New Albino Checkered! Any advice on communal housing?

[CarrotChunx]

Hey everyone!

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to find this cute little guy at the White Plains reptile expo. Right now he's doing very well in his new home.
In a few months his quarantine will be complete and I'll be moving him over to a 40 gallon which he'll share with my other checkered garter.
Now I'll ask you all this question- I'm well aware that garters do well in pairs (assuming they're the same sex/species/size). But is there a method to introduce the two of them? The last thing I want is to stress them out or have them fight each other. Maybe I'm just paranoid but I only want whats best for my snakes!
Thanks in advance for your help, everyone!

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking T. marcianus. A couple of really good foods are night crawlers and frozen/thawed pinky mice. I would caution feeding on that bedding. The sliver that get swallowed can cause serious intestinal issues leading to death.

[CarrotChunx]

Thank you, and thanks for the info. I feed my other garter nightcrawlers from his water dish with great success. That way he never swallows aspen. However, I've been looking for a different bedding. Do you have a recommendation for a substrate they can safely eat off of?

[guidofatherof5]

I use compressed aspen. Gentle Touch Products - Products: Cat Box Filler, Pet Bedding, & Horse Bedding

[Albert Clark]

Thank you, and thanks for the info. I feed my other garter nightcrawlers from his water dish with great success. That way he never swallows aspen. However, I've been looking for a different bedding. Do you have a recommendation for a substrate they can safely eat off of?

If you still have him in quarantine then the best substrate would be paper towels. That way you can appreciate any abnormal things that will present on the animal or in the enclosure. It's always a good bet and the safer choice. Very easy to keep the enclosure clean as well. Only use the solid white paper towels and avoid the ones with prints on them.