Hey everyone. I'm very new to the forum, but I've been lurking for some time now. I bought a baby garter (I think it's female,) from a new "breeder" last week. I do have a few questions, as this is the first garter I've had since 4th grade (I'm now 21.) Looking back, we didn't take the best of care of the garter in school, and I want to do everything right for my girl. I had named "her" Jareth when I thought it was a boy.Thanks to sexing threads on here, I need a new name for HER. Anyways, a few photos before my questions:







First question: Is the paper towel substrate fine for her? She's almost 4 weeks old (according to the "breeder,") and it's what we use for our leos. In time I want to switch to aspen, just thought the towels would be best at this age.

So far she's eaten 2 chopped up earthwrms (one worm every 2 days.) Am I feeding too much? Too little? And how long should I wait to handle her after she eats to prevent regurg. (We have 2 ball pythons, and wait 48 hours after they eat.)

I noticed that garter bellies are supposed to be a light yellowish color. This baby has an almost black belly. Does this mean she'll be shedding soon, or is it an illness?

I think that's all for right now. Any help is greatly appreciated!