want to get a garter snake

[bigk105]

well i have been wanting to get a garter snake, but dont know what kind of habitat to put them in. would a 10 gallon aquarium work fine. and what do they eat. any other information you can give me would be great thanks. some day i would like to get a boa. but right now i dont think i could handle it. i would like to go with a good starter. and i think i would perfer a garter. so any hints about getting and keeping a garter snake would be great thanks :)

[SnAkElOvEr13]

They eat grubs and you can put guppies in there water bowl :bouncy: i found that sooo cool. They are really easy pets (i dont have one but i know alot of people that do)

[V1PER V3NOM]

Hey dude i got myself a Garter and they are great snakes for beginners. Great temperament,low maintenance and great company. I dont really know about tanks in Gallons but mines is 3 foot long and a foot or foot and a half high. I have the yellow sided garter. Shes a beautiful snake and after days of thinking of a name for her i came up with "Jinx".

When i say "low maintenance" im of course talking bout feeding as "Jinx" eats only one middle size mouse a week, also if you would like to give your Garter some variety and "playtime" with his food ;) you can give him live prey like small to medium frogs for example and once he gets to adulthood move him on to adult frogs. Also they can eat slugs,newts and ive also found....tadpoles. Also a money saver would be to buy a couple of gerbils or hamster and breed them although some people prefer to feed their snakes pre-frozen mice as they believe it is cruel to give them live feed....still, a good suggestion. The high maintenance part though is the handling as they have to be handled often, and at first he may strike you now and again but once both of you become more comfortable with each other you will be fine.

I use a woodchip base for the tank and have a few rocks and chunks of wood, either or is good for the snake because it gives him somewhere to hide or eat his food and also it is vital for shedding as he needs something to rub himself on. Other possibilities are fake grass or some sort of dirt or soil although not recommended as the dirt or soil seems to smell after only a week or so. Also make sure he has plenty of fresh water..."a large dog bowl is perfect"...as the snake will use this not only to drink but to cool his body temp to his liking.

The most important advice i can give you is to make sure that your tank is tightly secure...garters although they dont look it have amazing strength and could lift the lid of a tank enough to escape as they are great escape artists and of course if it does escape it will most probably die from poor temperature or from a run in with a larger animal or bird.

Hope ive helped in some way and if u wanna see some pics of my girl "Jinx" just contact me. Let me know how u get on and if you need any snake names i have some left over if you want them.

VIPER :nod: :nod: :nod:

[WingedWolf]

I'd recommend a 20 gallon tank for an adult garter snake, depending on species.

The trouble with feeding things other than frozen/thawed mice to a snake is that other feeder animals can transmit dangerous internal parasites. Many garter owners have lost their pets after a few years to these parasites, particularly lungworms, which can be carried by slugs, amphibians, and live fish.

A yearly vet check for parasites is mandatory.

[bigk105]

well i have put off on getting a snake as i jst moved and am broke right now. but maybe later on this summer i will decide to get a garter :) thanks for all the help guys

one more question. how long does it take for a garter to reach full size and how long would it be comfortable in a 10 gallon tank do you think. thanks again

[WingedWolf]

A garter should reach its full size in 3 to 4 years. All reptiles continue growing, very slowly, over the course of their lives, once they reach adult size.

I would not keep a garter in a 10 gallon. Use a 15 to 20 gallon long tank (not standard or tall), depending on the species.