Greetings to All-

My yorkies found a very large, fat garter this past weekend. They molested it pretty good before I could scoop her up. I released the snake in my garden, away from any predators. I'm in CT, and Saturday was rather chilly. I was quite surprised when I found her all curled up under a shrub a good 6 hrs later- I anticipated she would have found a proper home by then. So, went up in the attic & I got a tank set-up w/ heat rock and some feeder goldfish, as I thought perhaps she was gravid & needed an appropriate setting to have her babies. She is quite happy in this situation right now- but could someone please give me guidance? If she is released again- would it be a reasonable expectation that I haven't disrupted anything? I'm not too crazy about keeping a snake on my kitchen counter, but I'm trying to do the most humane thing. Obviously I will need to post a photo in order to get any educated opinions about her gravid status. How long before she pops these guys out and I can send her & the babies on their merry way?
I am not a "snake" person, but my son was as a youth. He had garters, boas, etc- so I'm not completely ignorant. But, he never bred.
Thanks in advance for any input!
-Patti