honestly, from the time i was 4 years old and my uncle picked up a snake and handed it to me, ive always wanted to have one as a pet. Incidentally from what i can recall it was some sort of garter snake which i held for an all to short period of a few mins, until my mother and grandmother yelled at me to put it down and run away.

although my family and friends refuse to understand how i feel about such a creature, i cannot give up on having my own snake. I will even go so far as renting out an apartment to house my snakes if i must.

anyway, ive decided to allocate around $200 to obtaining my pet, and i hope to have everything set up soon.

to all the experienced herp owners out there, if you had around $200 and were in my position, how would you get started. Im planning to look around my local pet stores in my city to find a pair of garters (preferably as young as possible, male and female), and something like a 20-35gal tank. Ive been reading the things i find online about garter care, though i can never get enough.

what were your first experiences with owning garters and any advice for a beginner?

also i must ask this. how cognitive are snakes. Do they recognize you as their owner. I know they can smell the air with their tongues, how does this affect their behavior to people, if at all.. Any info would be appreciated.

thanks.