New Albino Checkerd garter.

[celbii]

Got a new Albino Checkered garter yesterday at our local pet store. He was the only Garter they had left, they did have a bunch of ribbon snakes but I was set on a "Garter" and not a ribbon(he cost a pretty penny more than the ribbions also :O)

My old corn of about 8 years passed away recently last week and we gave his 55 gal cage to the hermit crabs and I took their old cage to get a smaller snake. Without further ado:
Here he is last night:

His cage last night


Here is his cage as of about an hour ago, If anyone has any suggestions to improve on it I Would be more than happy to hear it. I know I need another hide on the cold side also since I only have that little coconut on the hot side, but the leaf pile over there should work for the moment.
You can see him around his coconut in these pictures I just took right now.



He is also very frightened and fidgety if I walk by him he freezes up and if I try to hand him he runs for dear life, is it just because he is not use to his new home right now? I know hes probably a little stressed most likely and needs to adjust. they recently had him on pinkies every friday for the last 5 weeks or so, So I will put a pinkie in his cage on a little plastic lid and see if he eats it, I'm tempted to try a feeding cage but may just do that later as I don't want to stress him out at dinner time, I know hes going to get tons of traffic on thanksgiving and probvably just stay in his coconut that night :P.

[infernalis]

Nice setup.. Congrats on the new snakie.

[katach]

That looks great! Congrats!! Welcome to the forum family!!

[EasternGirl]

He's a cutie! Sorry to hear about your cornsnake passing. Things look good in his enclosure so far. What kind of substrate are you using? Many members on here know a lot more about feeding than I do...so I will let others advise you on that. Stick to what the snake is used to for now. A feed tank can always be a good idea, but some people prefer to feed in the snake's own enclosure...again, I will let others advise more on that. He will need time to adjust to handling and getting used to you, his new environment, etc. He will be a bit stressed at first so try not to pressure him into being held just yet. After he has time to get used to his new home...start by just putting your hand next to him in his enclosure and letting him come to you. Right now he just needs some time to get used to everything. You're off to a great start. Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new little one! We are always here to help!

[chris-uk]

Welcome and congratulations on your albino checkered (it's scientific name is Thamnophis marcianus, in case you didn't know).

We have a female albino checkered which is a few months older than yours, so I can offer you a bit of advice based on our experience with her.
The viv looks like it has plenty of hiding places, although it is a little big for a baby so he may take some time to get used to it. Our snakes like cardboard tubes, so quick way to add a cheap hide would be to pop one in at the back on the cold side.
Our girl took a few weeks to settle in and didn't like being handled at all for a week or so, then we started just touching her in the viv, then holding her in the viv, then took her out.
Feeding, I assume you plan to cut the pinky up? Pieces about 1.5 times his head size are ideal, for our 4 month old checkereds they can happily take a pinky cut into 4 pieces.
Burrowing... Not sure about your substrate, but our love to burrow in aspen. It was particularly worrying with the albino being the same colour as the aspen, in the early days when we couldn't see her and a quick rummage in the aspen didn't reveal her unless she moved. If yours wants to hide somewhere, burrowing is always an option if your substrate isn't too heavy.

[PINJOHN]

Welcome from a slightly chilly Liverpool

[Light of Dae]

Welcome I used a feed box for mine just cause i'm scared of her eating substrate, Im no expert but I'd say if you can get her used to it, do it. Or try laying paper towel over top the substrate under the dish. A Pet store may have been feeding her with tongs too, so she might not go for an unmoving pinkie on a plate. Best of luck <3

[Char361979]

Hello and welcome.

Building on Chris' advice (I'm his wife), our little albino girl is not a fan of very bright light. Albinos as a rule should bout be exposed to bright light as it can cause damage to their eyes/skin. I would swap the lamp you have there for a heat mat at one end of the enclosure.

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
Here's a link to the care sheet.
Any questions not answered there can be posted to the forum.
Good looking Checkered.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets

[ConcinusMan]

Welcome to the forum. It's too bad you didn't join before you bought that snake. Just a few months ago, a lot of albino checkered garters were produced by the breeders here. They were being given away for free, or dirt cheap. Got one free this year myself. When you say "pretty penny" do you mind if I ask how much you paid? They really shouldn't be much more than $30 at the most and like I said, this year there were so many produced, breeders were giving them away. I have a feeling that once you get to know us and litters become available, you'll just have to get another one, or three, or five.

Good advice about light. Don't expose albinos to intense light or sunlight. They have no melanin to protect them from sunburn, cancer, etc. and can go blind. Some of my albinos don't mind bright light but I still don't use light bulbs to keep them warm. It's too risky. Ambient light from a nearby window and an undertank heater or ceramic heat emitter for warmth is recommended. Above all, thoroughly read the caresheet that Steve posted. It will answer a lot of questions you might have and help you to avoid making husbandry mistakes.

Baby garters need to eat often, say about 3-4 times a week and be careful not to let them get way stuffed like you would a python. Overstuffing can be fatal when they are this young. Make sure the snake can get into the water easily as baby garters can dehydrate very fast. I would use a dish that is easier to get into. That one has sides that are quite high. A shallow dish with low sides such as a plastic coffee can lid is better when it comes to baby snakes. One more thing, I wouldn't cover the tank like that. Adequate ventilation is important especially using reptile bark. It tends to make the humidity very high which isn't good. Other than that, your setup looks great. I don't mean to pick, I just want your experience with your garter to be a pleasant and rewarding one with a happy healthy snake.


Here's a girl that I was keeping up until recently. Her name is "Butters"



Looking forward to having you stick around and keep us posted on his progress. ummm... wait, I think that you might have a little girl there.