Urgent - found in basement - what to do...

[fl4ian]

I found an approximately 24 inch garter in the basement under a shelving unit that I was trying to move. I'm not sure how long he/she has been there.

I'm not sure what to do with him. I will release him outside if it is early enough for him to find someplace to hibernate. I have no experience with snakes, however, so I'm not sure if the temps are o.k. or not? I live near Columbus, OH (zip 43081).

If it's too late to release him, I'm willing to keep him over the winter, but will want to release him in the spring. Is this a viable option?

I don't want to keep him pent up and outside of nature, as he's a wild and not captive bred snake.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, the sooner, the better. He's just sitting downstairs, and I don't want to lose track of him...

I've attached two pics of him/her (one is just a crop of the other).

[fl4ian]

I'm the original poster, here's the update - I've read the care sheet and many threads on this fine site to try to determine what to do with him. I keep saying "him" because I've no idea what sex it is, but it's easier to call it a him rather than he/she or him/her or worse, It. So, anyway...

Jeeves, which is what my wife named him, is now living (temporarily) in a 10g aquarium with a large shallow water bowl, and a light that is turned on for him during the day. I fed him 3 earthworms one week ago, he went to the bathroom a couple days later. A day after that, I offered him 6 worms, but he didn't eat any, he just put his head under them and was slithering around under them. I tried a few different things to get him to eat them, but he wouldn't, so I'm not sure if he's going off food or what is going on. Should I not offer any more food and try to brumate him?

I will be releasing Jeeves in the springtime when the weather is sufficiently warmed. I'm not sure what else I should be doing with him.

Any ideas on the feed vs brumate?

Thank you for any ideas. Also, as it's now 10 days later, it's no longer Urgent, but I can't seem to be able to change the thread title, so disregard the sense of urgency.

[dieselbaby]

hi and welcome to the forum. Im no expert on this subject so ill leave that to the more experienced members. Just wanted to say Hi, and welcome you to the forum. very pretty snake you found there.

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry it took so long to get your first post up on the forum.
Good looking Eastern garter snake(Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) I believe.
Eastern Garter Snake - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Eastern_Garter_Snake)
I think it's probably too late to release Jeeves and from what I've seen I think he's a she;)
Here's a link to a thread that might help you sex your snake or at least show the type of photos to post so we can lend a hand.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/breeding/5069-sexing-pics.html

It sounds like you've got some food in Jeeves so brumation shouldn't be attempted for 2-3 weeks until the digestive track is completely empty. If it isn't the food left will spoil/rot and kill the snake.
Going off food is normal as Jeeves was looking for a brumation location when she/he found your basement. Problem is the basement probably won't get cold enough.
Looks like keeping Jeeves until Spring might be best to give him/her a chance to survive.
Supply a safe environment with fresh water and a couple hides(cool and warm) and you might just have a keeper there.
Don't be surprised if she/he goes off food for awhile(could be a few weeks to a month or more)
Love to see more photos and please keep us updated.
The care sheet is a great place to gather info. Anything else you need to know can be posted to the forum.

[katach]

Welcome to the forum family! You will soon find that garters are AWESOME and will want one permanently.

[fl4ian]

Thank you for the kind welcomes and good information. I offered Jeeves more worms today and no-go. So, only water (hasn't taken food) for a little over a week.

I cleaned Jeeves' cage tank tonight, and put in few decorations for her to climb on/around. Here's a couple pics.


31833184


Any thoughts on brumating a native snake? In my mind, I guess it would probably be most natural for the snake, as that was what she was intending to do when she found my basement; I want it to be as natural as it can be (within limits) so that she won't have a difficult time readjusting come springtime when she's released. I understand that it cannot have food for 2-3 weeks prior to brumating. Whether or not it is a good thing to do, with me being a novice and she being a wild snake, I guess that's what I'm trying to get feedback on.

Any thoughts? "To brumate or not to brumate. That is the question." :)

[katach]

The coconut, is that the hide? You may want to flip it over so the opening in on the bottom, they like to hide under stuff because it's dark in there. Looks good otherwise though. Good looking snake you have there. As far as brumating goes, that is up to you. If you plan on releasing in the spring it may be a good idea. If you think you may brumate don't offer food. If you start the brumation process with food in their stomach, it will rot and the snake will die. There are other, more knowledgeable people that can answer the particulars on brumation temps and time frames though. We have 6 snakes and we keep them warm all year long.

[kibakiba]

Don't feed if you're going to brumate. If he or she wants to brumate, it'll likely keep rejecting food. Keeping the snake in a cool area would work, I believe. With mine, if they reject food, I just leave the heat lamps off with the temperature around 55 if I can help it. I do it for about 2-3 weeks. Normal brumation lasts longer, mine is just a little cool down to get them eating.

[fl4ian]

Thanks for the quick replies. I offered the food tonight to see if there was any interest in feeding, but I realize that there's a brumation waiting period of a few weeks once food has been taken. As for the coconut... the one half coconut which has the top split off is in the foreground; not sure if you can see in the one pic, there are more coconut hides, but turned the more hide-y traditional way behind the white/green rock... Hopefully Jeeves will have some fun with them.

[katach]

Ok, I didn't see the others in pics. Looks great then. They love toys. We put new stuff in our tanks all the time. One thing that a lot of here use is paper towel rolls. I cut little windows in them too. Our snakes love crawling through them.

[Kantar]

that is a beautiful garter. Wish they would show up in my basement like that

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

That is one big and beautiful girl. I have a feeling she may have a home beyond spring :)

[guidofatherof5]

She has all Winter long to work her magic.:D