Hi,

I've been having issues with this snake / terrarium for months. I can't seem to get it to the proper temperatures even though everything was fine last winter. I'll cover my attempts in another thread, but I'm also puzzled at my snake's behavior.

The species: Eastern Garter

The temperatures:
Cool side: around 20 C (sometimes even 1 or 2 degrees lower)
Warm side air: max around 25-26C, sometimes 27C, min night time : 20C
Warm side surface: 30-32 for the rock and 1-2 degrees less for the soil

I would expect my snake to spend all of it's time in the "warm" side to get what little warmth is available, but it never hangs out there anymore (that I know of). It's usually either hiding on the cool side or trying to escape. It only eats once a week or so while it ate every other day last winter. Back then it would take a third nightcrawler every time I offered one, but now it never ever eats more than 2. I don't keep track of its weight, but I'm convinced it has lost some.

What would cause a snake in a cool terrarium with a temperature gradient not to spend any time on the warm side (both sides have hides). The only differences are that the cool side has a fake plant and some real plants (that extend almost all the way to the warm side) and the warm side has a gravel patch to help with shedding. The water bowl is right in the middle.

Note: Last winter I wasn't monitoring the temperatures all that much, but my snake's behavior was normal.