Normal Behavior List

[guidofatherof5]

How about us pooling some ideas to help describe what normal behavior would be in a garter snake.
I'll get things started.

Tongue flicking on a regular bases.

[Stefan-A]

Responsiveness to movement and touch.

[Varanus]

Staring at things while the rest of the body is in a hide.

Occassionally getting very curious and lifting the head high while tongue flicking, often after being fed and put back in the terrarium, as if expecting to be fed more.

Speeding off at unexpected or rapid movements.

Hiding from unfamiliar things.

Not musking or thrashing wildly when I pick them up because it is normal and they seem to know they will be fed soon.

Wiping face on objects to remove worm or fish slime, or going to the water bowl.

Pooping in the water bowl.

Not pooping in the humid hide (haven't had it happen once yet).

Going out to the warmest spot in the terrarium to digest after eating, sometimes laying there for hours.

Going everywhere and using everything in the terrarium to help get a shed off.

Spending a lot of the day in hiding (they are checkereds and thus more active in the evening and night).

Or at least this is normal for mine. ^_^

[katach]

Trying to find and alert you to any security issues in the tank. (ie. escaping)

Going off food for a period of time (one of my pugets did a 2mo hunger strike).

Getting slightly aggressive during feeding time (especially if fed communally)

Soaking during shed time.

Being adorable when they yawn.

[d_virginiana]

Eating anything in front of them always for mine. I've never had mine refuse food for more than a two weeks when something WASN'T wrong.

Tongue flicking more often in response to new stimuli.

[chris-uk]

Staying submerged and motionless in their water bowl for far longer than you can hold your own breath.

[Selkielass]

Reacting immediately and stronglythe to unfamiliarmy or unwanteda stimulus. A limp or passive garter is either in distress (sick or exhausted) or bored/ relaxed. Garters are seldom relaxed.

Garters jump or tail flick when touched or held in unwanted ways. Thrashing is an extreme version of this escape motion.
Garters that barrel roll are in extreme distress, possibly in pain.
Handle with care- they can break their own tails and rip skin in their efforts to flee.

[guidofatherof5]

Thank you to all who have posted. Let's keep it going.

[gregmonsta]

Will happily attempt to eat anything that smells like food .... including sheepskin jackets (as observed with one of my crazy radix girls yesterday).

[Varanus]

Wrapping their tail tip around things to feel more secure, including my fingers or the edge of the feeding container. Indeed it is important to give them time to move the tail tip fully into the container before closing it.