garter twitches

[erg]

my little eastern garter is wild caught, maybe less than a year old, fed on earth worms, and seems to have some kind of twitch.
i notice when i hold her that she often will start muscle twitching, like a nervous tick or a shudder. it seems to go on for a while and then stop. if i nudge her a bit it might start again.
i'm concerned it might be getting worse.
could this be a neurological issue or a parasite or is this an idiosyncratic twitch of a little garter.
any help would be appreciated. thank you
-e

[adamanteus]

There could be several explanations for that; poor diet, parasite, birth defect..... I would suggest blood tests.

[anji1971]

It could also be a very high- strung, scared little snake. I've seen my snakes do that after I've startled them ( which isn't easy to do for mine, but it does happen!)
They will get that little twitch in their head and neck, but it usually only lasts until they calm down.
Which would explain why it starts up again if you poke at yours!

*However, if it is getting worse, then definitely get the snake checked for other problems!

[erg]

thanks for responding to my post.
she is skittish when i first pick her up but
in general, she sits curled up in my hand,
the twitching usually happens when im holding her,
almost akin to when your eyelid twitches.
so she is calm and docile but also seems to have a nervous way about her too.
is it possible that feeding her the wrong kind of worms could do this. i usually dig up the worms myself, from under rocks and such. i've assumed they were nightcrawlers and not red wrigglers. maybe giving her some slugs could put a little more balance in the diet.
perhaps lake water vs. tap water?
what do you think about the jungle labs anti-parasite product as a preventative measure.
(sorry about all the questions but this forum is such a good resource of information)

[larean]

My snake does that too sometimes. If you hold her too tightly she starts 'twitching' until you release pressure. It seems to be a reflex. If your snake does it only when you hold her (firmly), I wouldn't worry too much. If she does it much and also when you're not holding her, I would see a vet.

[erg]

it does seem more like a reflex and i never see her do it in her tank, i only feel it and see it when i'm holding her
-e

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

well if your sure shes not doing it in the tank i think shes fine

it does seem more like a reflex and i never see her do it in her tank, i only feel it and see it when i'm holding her
-e

[adamanteus]

I agree with the others, if it's only when you handle it, it's probably fine.

[erg]

thanks everybody for your advice
e

[Spiritwolf]

You didn't say what part of her twitches. My corn girl shakes her tail like a rattlesnake rattling, if I happen to disturb her when she's in a bad mood. I found out that this tail shaking is common in many other snakes besides the rattlesnakes.

If it's the tail that twitches, that could be what your snake is doing.

Snakes do definitely have different personalities! From what you say about your snake's personality, I would guess it also could be caused by nervousness. If the snake is otherwise healthy and coordinated, the twitch is probably nothing to worry about.