Here is a few things that I have picked up along the way, and hopefully those who have done this before have things to add.

Just like many of you, either I or one of the kids has picked up a gravid snake and brought it in the house.

OK, now what? Hey this will be a really cool experience, I am going through with this (I did it, no shame there)

Now we find ourselves with a box/tank or cage with a whole bunch of tiny little snakes and hope we don't kill any while figuring this out.

Loss can AND WILL happen, it will break hearts, 100 percent success is rare.

Here are some pointers to help assist in raising your ratio closer to that magic hundred percent.

Keep children away, its best. My son sat a water bowl on top of a baby once, it died.

Garters like sticky foods, so aspen, coconut hair, sand, bark or dirt will readily stick to the food item, and can choke your baby snake.

They will fight over food, even to the death.. so as much as it seems like real work, feed them one at a time. I have had babies break siblings necks to get the food.

Baby snakes need to be left alone as they grow, yes they are cute, yes they will tempt you to maul them constantly. Truth is babies are delicate little creatures, and over-handling them can be harmful.

The only time our babies get touched is at feeding time and cage cleaning time. (and occasional photo shoots)

getting carried away with heating devices can and will cook a snake in a hurry, babies even faster. So if it is 80 or above inside your house, leave the basking lamp off, and forget about hot rocks.

Keep the tanks away from windows, radiant heat from the sun shining on them will also raise temps to lethal stages real quickly.

To all of you expecting or already in possession of baby snakes, best wishes, good luck and most of all, have fun.

Watching them grow is very rewarding, and interesting would be an understatement.