Hi! (Newbie who rescued a young and injured snake)

[Mairi]

Hi! I'm a newbie, both to this forum and to snakes in general. I have always found them fascinating and wanted one, but hadn't gotten around to actually looking for one yet.

So one found me. I was walking through my basement and nearly stepped on a 10" eastern garter snake. She (at least I think she is a "she," from what I can tell by looking at the tail shape) was cold and had the end of her tail crushed. I think my cat got a hold of her.

So I caught her and put her in a little aquarium I had handy, and did some reading about garters on the Internet. I am hoping that the Neosporin that I am putting on her tail will help it to heal nicely without infection. It's just the tip that is injured - a little blood and maybe a broken vertebrae or two. I am sure that she must be in a considerable amount of pain, though she is active and doesn't seem to mind brushing it up against things.

My son and I made her a little house out of Legos where she could hide, and she absolutely loves it. I lined it with a paper towel, and she snuggles up in there quite readily.

I am getting ready to get her a proper (larger) habitat and some real supplies - I am making do with makeshift stuff for now - a deep plastic lid for a drinking bowl, a Lego hiding spot, etc.

One thing that concerned me is that she drank and then threw up a good bit of water when I put her in the cage (we've only had her for a day now). Is this just because she's scared and stressed? She seems healthy, except for the tail injury, and has been industriously trying to figure out how to escape her cage, lol. I am afraid to try feeding her until she has had a few days to settle down and get used to people, but I also don't want her to starve to death. How do you know when a snake is hungry?

Also, what is a good temperature to keep a young garter at? The only thing that I have to heat her cage right now is a small desk lamp, which keeps her cage at about 80 degrees.

Anyway, thanks for any advice. Looking forward to joining the world of snake-lovers, and learning about my new pet.

[jitami]

Welcome

Here's a general care sheet...
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets...ake_Care_Sheet

I wouldn't worry too much about her spitting up water that one time. If she continues to do it then a vet visit may be in order. She may have internal injuries besides the one on her tail that you can see. Being that she's active, though, I really wouldn't worry too much about it for now.

A larger terrarium is always nice, but the "makeshift" items will do fine Most of us use some store bought, some household items. As long as her needs are met she won't care if she has a lego hide or a log hide

At 10" she's probably a baby from this year, so still very young. Young typically have voracious appetites and can be fed every 2 or 3 days. I'd give her a week and then offer her some chopped up earthworm(not red wigglers or red compost worms), little feeder guppies, or sliced strips of store bought fish fillet(tillapia & trout are both inexpensive and readily available).

Good luck with your little one! The forum software won't let you post pics for a little while, but as soon as you can we'd LOVE to see pics of your baby

[Lexa]

Welcome to the forum!!

Well done for taking care of your little girlie! Heat mats are thermostats are Very Good Things for heating, and shouldn't cost too much if you do a bit of searching on the net!

Good luck with her!

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard, Mairi.

[gregmonsta]

Greetings fingers crossed for the little one

[count dewclaw]

Welcome, welcome!

[Lori P]

Welcome, and good job on saving your little snake! Hope you enjoy it here. The care sheet covers a lot of info, but if you have more questions, just ask away. We can't wait to see your snake! :-)

[Sid]

Welcome to a great forum. The link on garter care that Tami gave in her reply is an excellent starting point. If you have other questions please feel free to ask.

[anji1971]

Hello, and welcome!
Good job on the rescue. Hope your little one does well for you!

[infernalis]

Hello and welcome