite has the light background but also abnormal pattern. Scattered flecks instead of touching squares.

[Stefan-A]

"hypo" is an over-used term.
Not to mention that used just by itself, it doesn't mean a damn thing. It's not short for anything. Not hypoerythristic, not hypomelanistic, not hypobaric, not hypoglycemic. Nothing.

Source of annoyance #36154.

[ConcinusMan]

I hear ya, annoys me too. Every time I hear it, I'm like "hypo what?"