Hello all! I am getting my first snake next week - a male T. s.similis from Scott Felzer. I've been browsing this forum for about two hours and have read the forum's care sheet, as well as Scott's care sheet and other things on the internet. I've spoken with Scott and with someone at my local reptile pet store (Pets Galore) who's kept garters before. My head is beginning to ache from the many ways you can care for a garter snake! I'm posting this in the hopes that it will clear my head and stop me from getting overwhelmed before the little guy arrives.

I'm going to start with a 10 gallon tank, and will graduate him to a 29 gallon later on, as Scott recommends. I'm going to use aspen bedding, and will probably get a separate container for feeding so as to avoid him ingesting aspen shavings. Is there a specific type of container that would be best for feeding (that's not too expensive)? One of the first things that I am unsure of is heating. Scott says to use a heat mat and not an overhead lamp, while the man at Pets Galore says the opposite. I live in Kentucky and we keep our house in the low to mid 70s during the summer, and cooler in the winter. Which do you recommend? If it's the heat mat, which size would be best for a 10 gallon tank, and is it ZooMed that is the best brand? Keeping in mind that the subspecies I am getting is a Florida locality, I'd imagine that he would prefer a slightly warmer temperature.

My other confusion is about feeding. Scott is currently feeding my snake, which is 5-6 inches long, rosies and guppies. He says that I need to switch to rodents once the snake is large enough. However, I see other people feeding them primarily worms, while other people feed primarily fish. And then there's the fish issue: so many types that can be fed! Is there one that is a better alternative to another? What kind of fish do you feed your garters? When do you know that you need to use supplements? If alternating fish, worms, and rodents, would supplements be needed for the fish and worms?

I'm sure I'll think of other questions, but I'll start with these. Thanks for any and all help - I really appreciate it!