Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys. I have an eastern garter about 20 inches that has been with me for a while. Today I received two eastern garters that are most likely siblings and about 8 to 10 inches. My question is can I house them along with the larger garter safely? Thanks

it can vary, but id say most likely they will be fine, as long as you keep them all well fed and never hungry, and garter snakes arent really known to be canabalistic. my 2 male garters love being togather, but they are the general same size. however, larger snakes of the same species have a reputation for consuming smaller ones, though garters have small heads and i think theyll be fine. just keep em fed with good hides for every snake in the tank, and keep a close eye on em! nick.
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re-edited
1.1 Western redback chuckwallas(philbert & unnamed)
5 green sunfish
Striped raphale catfish
Common Plecaustomouse
3 coyfish
0.1.1-sandiego gopher snakes
1.3-coturnix quail
0.1-cockatiel( R.I.P)ironic she was named casper...
1.1(fixed) cats-eddie/buzz
Where the heck would a cali. kingsnake run off to?!?!?!

n/p

Thanks for the help guys. I'll keep them together, feed them separately, and keep a close eye on them. Thanks again.

They've been together for a day and overnight now and they're getting along fine. Thanks for the info again.

What has been missed altogether here is the need for quarantine with any new snakes. You are bringing in an unknown pair of snakes in to an established pet. If you're lucky, all you will run into is three snakes with mites and a light load of intestinal parasites. If you're unlucky you'll end up with three dead snakes for reasons only a full necropsy and pathology will reveal.

I'm sure the odds are in your favor so don't panic, but next time I suggest not risking it

Ian

All three are wildcaught. So I'm sure that all three already have mild parasites. And all three are from the territory known as my backyard. And are there any diseases disorders that naturally spread in the wild? Thanks.

If all three are from the same location then the risks are much, much lower. I was under the impression that the previous snakes were long term captives that have been dewormed, ect.

Reptile diseases are much less studied than human diseases, but unless a significant amount of time has surpassed between captives the odds are again in your favor. An example of a more famous disease that is spreading is the deadly chytrid pathogen in the frog world.

It is considered good practice to always quarantine new animals prior to mixing with a collection. Of course any risk will vary upon the situation and it is up to the individual to decide if quarantine is something they want to do. Because it's not hard to do, and I'm anal retentive when it comes to herp health, it is somthing that I always do for my animals.

Ian