Caught a Garter snake last week

[Roger Wildcat]

The A/C is busted right now, been like that since Thursday. Not sure when the serviceman will come back with a electric board he ordered from the manufactorer.

Right now, my family is enjoying the Florida weather inside our house with all the windows open. Can't say the same about the dwarf hamsters though.

For that reason, I have not yet brought any heat lamp as it hot in the house. Lucky it is not July when this happened. When it does get fixed, the themostat is usually set to 78/79 degrees. Sometimes as low as 76 if my wife is playing with the thermostat. I needed to find out if a heat lamp is needed and what wattage bulb before I buy one.

[d_virginiana]

This may be acceptable for a tropical snake from a desert or Africa, But not for a small north American colubrid that thrives just fine at moderate to cool temperatures.

Gotta agree with that. I'm in North Carolina, and I keep mine at room temperature (it gets VERY hot here in the summer, consistently 90 or above. Much less humid than Florida, but the temps are comparable). I'm also pretty certain he's the same type as this one, just the blue color type (am I right in thinking that that's the green color type of the 'Florida Blue'? I've never seen them in stores, as the blue ones seem way more popular around here, but still think they look really neat!)

[MasSalvaje]

I needed to find out if a heat lamp is needed and what wattage bulb before I buy one.

I wouldn't bother with a heat lamp. Your home temps should be fine, but I do recommend a light, the closer to full spectrum the better. I like to use the fluorescent Plant/Aquarium lights. They make the viv look really nice and the snakes seem to bask more when using them, at least in my experience.

Welcome,

-Thomas

[Didymus20X6]

I just use a regular light bulb, not a special heat lamp. I tried that one year in the fall, and the bulb burned out too quickly and was too expensive. I keep my enclosure in a non-air-conditioned room, and at this time, they don't really need any additional heat, so I just have one of those spiral bulbs to provide light.

[infernalis]

Second, do you have any kind of heat source for the enclosure? Garters need heat. If the enclosure is cold, that would explain why he's not too hungry. I'd suggest maybe a 100w bulb near one end of the enclosure. .

I just use a regular light bulb, not a special heat lamp. I tried that one year in the fall, and the bulb burned out too quickly and was too expensive. I keep my enclosure in a non-air-conditioned room, and at this time, they don't really need any additional heat, so I just have one of those spiral bulbs to provide light.

You just contradicted yourself

Did this just for you tonight.. My ambient room temp at the location of this experiment is a mere 71 degrees, The 100 watt lamp is NOT a "heat" lamp, just an ordinary 100 watt Incandescent par 30 bulb.

If I was in Florida on a July afternoon, any Garter Snake living in this tank would DIE.

The lamp is over the hide...(I used cage carpet on purpose to replicate the OP setup)

[Millinex]

First of all, I have to watch temps/and SURFACE TEMPS (something 99% of reptile keepers overlook) with a lot of frequency in regards to monitor husbandry. If you capture a snake in Florida, there is absolutely 0 reason to use any additional heat sources on the tank, other than a simple heat mat to stimulate digestion as if the animal was basking.

Second of all, 100W is too high for a garter snake regardless. Can they probably survive 110? Yep, in fact it often will hit 110 here in Colorado, is it optimal or good for the snake? Nah not the in the least bit, not to mention in an aquarium setting, it could actually cause harm. In my husbandry I have to provide surface temperatures upwards of 150 degrees, I keep the ambient temps on the warm side of over 100 for my monitors, but I also allow a very large area for them to move away from the basking zone, and hit a more moderate temperature, all he way down to 75-78.

Keep it simple, get an under tank heater, plenty of substrate that they wont lie right against it, and call it a day, light from your window or overhead light in the room is more than enough "light" for your pet snake.

-Mike

[infernalis]

I needed to find out if a heat lamp is needed and what wattage bulb before I buy one.

Please just trust me, you do not need any heat lamps, I swear it.

[Millinex]

Please just trust me, you do not need any heat lamps, I swear it.

Seconded, I literally can not name a single snake on the market today that needs a heat lamp.

[Sonya610]

Some cheap dollar store plants that he can hide in if he chooses may put him more at ease, the cage setup is very open and that may make him feel more insecure.

I am no expert but I have read full spectrum lighting can be important because it changes the way reptiles see their world, might also want to consider a reptisun lamp as Concinnus Man suggested earlier.

Others may argue about whether they need this or not. I do not see a downside to providing full spectrum lighting (especially since you have a tank setup) and apparently some may really like/need it.

Importance of UVA

Humans and reptiles alike see into the visible light range (400-700 nanometers). Reptiles and many other animals (but not humans) can also see into the UVA range (320-400 nm). UVB producing lights also produce UVA. UVA subtly affects the way things look to a reptile, from the color of their food to the color of their bodies. To us, male anole dewlaps look reddish - to another anole with sufficient UVA, however, they are brilliant, radiating, flaring red. The tongue of a blue-tongue skinks looks, to us, like the skink has been eating a basket of blueberries. To another blue-tongue skink, however, the tongue is a bright, fluorescent, day-glo pink. Failure to provide UVA to diurnal reptiles can causes subtle stress by altering the reptile's perception of its universe and how it responds to it. This can be crucial if you are thinking about breeding them or keeping them around for the length of their natural lifespan...

Lighting and heating for reptiles: They are not the same thing

[infernalis]

4. And keep in mind, this is a snake that will be used to GA/FL temps.

That is exactly why during the middle of the day, that snake would be under cover, in the shade or in the water