First time garter snake owner-help!

[ae88weaver]

A week and a half ago (Tuesday, Sept 28) I found a garter snake outside my house in Eastern Michigan and immediately took him (I named him Maslow) in even though I've never owned a snake before. The next day I took Maslow to the Reptile store and bought him a cage and a roommate (named Freud), who I was told was a Butler garter snake. The worker at the store told me to give them mealwoms and crickets so I tried both, but they did not eat either. He said they might not eat for up to a week since they were in a new home and needed to acclamate so I didn't worry. This past Tuesday I went and got them feeder fish and tried to feed them both dead and alive ones and they still have not eaten so I'm starting to worry. Freud was bred so he shouldn't want to hibernate and I know I have the cage set up properly. They have a large water bowl/rock, a large wooden climb, two hide boxs, paper towel substrate, a heat lamp that I leave on for about 8-12 hrs. They are friendly are love attention and play with me but I'm worried since they have not eaten in at least a week in a half and I've offered three different foods... Please help, I've fallen in love with Freud and Maslow and don't want to lose them!

[guidofatherof5]

Night crawlers are on the menu for those snakes.
Ditch the meal worms and crickets.
Here's a link to the Butler page. Butler's Garter Snake - Caresheets

The care sheet is a great place to answer many of the questions you might have. If it isn't covered in the care sheet feel free to post your questions.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets

Welcome to the forum.
The pet shop owner was correct in the fact that garter snakes need time to adjust to their new environment.
If I may suggest, print off a copy of the care sheet from this forum and give it to the pet shop person. Too many garter snakes are starved to death in pet shops that think they eat bugs. Delivering a care sheet might help the future garters at that shop.

[ssssnakeluvr]

welcome to the forum!

first things first...the pet store person is full of crap.... garter snakes DO NOT eat insects in any way. they eat worms and fish. they do need up to a couple weeks to adjust to captivity. whether captive bred or not, some garters will go into brumation any way. go to the care sheets page here and read up on them. if they don't eat in 3 weeks, you should consider brumating them. make sure that they have not eaten for at least 2 weeks, then put them in a cool place in their cage...temps in the 50's would work. they need water during this time and will still crawl around. keep them cool for a month or so then you can warm them up and they should start eating in a week or so. keep them separate also when brought out if they arent the smae sex or species. the one you caught needs to be id'd first.... there are butler's and easterns in Michigan. what area are you in? also....we love pics on here. post some and we can id them for you.

[MlizGr]

Welcome! I love the names you've chosen for your garters. Don't forget to try slugs too if you can find them. Good luck getting your little ones to eat!

[Mommy2many]

First and foremost, Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new friends, Maslow and Freud. You have been given some excellent advice so far. Foods that your snakes may enjoy are: nightcrawlers, feeder guppies and/or dace minnows, pinkies (frozen baby mice) or salmon/tilapia. If they are not eating one, try another. The salmon or tilapia you can get fresh from the fish dept. in your supermarket. Freeze leftovers, serve room temp. Walmart sells nightcrawlers in their sporting goods dept. Make sure they are nightcrawlers (as a FYI, also lift lid and make sure they are ALIVE.) Pinkies can be found in most pet stores. Your snakes may be need to acclimate themselves to the pinkies and they may need to be "scented" with worms. If you are in an area that has feeder guppies, they almost always win over an unwilling eater.

Good luck with them and please keep us updated.

PS: Sounds like your set-up is ideal

[ConcinusMan]

Typical pet store advice - worthless. Half the time they don't even know the species they have. Pet store by my house is selling "garter snakes" but that's not what they are. They're eastern ribbon snakes. But hey, the lady who's caring for them said they would only eat goldfish and as I was about to explain that she shouldn't feed them those, she indicated that she knew that those fish weren't very good for them. She took my advice and thawed some of the silversides they sell and now the snakes are eating silversides. Much better.

But anyway MlizGr, don't panic. Snakes can go a very long time without eating with no real harm done and garters in particular are very hardy. The advice about brumating them is sound but not before you try everything else, and brumating (hibernating) your snakes is risky enough for experienced keepers. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.

Like Steve (guidofatherof5) said, do take the time to read the care sheets. Get those temps into an ideal range and do provide a dark cooler night.

I would suggest getting a timer for the lights or otherwise provide a regular cycle - in other words, same time for sunup and sundown every day. An erratic day/night cycle confuses them. When night falls, make sure it stays night until morning. You might have to to cover the enclosure with a dark cloth to achieve that.

Garters typically are most likely to eat a few hours after "sunup" right after they have reached optimal temperature so try feeding them at that time of day. I also believe that a full spectrum light source such as a florescent made for reptiles is a good idea. A more natural light spectrum helps with appetite and so does the uninterrupted and cooler night.

I would give them time to settle in and get used to the day/night routine and not disturb or handle them much. After a week or two, or even three of that, they may be more willing to eat.

If their backbone is not protruding and their skin is not getting loose or starting to fold on the sides, there is no immediate need to panic about them not eating. Each snake is different and without seeing the snakes myself, I cannot say if they are in a critical stage of malnutrition.

I really think they just need more time to settle in and start to feel "at home" in their new environment. Give it more time. As long as they weren't already starving and underweight, a few weeks won't hurt them. Have patience and try not to disturb them or handle them much until they start eating.

[ae88weaver]

All of you are so wonderful and helpful! I will definitely try the pinkies, nightcrawlers, and the different types of fish... I'll also get a set schedule of lighting for them.. I'm taking pictures ASAP!! I don't even know what a ribbon snake is! I am so grateful for all of your help!! If you think of anything else, keep on adding...

ssssnakeluvr- I'm about 30 miles northeast of Detroit

[Mommy2many]

What Don said...

It's getting cooler now and snakes across the country are reportedly "Sticking their little snakey noses up at the grand buffet that has been offered to them". When it gets cooler, their eating habits tend to slow. Not to worry, as C-man said. Snakes can go quite a while without food. My W/C female last year probably went about 4 months before she started eating again. I just offered food every couple of days to see if she was interested.

[ConcinusMan]

There is some doubt as to what these snakes have gone through, and doubt as to what time of year they think it is. In fact, the snakes could just be completely confused and have no idea.

That's where starting over with a routine and established day/night cycle can help.

[Selkielass]

Hello!
So glad you made it here to the forums! (We met at the Fish store on Gratiot.)

Freud and Maslow looked slim, but not skinny, so you have time to try them on different foods as they adjust to their new habitat. (I had very similar concerns when I first found Abby.)

Maslow looked like an Eastern to me, and as I mentioned at the store, Freud looked like a Butler- LOVELY stripes! (And a real curious sweetheart- what a doll!)

I'm so glad you decided to drop in and say hello- I found it really helpful and reassuring to get feedback as I experimented with my reluctant feeder.

Welcome again!