my first garter

[twostripes42]

ok thanks

[ConcinusMan]

That's not much floor space. Tall tanks aren't exactly ideal for garters. Be careful of that window! sunlight coming in can heat that tank to fatal temperatures in a matter of minutes. Does it have a tight fitting screen top? Don't be fooled. Even if you don't think they can reach that far, they can get up the glass and escape. If you have to use that tank (I wouldn't. I'd get one with more floor space) then I would use a small undertank heater and keep the tank in the low to mid 70's, and use a compact florescent for light.

[twostripes42]

i dont have the window open all the time i just opened it for better lighting and i got a heat mat and a light she shed this morning and and i tried giving her a fuzzy but she dident take it so i went to the place were i found her to see what kind of food she would be eating in the wild and what i saw was a ton of frogs and toads and a saw a snake that look kinda like her eat a toad and were i live we have a toad problem so i went a got a toad and put it in with her and he ate it right away but im going to keep trying to get her to take mice and her shed was 33.5'' and it was a perfect shed thanks for all the help ;D

[xStatic]

Yeah she might be a little picky of an eater then lol... but toads aren't really great for snakes. Any wild caught food (other than some nightcrawlers.. maybe) aren't really great food options for snakes since they contain a lot of parasites. Then again she's wild caught and well into adulthood so I'm sure she has a fair share of her own parasites. One thing you can do is scent a pinky or fuzzy with a toad and she might take it. Either rub the toad on the pinky, or kill the toad and freeze it and then thaw the toad and the pinky or fuzzy together in a plastic bag.

Also, you could slit the toad and get all the nasty "toad juice" on the mouse.. snakes LOVE that stuff. Or even just try braining or slitting the mouse.. poke a small hole in the mouse head and squeeze out some brains (gross, but not as bad as it sounds) or use a knife to slit the mouse a few times. This will also help make digestion easier.

I think some people also take toads and deep freeze them for a long time... this in theory should kill any parasites but others would know more about that (: Good luck!!!

Oh, and you also should probably look into de-worming her once she starts eating and is all settled in. After that point avoid any foods that could possibly contain parasites

[twostripes42]

ok will do thanks

[amcutem]

Wow!!!

Thats a nice snake.

Whats her name and how did u find her?

[twostripes42]

I named her obsidian and I whent to a place called bog medow and not long after I found her she's really cool

[twostripes42]

ok so i got her a new really big cage i think its a 85 gallon and i got a heat lamp and she loves it she basks there all day shes doing great she shed she eats like a champ and shes really friendly i feed her 2 times a week and shes right now taking fuzzes. her basking spot is 82.6 Fahrenheit and her cool spot is 78.7 Fahrenheit are these good temps? and yesterday was feeding day and after she took 1 fuzzy she wanted more (these are are fairly big fuzzes) so i gave her another is that a no no or is it fine if i give her a little more then usual every once in awhile? thanks for all your help and nice comments
here are some pics of her new cage. enjoy

[twostripes42]

ok so i got her a new really big cage i think its a 85 gallon and i got a heat lamp and she loves it she basks there all day shes doing great she shed she eats like a champ and shes really friendly i feed her 2 times a week and shes right now taking fuzzes. her basking spot is 82.6 Fahrenheit and her cool spot is 78.7 Fahrenheit are these good temps? and yesterday was feeding day and after she took 1 fuzzy she wanted more (these are are fairly big fuzzes) so i gave her another is that a no no or is it fine if i give her a little more then usual every once in awhile? thanks for all your help and nice comments
here are some pics of her new cage. enjoy

the on on the end is her new cage compared to her old cage and sorry there so blurry i have a really bad camera

[RedSidedSPR]

Much better! That's a good setup as far as i can tell. Temps are fine.