garter snake husbandry

[GargGecko]

Hi all
Just wondering if anyone can help me with the basking zone temps, cool end, night time temp drops and humidity requirements for some of the commonly kept species and if any can be kept in similar conditions, ie, can I write a care sheet about more than one species at a time?
My thoughts are that I should write individual species care sheets but if all 'garter snakes' they are all really similar then would I be wasting my time writing 30 odd care sheets?

TIA

[joeysgreen]

In my opinion, and this might be against the common trend, but if you are writing something meant to educate others, then you should reference books and the primary literature.

But to offer an answer to your question, yes, I think that a caresheet can lump all garter snakes together, but should perhaps also offer species specific information as it applies. I would also advise your readers that caresheets are meant as a starting point for finding information on a species, and that if they plan on getting a pet, they should continue with further research.

Ian

[GargGecko]

In my opinion, and this might be against the common trend, but if you are writing something meant to educate others, then you should reference books and the primary literature.

But to offer an answer to your question, yes, I think that a caresheet can lump all garter snakes together, but should perhaps also offer species specific information as it applies. I would also advise your readers that caresheets are meant as a starting point for finding information on a species, and that if they plan on getting a pet, they should continue with further research.

Ian

Thanks Ian,

Yes, I have started reading the literature but it is so annoying when it is not coherent. For example, I have found a paper where Thamnophis sirtalis had a temperature of 19 to 35 degrees (from which I assumed we should provide a hotspot up to 35) but the BSAVA Manual of Reptiles says that the hotspot should be max 28...

[joeysgreen]

That is a common finding and it's all about how you interpret the papers. If you cram the entire temperature gradient into a 10 gallon enclosure, then yes, I would limit it to about 28C. However if you have a more appropriate, larger cage, then by all means, offer the larger range.

A more critical evaluation of your sources can also help tell you where the information comes from. Look at the references/citations. Is the information primarily from personal opinion, care books, studies on natural history, etc. The veterinary literature is great in some aspects, but in my experience, not the greatest on husbandry (are you referring to the BSAVA vet textbooks?). You have to understand that veterinarians see all the bad... people take their animals to them when they are ill and dying. Thus you might think that they are less inclined to recommend the higher temperatures because they probably have seen a whole lot of animals suffering from the improper use of these higher temperatures (see 10 gallon example).

Also note this when acknowledging what your target audience will be. I would not assume that it is going to be the advanced hobbyist, but the crowd first getting in to snake keeping. Thus simple concepts have not yet been mastered, so the inappropriate use of information will be rampant. So with that considered, perhaps using a moderate temperature range would be safer.

Ian