School me on garter snakes

[dorton]

I just had a couple of tiny little garters(i think) dropped off at my house. The larger one is just a little smaller than a drining straw, and the small one is about the diameter of a coffee stirring straw.
The temps are a little on the cold side here for the next few days.
Anyone had any luck keeping some of these from such a small size? I have been researching that earth worms are the way to go for now, or possibly fish.
Whats your thoughts on small feeder guppies?
They are super cute!!

I'll post some pics of them tonight if I get a chance.

 

[AB^]

Well,

I have been known to keep a many a garter

I wouldnt bother with worms, they are poor nutritionally, I would go with rosie red minnow or guppies (no goldfish).
Or even better would be fish scented pinkie parts until they are big enough to take whole pinkies. My garters seem to be much happier with an actual basking light as opposed to undertank heating. Garters are awesome little snakes, you should post some pix.

 

[dorton]

Thanks for the info
Here are a few shots.

First the "BIG ONE"

Now the small one

 

[AB^]

Those look like dekay's snake aka brown snake
(storiea dekayi i beleive) small little buggers get maybe 20" and are worm and slug eaters (possibly salamander eaters too???)
I would google images to confirm, im 100% certain the bottom pics of the smaller one are it and 90% sure the top one is too

 

[DZLife]

Yeah, I don't think those are garter snakes. Doesn't even look like a brownish phase that I have seen.

 

[dorton]

http://www.gpnc.org/BrownSnake.htm

You are dead on!!

 

[DZLife]

Yep, that's a match for sure!

Good luck with those lil cuties!

 

[AB^]

Yea, ive always been interested in brown snakes.
I dont have them in my area but they are supposed to be quite common on the east coast/midwest if I remember correctly.
I would still like to work with them someday.
From what I know of the species a dirt substrate slightly moist with a lot of leaf litter should suffice. I doubt they would need much supplemental heating since they will be in the house and all.

 

[Guest]

I had an experience some time ago while packing some spring bears out of the wilderness .. Mid spring and patches of snow in the high country .I was working my string down an old wagon trail that long ago led to a silver mine . There was a stretch of a road [a couple hundred of feet long ] That was just covered with what I call garter snakes . lots of them were normal size but some were I guess pushing three feet long [I didn`t know they got that big] It really was like something out of Indiana Jones.. The pack horses wanted nothing to do with them and we made our way around them .. I guess they were breeding or something ... There most of been way over a hundred snakes

 

[eddyjack]

Montana, were you in the Selway on that trip?

 

[Guest]

Cabinets...Just south of the Yaak ..

 

[Guest]

why dont u feed gold fish?

 

[tora]

Feeding an animal goldfish is like feeding us street rats. They just aren't nutritional and filled with toxins. It's best to find a more reliable place to get fish than your average pet store. Their water is nasty, and you don't want that to transfer over.