At birth most garter snakes are less than 6 inches long. They grow little from birth in the late summer until their first spring. From that point, they grow fairly fast, reaching a young adult length of almost 2 feet by the end of their first year.[1]
How Big Do Male Garter Snakes Get?
First of all, garter snake females get much larger than males. A good rule of thumb for the most commonly kept species is that males reach a length of about two feet (60 cm), while females can reach around three feet (90 cm).[2]
How Long Do Gardener Snakes Live?
The average lifespan of wild Common Garter Snakes is approximately 4 years but they may live up to 10 years.[3]
How Big Do Garter Snakes Get In Captivity?
Starting at 6-8 inches long, adult snakes do not grow longer than 2-3 feet (males are typically shorter than females) with a girth of only a few inches. Thus, these relatively small snakes are perfect for children to hold as long as they are supervised by adults and don’t squeeze the animals too tightly.[4]
What Size Habitat For A California Red Sided Garter Snake
California Red-sided Gartersnake – Thamnophis sirtalis infernaliscaliforniaherps.com › snakes › pages › t.s.infernalis.html[5]
How Big Of An Enclosure Does A Garter Snake Need?
Garter Snake Caging
A five-gallon tank should work for baby garter snakes. Adult males will be happier in a 15-gallon tank while adult females or breeding pairs should have a 25-gallon tank or larger.[6]
How Big Do California Red-Sided Garter Snakes Get?
The California red-sided garter snake is a slender snake that is smaller and lighter than the San Francisco garter snake. Females typically reach 90–100 cm (35-39 inches) while males typically reach 65-75 centimeters (25-29.5), and are markedly thinner than females.[7]
Can You Have A California Red-Sided Garter Snake As A Pet?
Red Sided Garter Snakes are easy to care for and make great pets for those who want a smaller sized snake that doesn’t eat mice.May 27, 2014[8]
Where Do California Red-Sided Garter Snakes Live?
This subspecies, Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis – California Red-sided Gartersnake, is endemic to California, ranging from Humboldt County south, along the North Coast ranges (excluding much of the San Francisco peninsula) and east of the San Francisco Bay, then south along the central and south coasts to San Diego …[9]
Where Would I Find A Garter Snake Den
Habitat and range
They usually find a rock crevice, an ant mound or a tunnel made by a burrowing animal. These winter dens are used by garter snakes year after year.[10]
Where Can I Find A Garter Snake Den?
Garter snakes prefer tall grass, marshland (near water), forested areas. While in these environments, snakes may seek shelter in tree hollows, under logs, leaf litter, underground holes, rock outcroppings and/or burrows that have been abandoned by other animals.[11]
Where Is The Best Place To Find Garter Snakes?
When not resting, these snakes prefer moist, grassy areas and are often found near water, such as streams and lakes. They also like areas that provide cover, so if your yard has piles of debris, such as rocks, logs, boards or dense vegetation, you are more likely to have a garter snake infestation.[12]
How Do You Find A Den Of A Snake?
Under porches and patios: Rattlesnakes try to avoid getting too close to humans, but they may find adequate shelter in hollows under your house’s foundation, as well as under porches and patios. If there are cracks or crevices around the base of your house or porch, these could be entry areas for snake dens.[13]
Where Do Garter Snakes Like To Live?
Beane described garter snakes as ‘generalists, inhabiting a wide variety of habitats.’ They live in woodlands, meadows and grassy knolls and like to be near water, especially ‘in the arid parts of the West,’ Beane said.[14]
Feeding A Baby Garter Snake Who Won’T Eat Worms
Some Garter Snake Feeding Problems – Gartersnake.infowww.gartersnake.info › articles › some-garter-snake-feeding-problems[15]
Why Won’T My Garter Snake Eat Worms?
The first and most likely possibility is that you’re offering the snake something it doesn’t want to eat or doesn’t recognize as food. Some garter snakes expect their prey to move; as a result, fish pieces, thawed pinkies, and earthworm pieces cut too small for them to twitch may be ignored.[16]
What Can You Feed A Baby Garter Snake?
Garter snakes benefit from a varied diet to ensure proper nutrition. Juvenile snakes can eat a combination of feeder guppies, minnows, earthworms and fish fillet pieces; feed the juvenile snakes every other day. Mature snakes should eat small rodents, such as mice or pinkies, but they only need food once a week.[17]
What Do You Do If Your Baby Garter Snake Won’T Eat?
Baby snakes in particular may take forever to start eating. The mouse may have to be washed, or brained, or wiggled in front of the snake’s nose before the snake will eat it. There are a number of well-known tricks of the trade to get a recalcitrant snake to eat, and you can find them in the better pet manuals.Jan 25, 2010[18]
How Big Can A Common Garter Snake Get
Between the center and each side stripe are 2 rows of alternating black spots. The scales of the gartersnake are keeled (a raised ridge is found along each scale) and the belly is yellow and pale green. Adults range in size between 18 and 26 inches in length, but can measure up to 42 inches long.Mar 9, 2018[19]
What’S The Biggest A Garter Snake Can Get?
