Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a small garter (or western ribbon?) in a 1'4" X 1' clear tupperware. for a ground i have river rocks i bought from the store, in one corner i have a $1 indoor/outdoor thermometer, for foilage in one corner i bought a fake vine plant, which i swirled up into a bushy dense "hideout" also in the opposite corner is a flat rock which is set on top of the river rocks, underneath i dug away some river rocks so he can get under the flat rock (which he does alot) in the corner next to the flat rock i have a small bowl, which is set up with a PVC pipe that goes out of the tank with an on/off valve which makes changing the water really easy, is this adequate for my garter/ribbon snakes needs? ive seen most peoples setups have soft tissue or brown shredded paper filling the bottom, are smooth river rocks a good ground for garter snakes? also how often do i need to cleanse the rocks?

Rocks are a bad choice. You need some type of substrate. The commercial ones are pretty good, but make sure you don't use anything made of pine or cedar as the fumes may cause the snake neurological damage. The ones that are intended for rodents are usually not a good choice either. Other than that, you can use paper or almost any type of untreated mulch, soil or peat. It's important that it doesn't have any strong smells, that it doesn't produce any fine particles when it's dry and that it isn't fertilized or dyed. The substrate needs to be completely dry at all times. Sand is also a bad choice, it can cause skin infections, since it's a bit too absorbent and it can cause a lot of serious trouble since it can get into the snake's nostrils and digestive system.

I use ordinary unfertilized peat intended for gardening. It's very resistant to moisture, doesn't mold, it's harmless if the snake happens to swallow a little and it's cheap. I usually clean up the feces when I find them, by just scooping it up with the surrounding substrate and I change it completely every 1-2 months.

Garters also need a fairly big bowl, as they (especially ribbons) are fond of water, although they do get along with a smaller one. Ideally, it should cover about 1/4 to 1/3 of the bottom of the tank.

I also mentioned the basking spot in another thread.

so, take out the rocks or put the substrate (im thinking paper towels) on top of the rocks? also, i dont have a basking spot for him atm i just regulate his temperate in the cage with the fan or a light

Paper towels alone on the bottom of the tank, is fine. Rocks only work as decoration and if you want to make a hide out of them, you need to be sure the snake is unable to move them and possibly get stuck under them.

ohhh, is that why rocks arent a good substrate? tgat definately makes sense to me now because he loves to try and pry everything open and escape thru every nook and cranny. By the way guys, i really need help with picking him up, i really dont like getting bit all the time even if he is a little snake.

Well, no. Rocks are a bad substrate because they don't absorb or bind any of the feces, so it gets all spread around and the snake is very likely to get an infection from all the bacteria.

How big/old is that snake by the way? How often are you trying to handle it?

very very tiny snake, about 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. i think hes a "hatchling" i was able to handle him the first day i got him but after making some jumpy movements a few times he goes a little crazy when he smells me now, i dont try to handle him much anymore because he trys so hard to escape, and when i finally do even touch him, he strikes. hes really high strung now and i feel bad for him because i dont mean him any harm and hes stressing out like im a predator or something

um, if i use rocks as a substrate and just make sure to rinse them down and drain the water via holes in the bottom of the tank would this be suitable? i was thinking about it and it could like simulate rain or something, which we usually get alot of this time of year anyways

In that case it's pretty normal, just leave the snake alone for a while and don't try to handle it more than is absolutely necessary. That means: only when you need to empty the cage completely. Babies bite all the time but they usually calm down when they get older. You might even want to consider placing something in front of the tank for a while, so that it can't see you moving around. It would also help to make a hide where it can get completely out of sight. Anything to make it feel less exposed. And that might actually include a proper substrate.

Rocks. No. Why would you even want to use rocks?