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  1. #11
    Domos Ophiusa gregmonsta's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by ssssnakeluvr View Post
    eastern garter.... 30 gallon is awfully big for a baby...might have trouble finding food.
    I've never had trouble with babies finding food ... I always go for the biggest enclosure possible.
    Keeping - 'Florida blue' sirtalis, concinnus, infernalis, parietalis, radix, marcianus and ocellatus.

  2. #12
    "Preparing For First shed" GradStudentLeper's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Substrate: I use a combination of gravel, bark, and pond collected duckweed and other aquatic plants. I actually tend to replicate the marsh habitat that Eastern garters tend to inhabit, so i have areas with filtered open water. If you cannot do that with plants.

    If you cant do that (or dont have the time to maintain that) another option that does the same thing is to layer substrates (gravel for drainage, then some nice organic soil, then a layer of say, leaf litter. This will create a nice biologically active substrate) If you do that, you wont need to do a whole lot of work keeping things clean. So long as you mist periodically and mix the soil the harmless aerobic bacteria will do the rest. Just clean out large pieces of fecal material. For water, you can either bury a large tupperware container and switch it out periodically (your snakes will appreciate larger water areas), or you can use a peice of plexiglass and silicone to section off a deeper water section you can keep filtered. From there, place branches and hollow logs and fix up your lights and you are golden.

    Apparant hydrophobia: You might want to show him where it is, particularly because he has no idea what a water dish is, and would need to be trained to travel up to get to water.

    Food: Earthworms are good, but not bait earthworms. They are kept in pretty poor conditions. Get them from a garden or mulch pile, or alternatively a pet shop. You can also use tiny little feeder guppies (not goldfish or minnows, but guppies. Any livebearer like mosquitofish are also good), or little tadpoles you fish out of a pond. Those have the advantage of offering complete nutrition.

    Parasites: You dont know, and even if he has them, you wont be able to tell unless you start seeing them in feces. You can do a fecal smear test, but there is no point. WIth the low to mild parasite loads he will (yes, will. No matter what you feed him, it is just a matter of what type of parasite) get from his food he will be fine provided you dont starve or dehydrate him.

    Species: He is either a sirtalis or an elegans. EIther way, care is identical.

    Sexing: He is too young. Any guess is going to have the same probability of being right. 50%. Unless you want to probe him, which will just hurt the snake.

    Most snakes are anti-social. Garters are not. They are not necessarily happy with a friend, but they dont mind one. The only problem will be when feeding time comes, as they will sometimes grab the same food item and... keep going... Particularly if one of your snakes is especially aggressive.

  3. #13
    matris ut plures Mommy2many's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Let me ask a question...

    My kids have been catching what we believe to be baby trout in a stream behind our house. Would these be safe to feed my snakes? There are all sorts of sizes from very tiny to toe biting We don not live in an urban area, so I don't believe contamination would be a big problem. The stream actually starts as a trickle behind my house and then gets bigger. And when I say trickle, that is just what it is!
    Le Ann

    "Research shows that if you're afraid of spiders, you are more likely to find one in your bedroom. I'm really afraid of Johnny Depp."

  4. #14
    "Preparing For First shed" GradStudentLeper's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Mommy2many View Post
    Let me ask a question...

    My kids have been catching what we believe to be baby trout in a stream behind our house. Would these be safe to feed my snakes? There are all sorts of sizes from very tiny to toe biting We don not live in an urban area, so I don't believe contamination would be a big problem. The stream actually starts as a trickle behind my house and then gets bigger. And when I say trickle, that is just what it is!
    Yes. The little trout are just fine.

  5. #15
    matris ut plures Mommy2many's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Cool! Free food supply for my squiggly ones! And, the kids get to have fun doing it!
    Le Ann

    "Research shows that if you're afraid of spiders, you are more likely to find one in your bedroom. I'm really afraid of Johnny Depp."

  6. #16
    Never shed
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    Re: Beginner's Questions

    thats a nice setup gives me some ideas of what im going to do with my tank now

  7. #17
    Never shed commongartersnake's Avatar
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    Country: Canada

    Re: Beginner's Questions

    Yes a 30 gallon isn't too small, try to put more than one water bowl then.

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