How to care for Garter

Common Name: Garter, Ribbon, Water Snakes

Latin name: Thamnophis spp.

Native to: North and Central America

Size: Up to three feet in length

Life span: This group of snakes can live for 10 years or more with proper care.
Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sp.)

General appearance: All members of the genus Thamnophis are slender-bodied snakes and are usually striped with a solid or checkered body. Males generally have a thicker base of the tail than females.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: Most single snakes can be housed in a 10-gallon or 20-gallon tank with a secured screen top depending on the size of the snake. It is important that the enclosure is escape-proof as these snakes excel at escaping from their enclosures.

Temperature: Like most snakes, members of Thamnophis like a temperature gradient. The cool end on the enclosure should be around 70° F with a basking spot of around 84° F. At night the basking area should be turned off.

Heat/Light: It has not been proven whether these snakes require UV light or not, though they should be provided with an appropriate photo period. Basking areas can be achieved by using incandescent basking bulbs, infrared heat bulbs or ceramic emitters. Under no circumstance is a hot rock acceptable since these will often cause serious burns to your animal. Timers and thermostats can be used to control photo periods and temperatures in the enclosure.

Substrate: A variety of substrates can be utilized for these snakes. Newspaper or paper towels can be used, though many favor a more visually appealing substrate. Aspen shavings can be used as well as a sandy soil mixture of about 50% natural play sand and 50% potting soil. Cedar shavings should be avoided as they can prove to be toxic to your animal. New research has also proved that pine shavings may also have negative long term effects as well.

Environment: A suitably large enough pool should be provided for the snake to allow it to swim. A hide box should also be provided. Branches for climbing can also be provided,

Diet: These snakes eat a varied diet. Items such as earthworms, red worms, and other insects will usually be readily accepted. Fish such as guppies, sand eels and Lance fish can also be provided in the pool. An exclusive diet of just fish is not nutritionally complete and should be fed with other prey items such as earthworms. Many specimens can also be converted to appropriate sized mice.

Maintenance: Fresh water should be offered daily. If using newsprint then clean as needed. Wood shavings or a soil mix should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your snake or any cage accessories.