I am sorry so late, and probably the snake has died by now..

You are describing the symptoms of dehydration.

I have found that some garter snakes will be fussy about the quality of the water in their bowl, and others will drink swill.

sadly I had to witness this same thing roughly 5 times before my research led me to the data on dehydration.

quoted text....

Severe dehydration is a serious condition that may lead to Fatal Shock, Acidosis (accumulation of acid or depletion of alkaline's in the blood and body tissues: symptoms such as weakness, malaise, muscle twitching, involuntary movement, cardiac arrhythmias, disorientation, and a coma may occur); and the accumulations of waste products in the body, as in Uremia ( a condition in which there is an excess in the blood of urea, creatinine, and other nitrogenous end products of protein and amino acid metabolism, this is often the result of kidney failure).

a snake that is dehydrated will often convulse and bite itself.

I only wish I had read your post sooner.
-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
Thamnophis US
Dances With Reptiles

2.1.0 Thamnophis Infernalis- California Red Sided Garter Snakes
1.0.0 Flame X Erythristic Eastern Garter Snakes
1.0.0 Melanistic Thamnophis Sirtalis Sirtalis
2.0.0 Kansas Albino Red Sided Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Golden / Albino cross
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4.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter
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1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
0.0.1 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbon Snake
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1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
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2.1.0 Eastern MilkSnakeLampropeltis Triangulum
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