Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i was cleaning out my garters tank today and he started to spin in a circle with his head in the air with his mouth open trying to bite me. Then when i pulled my hand out he sat there for about 5 seconds then turned around and bit himself and held on for about 1 minute. Then he got all puffed up and only about the back 5 inches of him was twitching and then after about 2 minutes he got very skinny and went limp. he stayed limp for about 10 minutes then started to slowly move but his head was dragging. Not sure whats going on.
he has done this twice in 2 days and showed no symptoms the day before the first "seizure???" happened.
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks

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
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Anerythristic morph
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - axanthic morph
2.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Iowa Snow
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow/Nebraska Albino double Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
4.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
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
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter baby
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
1.0.0 Florida Black racer - fiesty yet way cool.
1.0.0 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snakes Pink eater
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" adult CB (pet store sale)
1.0.1. Pueblan Milk snakes "Oreo" adult & a '09 baby CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major
0.1.0. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER"
1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
2.1.0 Eastern MilkSnakeLampropeltis Triangulum
1.5.0 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & others
1.1.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo, Diamond b/w cockapoo