The giant garter snake is one of the largest garter snakes, reaching a length of 63.7 inches (162 centimeters).[20]
Are Common Garter Snakes Aggressive?
Garter snakes do occasionally bite, but they usually are not aggressive towards humans. All snakes, including garter snakes, are capable of biting their prey or biting predators in self-defense. However, the garter snake’s bite is not particularly painful, and it lacks enough venom to present a threat to humans.[21]
How Big Do Wild Garter Snakes Get?
Garter snakes are relatively small, usually between 23 and 30 inches (58 and 76 centimeters), though sometimes growing as long as 5 feet (1.5 meters). Beane described them as “slender to moderately stout-bodied … [with scales that are] obviously keeled,” meaning they have a ridge down the center.Dec 10, 2014[22]
How Big Will My Little Garter Snake Get
Adults range in size between 18 and 26 inches in length, but can measure up to 42 inches long. Juvenile garter snakes resemble adults.Mar 9, 2018[23]
How Fast Do Baby Garter Snakes Grow?
At birth most garter snakes are less than 6 inches long. They grow little from birth in the late summer until their first spring. From that point, they grow fairly fast, reaching a young adult length of almost 2 feet by the end of their first year.[24]
How Small Can Garter Snakes Get?
Garter snakes are small, between 23 to 30 inches in length. They have been known to reach lengths of five feet in rare cases. They are often stout-bodied with a ridge down the center of their back. One more defining characteristic of the Garter snake is its dual-colored tongue.Feb 19, 2020[25]
How Big Do Common Garter Snakes Get?
Adult eastern garter snakes grow to 18 to 26 inches long with keeled (ridged) scales and variation in their coloration and patterns. Their backs are dark brown, green or olive-colored with a distinct yellow or white stripe running down the center.[26]
What Happens If You Step On A Garter Snake
While generally shy and withdrawing, a garter snake will bite if you accidentally step on them. It is estimated between 1.2 and 5.5 million people get bitten by snakes each year around the world, with the largest number of bites coming from non-venomous snakes.[27]
Can A Garter Snake Hurt You?
Garter snakes won’t bite you unless provoked. They won’t chase you. They are really very shy and are not looking for a fight! Garter snakes do produce a very weak venom, but the venom is so mild that it rarely has any effect on humans (it can cause light swelling in those who are allergic, however).[28]
What Happens If You Accidentally Step On A Snake?
If you discover a snake, do not approach it closely. If you step on a snake or are very close to a Puff adder then move away quickly. If the snake is only about a meter away, freeze at first and see the snakes reaction – it will likely look for an escape route. If it is cornered, back away slowly.[29]
Is It Safe To Handle A Garter Snake?
Many garter snakes, particularly if they are captive bred, are gentle and do not mind being handled, and handling them is simply a matter of picking them up and letting them explore your hands. If you have experience handling other snakes, it’s important to remember that garter snakes are not constrictors.Jun 1, 2012[30]
Resources
[1]https://wildlife.unl.edu/pdfs/garter-snakes-in-around-home.pdf
[2]http://www.gartersnake.info/articles/2005/differences-between-male-and-female-garter-snakes.php
[3]https://wisconsinpollinators.com/Articles/CommonGarterSnake.aspx
[4]https://www.petmd.com/reptile/species/garter-snake
[5]https://californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/t.s.infernalis.html
[6]https://allanspetcenter.com/how-to-care-for-your-garter-snake/
[7]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_red-sided_garter_snake
[8]https://www.timsreptiles.co.za/colubrids/garter-snakes/red-sided-garter-snake-care-sheet
[9]https://californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/t.s.infernalis.html
[10]https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/reptiles_amphibians/commongartersnake.html
[11]https://www.terminix.com/blog/home-garden/snake-holes-in-yard/
[12]https://www.havahart.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-garter-snakes
[13]https://www.forestwildlife.org/how-to-find-rattlesnake-dens/
[14]https://www.livescience.com/44072-garter-snake.html
[15]http://www.gartersnake.info/articles/2010/some-garter-snake-feeding-problems.php
[16]http://www.gartersnake.info/care/feeding.php
[17]https://allanspetcenter.com/how-to-care-for-your-garter-snake/
[18]http://www.gartersnake.info/articles/2010/some-garter-snake-feeding-problems.php
[19]https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Common-Gartersnake
[20]https://www.fws.gov/species/giant-garter-snake-thamnophis-gigas
[21]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/are-garter-snakes-poisonous-or-dangerous/
[22]https://www.livescience.com/44072-garter-snake.html
[23]https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Wildlife/Fact-Sheets/Common-Gartersnake
[24]https://wildlife.unl.edu/pdfs/garter-snakes-in-around-home.pdf
[25]https://www.bugtech.com/garter-snakes/
[26]https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/eastern_garter_snake
[27]https://www.havahart.com/articles/how-to-get-rid-of-garter-snakes
[28]https://www.almanac.com/garter-snakes-gardeners-friend
[29]https://www.nature-reserve.co.za/snake-encounter-tips.html
[30]http://www.gartersnake.info/care/handling.php