Garter snake disposition

[ConcinusMan]

Time to get a rat snake or gopher snake and turn it loose in the house!

[confused]

We already have milk snakes in the walls, I found one dead who got stuck to tape, and I saw a brown something or other about adult garter size so I would hope they feast on any rodents.

[ConcinusMan]

ooooh, not good for Mr. garter. It's quite possible that he could become lunch for one of those milk snakes. Are you referring to eastern milk snakes? I wouldn't mind having one of those in a red phase.

[guidofatherof5]

Keep us posted on this mystery eater

[confused]

no more signs of her.

I will keep trying, but realistically, my house is one big hiding spot. I have base board steam pipe heating, which leaves a perfect hiding trough I cant access all the way around every room. There will be plenty for her to eat I am sure. I have seen three other garters IN my house. What more needs to be said?

A few things in retrospect;

1. She had brain or vision problems. I have been watching the videos you guys post, and she moved her head side to side before she would move. Like, she was dancing to bad techno with a head shake. Every time. I am going to guess her dimensional vision was way off. She was malnourished, maybe she can get a better diet. She would not eat food with vitamin powder on it.

2. She is probably better off, she was released where she was caught, 6 feet to the left, I would have never done that, released her back into my house.

I will miss her. A whole lot more then I realized.

[ConcinusMan]

I'm thinkin' maybe she was blind in one eye, or one eye had poor muscle control. The head shakin' thing is done to get depth perception. If one eye can't quite see, the back and forth thing helps to get an idea of distance to an object she's looking at. Heck, even some snakes that see just fine will do that if both eyes can't see forward at the same time. ALL coluber constrictors(Western Racers) I ever kept (all short term) did that, and so did my Rubber boas and some lizards at feeding time. Never saw a garter do that though.

I would be willing to bet that if all those "base board steam pipe heating" or all sources of heat(outside of your walls) were eliminated, and then you turn on a space heater,(away from, and not pointed at walls) and the shower to "steam up" your living areas on a cold night, and dim the lights, those snakes would follow the heat and moisture to end up in your living areas. In other words, they would come out, attracted to the heat and moisture.

If you try that, and happen to come across an attractive red phase eastern milk snake, or any U.S. native milk, it wouldn't break my heart if you held onto it for me. Remember, come spring, I will be surrounded by awesome T.s. concinnus and ordinoides. Ehem.