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

[anji1971]

Some snakes are more timid than others, and it can take them as long as two weeks or more to really settle down and relax enough to eat. She may have had a meal right before you found her, too, so don't panic just yet!
The sod idea is a good one, and if she has enough hiding places, she just may decide to venture out and eat when you've walked away from the enclosure.
I find my little ones tend to dart away sometimes if they notice me hovering over their tank too closely.
Best of luck, and keep us posted, Mairi!

[Mairi]

Well, I decided to let my little girl go this morning. We found her a nice sunny spot in my garden where the ground was warm and released her. She scurried off like a little streak of lightning. I hope that she does well. Perhaps I will see her again. There are lots of earthworms, frogs, and other things around our property for her to hunt.

I just didn't have the heart to keep her trapped in her cage - she was born wild, and I am sure that she wanted to stay that way. I felt bad keeping her locked up when she was so frightened. She definitely seemed happy to escape into the freedom of the great outdoors. I will miss her, though - I had gotten quite attached to the little cutie. At least we were able to get her tail healed first - that injury (which was all infected and swollen when we first found her) would have made life miserable for her in the wild.

Well, perhaps I will adopt a tame snake soon, that is used to people. We are already looking around the local pet stores and newspaper for an older one that needs a good home. Now that my interest in snakes has been sparked, I am eager to find a permanent companion that we can enjoy.

Thanks again for all of the support,
Mairi

[jitami]

Mairi, good for you for putting the baby's needs first. Thank you for taking such good care of her and getting her tail healed. It's obvious that you're a caring person. She was lucky to have found herself in such loving hands. I have two wild caught garters and two captive bred babies and the difference in personality is night and day. Please come back here and share your new pet with us when you find just the perfect snake. (Notice I said when, not if )

[infernalis]

We are already looking around the local pet stores and newspaper for an older one that needs a good home.

Check your local shelters and Herp society, Adopting an unwanted snake is very rewarding

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Hello, and welcome. Just tossing in my two cents about Snakes.
If you decide to feed minnows, guppies, or goldfish, make sure that you have a vitamin powder with vitamin B1 listed because the fish above can cause B1 deficiency which is harmful and ultimately fatal to your new snake. B1 is also called Thiamin. Something I do with my garters as soon as they're big enough is to switch them to pinkies or fuzzies. The mice give the snake a more complete diet than the fish alone will, and you dont have to worry about Thiamin deficiency.

I am not sure if anyone else saw this post, but I did, and I need to point out that it contains some bad information.

Guppies do not contain thiaminase, and are 100% safe for the snake.

Goldfish, on no circumstance ever, should ever, ever be fed to your garter snake, because no amount of vitamin powders will help, because Thiaminase blocks the absorption, so nothing gets absorbed even if the supplement is there.

Rosies should only be fed very sparingly at the MOST, but I recommend not using them at all, because they too contain thiaminase, just to a lesser extent.

using mice from the start is a good idea, but only as part of a balanced and thiaminase-free diet. Feeding pinkes one week, and goldfish the next week will still get you a very sick snake in the long run.. because no amount of supplement can cancel out the harmful effects of thiaminase.

Hope this helps some... I am glad you are so taken by your new garter, and welcome to the forum!!!!

[Mairi]

Thanks again everyone! I will be sure to learn all I can about my new pet before I adopt another snake. I really like the idea of adopting an unwanted snake from a shelter or other organization. Those are the snakes that REALLY need loving homes! I have always adopted my pets from rescue shelters (or off the streets), rather than buy them from breeders or pet stores. Not that there's anything wrong with that - I just like to rescue the animals that really need it.

I will be sure to let you all know when I find a new snake to adopt!

Best of luck with all of your scaly friends,
Mairi