My 2 years old eastern female stop eating 2 weeks ago and she is always in her water bowl and there is no mites so this is a good sign that she is ready for cooling then for hibernation.
I wanted to give her a boost for few months but she decide other way.
For a week she is on the floor next to my cooling room at nearly 20 celcius.I will probably hibernate her until january,I have few frogs in the fridge and I will catch earth worms for the winter season .
She is definitely too small to breed I will wait 2011!!!

Huge water bowl is needed because most of my eastern stay under water all the time during hibernation.Most hibernaculum have water on the bottom.
The dorsal strippe was green but turn white few shed ago,The red is apple red !!!!I hope to reproduce this garter snake so much.