Help! Surprise in the bin!

[Dracorex5]

So i checked my wild caught reascue Mahonri's bin today.... And found extra tails! Three extra tails to be exact! They cant be more than a few days old, as i fed Mahonri two days ago. They are already shedding, and are in a seperate bin drinking water. What the heck do i do? What do they eat? What do they need? Should i worry about cannibalism? When should i seperate? And will these babies contain any parasites their mother had? These are little eatern garters from north carolina. Oh, and how many more should i expect!? Shes giving birth again right now!

[Steveo]

First step: deep breaths.

Which species? litters of 30+ are not uncommon.

They should eat cut up nightcrawlers or fish or pinky parts. Check the care sheet.

Cannibalism is not a concern between scrubs and they shouldn't live with adult snakes anyway.

[EasternGirl]

My eastern was gravid twice...the first time she had a litter of 30 and the second time, a litter of 40...not to panic though...garters often have many stillborns in large litters...the first time she did not have any live young...all 30 were stillborn. The second time, only 3 were born live. You should put the babies in a separate tank with a very secure lid, give them a shallow bowl of water that they can drink from and soak in...but that they can get out of, and give them some hides. Feed newborns small meals every 2 days at first and then when they are a couple months old..you can feed every 3-4 days. The babies will be fine together for a while. I am not sure if they will have parasites if their mother has them. Maybe someone else can advise on that. Let us know if you have anymore questions. Congrats!

[Didymus20X6]

Chopped up nightcrawlers and fish parts, maybe sprinkled with a bit of ground calcium. Make the pieces about bite-sized for them, and that should be fine. I'd suggest using a cheap santoku, if you don't want to use your good kitchen knives.

[Dracorex5]

Thank you guys! Shes seems to have either stopped or taken a break. I dont think this is her first, as she succesfully birthed fifteen very much alive babies so far. Ill start feeding chopped pinkies tomorrow once i get bins set up. Now a big question... What do i do with them?

[Steveo]

Depends on your local laws. I've heard Georgia's are pretty strict. Releasing them is always an option.

[Dracorex5]

And i was thinking of letting them go, but she wasnt caught anywhere near here. And ive gone herping in my area and have never seen an eastern here. Id have to travel a bit but it may be the easiest option!

[Dracorex5]

And whats the best substrate? Any preferences?

[kibakiba]

Don't release if their mom isn't from your area, take them back to wherever you caught the mom from if you chose to release.

[EasternGirl]

Wow...15 live is a nice little group of scrubs! If you feel that they are too many to care for practically...then you could release them in a safe place...but I would probably wait at least a month until they are eating and you feel they can make it on their own. Mother's do leave babies right away in the wild though, so they have to be self-sufficient from birth. I just wouldn't be able to do it though...if Cee Cee's 40 babies had all been born live, I would probably be going out of my mind trying to care for 40 babies along with my other garters! I use recycled paper substrate for my babies because it seems to be the safest for them. I use carefresh if I don't have the recycled paper. I also put a pile of moist moss in the corner for them to keep them hydrated...they love to burrow in it. I put paper towels down on top of the substrate and put a dish of food on top of the paper towels...and supervise closely when they eat. Sometimes babies will have a bit of trouble eating at first and get into food fights.