hey hey hey i just go my 1st garter snake and dont havea clue what it needs plz plz help i need as much info as posibble
I keep my heating 75 cool side and 85 warm side. I think you can use uva or uvb bulbs if you want, it wouldn't hurt. Opinions on different caresheets differ but in my opinion Gartersnakes need big aquariums or enclosures because they need room to move so a 10 or 20 gallon will not do. I personally only use 20g for hatchling Garters. 29g+ for Juveniles and Adults. I house multiple garter snakes in 55g aquariums (I do not house adults together due to the possibility of breeding). There are varying opinions on housing Garters together as well. I've personally never had a problem with housing them together as long as they're the same species. If you are not feeding them mice you feed Garter snakes Minnows, Gold Fish, Guppies, Fish Fillet ( from the supermarket), and Worms. It's best to switch them over to pinkie mice and rat pups as soon as possible. I feed twice a week and drop the prey in their water dish and let the Garters "fish" for their food. Just make sure you feed them separate because if another Garter Snake is eating a Gold fish and the other snake sees this he might accidently bite the other snake trying to get food. I have a 10g aquarium setup with pump and everything for minnows and gold fish so I don't have to constantly go to the petstore and buy more fish. You need to feed a combonation of the food listed above for a more complete diet. If fed mice then you have no need to feed the other items listed as mice have all the nutrients needed. I suggest reading every caresheet you can and also buying or checking out books at the library and researching extensively. This should always be done before you purchase your snake. If it's wild caught I suggest taking it to the vet asap and if you have other snakes or reptiles keep him away from them and quarantine him in another location in the house. The best thing is not to keep wild caught animals for the simple fact that they may end up having parasites and other health issues. Getting them from a breeder or specialty reptile store is best. Sorry I can't tell more now because I'm in a hurry and wrote this up pretty fast.
