New roomy

[puppypower3600@yahoo.com]

We have a little garter snake living in our basement,i live in missouri so its freezing outside. is this little guy going to be ok? the people who lived here before us said he was here so he's been living here for several months.should i let him alone?does he need food?is he eating bugs?i dont dare put him out...HELP

[abcat1993]

If I were you I would buy a ten or twenty gallon tank and put him in there with shredded aspen and feed him worms. There is a chance that he would be fine if you put him outside though. But if he has any food in his stomach or it is too sudden of a temperature drop, he will die.

[Sid]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

To start, Garter don't eat insects. Most feed readily on worms and/or Rosy minnows or small guppies. If you are going to keep it you need an escape proof enclosure. If not keeping it you need at minimum to insure the snake has a ready supply of clean water.

Sid

[Cazador]

Hey PuppyPower,
I've seen some expensive snakes and enclosures, but you're kind of going to extremes buying this snake set-up, aren't you?

If that snake's been down there for several months, it's probably in the process of hibernating (brumating is the term used with reptiles). I suspect that the temperature in your basement is in the 50s or 60s? If so, just put the snake in an escape proof enclosure. A plastic shoe-box would work during brumation, but not if you plan to keep it beyond brumation. Snakes don't eat during brumation, nor do they lose weight. The three snakes that I just pulled out of brumation were down for 2 & 3 months, and they lost 0.0, 0.1, and 0.2 ounces during that entire time without food. These values are typical.

If your basement is that cold, and the snake is brumating, add some paper towels and a small water bowl, and just leave the snake alone until the outside temperature warms up (around March). That's about when the other snakes will emerge, and your snake will be ready to find a mate. The plastic shoe box should have several (30-40) small (1/8") holes drilled into the top/sides, and you might choose to cover the shoe box with a blanket to keep it dark.

If your basement is warmer, and the snake is active, it will need to be fed much more often and housed, as mentioned above, until spring comes.
Rick

P.S. Welcome to the forum, and don't be a stranger.