I'm posting this as a help for anyone who might due what I did and impulse buy a Garter snake. I miss mine dearly, and he will probably me first and last snake.

I bought Faust from a Reptile Expo on an impulse. I was casually looking at reptiles and only really was interested in Garters - being a devoted owner of rats I couldn't fathom feeding such to a snake. Garters were also smaller and not nearly as imposing as their larger counterparts. Toward the end of the expo I saw two Red Spotted Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus) for sale. One was slightly larger than the other. I was too excited to remember to ask the important questions. The breeder had no business card or website or any other way of contact as far as I knew. I ended up purchasing the larger of the two snakes (who was bigger than a foot, smaller than 2 feet), and a small carrier. The breeder told me it ate Pinkies, and that was all. This was in May 2015.

Over the next few months I began to set up a new cage for Faust, this Garter Snake. After asking around I decided to not get an aquarium, but rather buy a plastic tub. This tub was 8 gallons, and the heating pad we got was designed for 1-5 gallon tanks. That being said, his temperature was always between 65-70F. Never hotter. He did, indeed, eat Pinkies. He was fed once a week and ate very easily. His bedding ended up being a pillow case so he could bury under it, though he DID have an actual hiding spot, and clean water. We often found him wedged on the shelf of the tub, near the top, just hanging out. He was very docile, never struck and was very explorative. A good snake.

And then, out of the blue in July 2015...he was dead. He was stretched out in his tub, just dead. No punctures, no blood, no squishing. I'm afraid he was too stressed, as I never saw him using his hiding place. Or maybe he didn't get enough air even though the tub had air holes.

I know snakes can be prone to parasites, and though I know he had a few mites, they were never a huge issue. He had a few scales that seemed a bit 'pokey' but I never thought these could be the signs of worms. His breathing sometimes was odd, but never loud, never labored or anything that made me think he was sick.