Introducing new snake!

[hjelte]

hi! Please help me with some experienced-advice.
My plains garter is about 4 months old and everything is going great, she started eating pinkis 3 days ago!
My question is: Is it possible to introduce a second garter in to her terrarium/vivarium? Perhaps maybe not even of the sam species (and of course not a wandering/cannibal garter i was thinking of a cyrtopsis, sirtalis or a second radix maybe. I´ve got a roomy enclosure but I want to make sure that this won´t be a problem. i have got a smaller pet-box where I can house the new garter for a couple of weeks if it should prove necessary. But I´ve understood that they are not territorial? I guess my question is more about having another species in there and just putting
The same lenght, sex and everything.

Looking forward to answers!!!

[Gijs & Sabine]

Hi Hjelte,

It's no problem to keep more garters together, they're definatly not teritorial ! But I recommend, like you already said, take a garter that have the same lenght. And if you want a different sub species than I think it's best to have the same sex as your own plains. You be suprised how many sub species are mixing together !! I think nobody wants that. But if you want to breed radix than it's nice to have the opposite sex (radix ofcourse)
Any member of the sirtalis group should be fine with radix. I wound't put a cyrtopsis together with your radix, becouse cyrtopsis are known as difficult eaters and radix are probebly the best, so maybe the cyrtopsis will get stressed than.

Good luck and let us know what you decide

Sabine

[Snaky]

I would a vet take a look at the faeces of the new snake, just a small remark on the quarantaine part. For the rest I have nothing to add to the posts above. Cyrtopsis are also the most challenging species of my collection with regards to eating.

edit:
Saw past that one... little addition.

In my experience, garter don't need brumation to breed. Brumation helps to have a better result for good, healthy offspring, but no brumation will not make sure that they won't breed. I know garters that never brumated and still had good offspring.

[hjelte]

Ok so I went to the repti-fair yesterday. The garters available where; Tetrataenia (believe me, I was tempted but they were much to big to go with my radix) Proximus (To small, slender and also I believe that they are to different to go with radix. They climb much more, needs a bigger water area etc.) and the last candidates were two male Sirtalis Parietalis. After having a good look on both of them, I decided to buy the bigger of the two. He´s actually -almost- as tall as my radix, but not quite there though. The main thing is, he´s much more thin (thinner?). So I have him in a petbox now (escape-proofed of course) and I have given him a heating-mat on one end of it as well as hideouts in both ends and a waterbowl in the middle of it all. The first two hours in there he was all over his cage, investigating everything. He also ate a piece of vitamine-supplemented fish-fillet. I take that as a very good sign. Of course I will try and convert him to eating pinkies , so that he can catch up in the girth-department.
Anyway, I know the whole issue on male/female here...but since they are both baby/juveniles and I haven´t decided if I should brumate them next winter, the whole mating-issue is something wich I´m guessing won´t be a "problem" until next year.
Feel free to comment on my thoughts!

[suzoo]

Hello Hjelte,
I also agree with Sabine, with one other thought. You probably all ready know this, but just in case, I wanted to mention quarentine. Always quarentine a new snake to make sure its healthy and without parasites or diseases for a few weeks before introducing it to your enclosure. Always better safe than sorry!
Suzoo

[ssssnakeluvr]

Garters can be fairly social....I have on many occasions found several together under a rock or board. Garters have to be brumated before they will breed, so I don't see a problem with different species together...however make sure that different species are the same or generally close size. Definitely a good idea to quarantine the new snake to make sure it isn't sick or have parasites.

[GarterGuy]

Pretty much agree with the above, definitely make sure they're approx. the same size, just so one snake doesn't intimidate the other (has happened, that one will just become "dominant" over the other), also be really careful over feeding time....a lot of cannibalism is actually two snakes fighting over the same prey item and one snake swallowing the other along with the prey. Garters usually have a VERY strong prey response, so this will be something to watch out for. The biggest thing is definitely quarantine your new snake, for maybe a month at least, to make sure it's healthy and all before caging it with your healthy snake. One final note, just for the record.....T.sirtalis and T.radix have both had documented cases of cannibalism...it may be rare, but it's not impossible.

[hjelte]

ok! thanks everybody for tips and insight! I´m going to a reptile-fair this saturday and most certainly, the same breeder whom I bought my radix of, will be there. Do you still think quarantine will be necessary? And my guess along with yours is that a Sirtalis would be a nice choice. Ok then, so back to the question If I don´t need quarantine, shall I just place the new garter in the terrarium or how do you guys do it? Like put in the little plastic box in wich se came and let her crawl out by her own? (Kind of like introducig fish in an aquarium) Curious on your thoughts and methods!

//Christopher

[suzoo]

ok! thanks everybody for tips and insight! I´m going to a reptile-fair this saturday and most certainly, the same breeder whom I bought my radix of, will be there. Do you still think quarantine will be necessary? And my guess along with yours is that a Sirtalis would be a nice choice. Ok then, so back to the question If I don´t need quarantine, shall I just place the new garter in the terrarium or how do you guys do it? Like put in the little plastic box in wich se came and let her crawl out by her own? (Kind of like introducig fish in an aquarium) Curious on your thoughts and methods!

//Christopher

Hello again Christopher,
I would definately still quarentine your new snake!!! Then, after you are possitive it is healthy and parasite free, I would take my original snake out of the enclosure and clean it and move things around, then put the new one in first, and then the original one. Then sit back and watch them closely. May not be necessary, but what I would do.
Please quarentine the new one, even with a Vet check!
Suzoo

[hjelte]

alright. So i should quarantine it for a couple of weeks, say...2-3 weeks then?