Raising a wild garter and have questions.

[alihauck]

Hi everyone! I have a wild garter I'm raising. It was very small when I first found it. I have a few questions to be sure I'm raising it right. Here we go:
1) I have it in a cage with dirt, grass, twigs and leaves. Is that ok?
2) I change the dirt every week, too much or not enough?
3) It eats pretty large worms every 2-3 days. I fed it 2 days ago and today when I fed it again, it was very aggressive. Am I not feeding it enough?
4) I use wild worms to feed. I get them from the area that the snake was found. Should I switch to store bought? Or start raising my own(there are worm farm kits)? I keep the worm in a container with dirt, leaves ect, so they stay alive.
5) It has doubled in length and width, does this mean I'm doing ok? I found him just over a month ago.
6) When do they first shed? How can you tell they're shedding?
7) how can you tell sex?

Thank-you in advance for your answers and input!

[guidofatherof5]

#1. I say no. Paper towels would be good for a single snake. This lets you observe the snake and see poop. Check out the care sheet for more substrate ideas.
Garter Snake Forum - Garter Caresheet
#2. My first answer addresses this issue.
#3. This all depends on the size of the snake and the size of the worms. Aggressive behavior could be the wild part of this situation. Some snakes just have an aggressive feeding response. Wild caught snakes take time to learn and trust.
#4. If the area you get the worms from is pesticide and fertilizer free I would say keep using them.
#5. Need photos to answer this. Young snakes grow fast.
#6. If it has doubled in size I would say a shed is due anytime. The snakes eyes will turn cloudy when it is in a shed cycle.
#7. http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/bree...xing-pics.html

Do you know what species you have?

[ConcinusMan]

Hi everyone! I have a wild garter I'm raising. It was very small when I first found it. I have a few questions to be sure I'm raising it right. Here we go:

1) I have it in a cage with dirt, grass, twigs and leaves. Is that ok?

2) I change the dirt every week, too much or not enough?

Doesn't natter how "fresh" it is, dirt is dirty. In spite of where they live in the wild you will want to keep substrate clean and dry in captivity. Aspen shavings/shredded are economical and a good choice. Do not use pine or cedar.

3) It eats pretty large worms every 2-3 days. I fed it 2 days ago and today when I fed it again, it was very aggressive. Am I not feeding it enough?

Feeding is not an exact science. Snakes are adapted to be able to eat way more than they need during good times to build up body mass reserves and to survive long periods with relatively little to no food. But it does sound like he wouldn't starve on that schedule for now.

[4) I use wild worms to feed. I get them from the area that the snake was found. Should I switch to store bought? Or start raising my own(there are worm farm kits)? I keep the worm in a container with dirt, leaves ect, so they stay alive.

Wild or store bought is fine just don't use "trout worms" "red worms" "compost worms" etc. Use night crawlers.

5) It has doubled in length and width, does this mean I'm doing ok? I found him just over a month ago.

I doubt that very seriously. Even the fastest growing baby garters I've had put on a maximum of around 2 inches in a month. Say a baby garter is 7 inches. To double he would have had to grow 7 inches. Not likely. I don't know how you're measuring it but unless you use a digital software program designed for measuring snakes, it's not going to be accurate.

6) When do they first shed? How can you tell they're shedding?

If it hasn't shed yet it probably hasn't grown so much as an inch. A snake growing an inch to 2 inches a month will shed about every 3-5 weeks. Their color will get dull and the belly and eyes may get cloudy. Will stay that way for a few days then suddenly clear up. Shed follows within a few days after that.

Welcome to the forum. Hang around for a bit, lurk and read more threads and you'll be an expert before you know it.

[Stefan-A]

Doesn't natter how "fresh" it is, dirt is dirty.

No. "Dirt" has multiple definitions and "dirty" is vague to the point of uselessness, as it can cover everything from the presence of harmful bacteria to harmless bacteria and inert particles and essentially anything that negatively affects aesthetics.

In spite of where they live in the wild you will want to keep substrate clean and dry in captivity.

This is true.

Aspen shavings/shredded are economical and a good choice. Do not use pine or cedar.

Aspen shavings are dusty and can cause respiratory issues, as well as impaction if ingested and in practice it's not necessarily any cleaner than dirt.

[Mommy2many]

Welcome! Would love to see pictures!

[ConcinusMan]

Never found any aspen shavings or shredded to be dusty at all. Only hear about it second hand. "ecoearth" is far dustier when dry in my experience but still didn't cause respiratory problems for milk snakes I kept on it. . And it doesn't much matter what substrate it is, I just don't let them swallow it. Accidents do happen though and I've sen them swallow small pieces which pass just fine. Probably best if he feeds in separate container with no substrate. I feed right in the tanks but only because I have a lot of experience and know how to tong feed in a way that they don't usually get substrate on the food.

[Mommy2many]

I have used both eco-earth and the aspen shavings and the shredded aspen. I prefer the aspen shredded as do my snakes. I noticed last week, after changing out everyone's "home", they seemed to enjoy burying and making snakie tunnels in the shredded aspen than they did in the eco-earth. In fact, one of the snakes I "snake sit" for, actually came out to rest upon the shredded aspen, which he did not do when it was eco-earth. I tend to use the eco-earth in the summer cause it doesn't seem to smell as much with our humid temps. Now that it is cooler, I can go back to the shredded aspen for a good 7-8 months.

[ConcinusMan]

hmm... I keep my snake room at 68-74 F year 'round anyway and I don't see humidity having any affect on how the aspen shavings perform. Now, if they get damp and stay that way for a few days they do smell like dirty old dish rag and start turning black with mildew/mold but I just keep it dry and change often enough so it doesn't do that.

[Mommy2many]

That's what happens. My snakes will "empty" their water dishes into the aspen and within the day, if it is really warm here, it starts to smell. It is time consuming and more expensive in the summer for me to switch it out every other day in 6 vivs. That's why I use the eco-earth once it starts to get warm. Fall is coming now and I have switched back to the aspen. They tend to not dump the water as much, and it lasts longer.

[ConcinusMan]

That's what happens. My snakes will "empty" their water dishes into the aspen and within the day.

Well there's your problem right there and it's preventable. I had the same problem. I had to try a million different things before i found what works. It doesn't matter what substrate you use, that needs to stop. I discovered it wasn't the snakes doing at all. if they scoot just one shaving onto the edge of the water dish, it will suck the water right out of the dish and onto the floor.