Wierd garter snake behaviour

[Radix97]

Ive noticed my female garter snake acting a bit strange, she escaped once from the tub i housed her in and is very reluctant to eat, she seems fine though, no bubbles or runny droppings, could it possibly be trying to hibernate??

[guidofatherof5]

How long was she missing?
Did she eat after she was found?
How long has she been off food?
How does she look?
Has her behavior changed? Is she still moving the same? Same amount of tongue flicking?

[Radix97]

She was only missing for about 15 minutes but i found her very quickly, she did not eat after she was found but she was cold. i keep her with a 5 watt heat mat. She has been off food for about two weeks when i had accidentally given her a red wiggler (she didnt eat it) but im sure she hated the smell, she hasnt eaten any earthworms since. she looks very healthy but as said earlier is cold and she flicks her tongue when she is warm.
After she escaped i keep her in a plastic tub with two hides and is about 18 inches tall and has opaque sides, she tends to hide in one spot curled up in a ball, she dosent move much and she only flicks her tongue when she's warm or when im holding her.

[guidofatherof5]

Two weeks off food isn't very long. Is it Fall in your neck of the woods(temps)? Will this be her first Winter in captivity?

[Radix97]

yes its fall around here in BC and its her first winter in
captivity, i caught her when she had her first shed so i'm
thinking her internal clock is telling her to hibernate.

[guidofatherof5]

I think the evidence is pointing toward that conclusion. As long as the weight doesn't drop sharply I wouldn't get to worried. Keep offering food.

[chris-uk]

If you don't light her tub on a timer consider supplementing her lighting (best bet is LED lights on a timer) so that the shorter days (which she will get from the ambient light) aren't so obvious. It might help to fool her into thinking it's not Fall.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah and nothing said about heat/temps. should have a localized warm spot around 85 F but air temp in the 70's and good ventilation. Lights are good advice, and day should be at least 14 hours long. If they notice days getting shorter they'll go off food.