Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got 1.1 checkered garters (albino male, regular female) and was sort of thinking of setting up a naturalist tank for them. They're not very big snakes so I figure it'd be pretty doable. Anyone got experience with natural, planted vivs and Thamnophis they'd care to share? I've got a mixture of tanks--10 gallons, 20 longs, a 40 breeder....
-----
We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
1.3 African House Snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
1 corn snake
4.3 Florida Kings
2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
1 Argentine boa
1 Texas Rat Snake
1 checkered garter snake

Garter snakes, marcianus in particular, are extremely well suited to naturalistic vivaria. They tend to sit out in the open under the lights, being diurnal for the most part. I would go with the largest tank, in order to allow them to display as much natural behavior as possible.

-----
Brad Chambers
WWW.HCU-TX.ORG

Boas, Pythons, Colubrids, Tortoises and Turtles

Naturalistic setups work great for Garters - especially if you use a basking light. I have a dirt substrate with a covering of leaves for my Santa Cruz Garters. I usually use Pothos as the plant, since it does well in many terrarium situations.

Tim

Third Eye