Thamnophis marcianus albino (checkered garter snake)

Origin: This species is found in the southern United States to Mexico and even Costa Rica.

Length: male around 80cm / female 110

Age: between 6 and 10 years old.

They have a light colored color with a strong checkered drawing. The dorsal stripe is usually narrow, light in color and not very noticeable. The black spots in a kind of checkerboard pattern on the flanks between the stripes are usually clearly present and are in strong contrast with the beige-yellow-brown colored scales on the flanks.

The albino version has a white checkered pattern and a light background.

Care

Experience: Average for a started holder

Food: Live or dead prey. Main prey animals are amphibians, earthworms, insects, mice and fish

Feed adult: earthworms, insects, fish and mice. 2 times a week.

Feed young: cut into small pieces, rain worms, freshwater fish, insects. Almost every other day.

Water bowl: Yes bis so tey can swim

Change water: 3 times a week

Nutrition

There is the choice to offer the prey animals alive or dead. It is advisable to offer dead food. This is more practical and prevents the food animal from injuring your snake. In addition, it is advised to offer the food animal with a feeding tongs and to feed your hose outside the enclosure. This ensures that your hand is not associated with food and prevents you from grabbing your hand when feeding. If you do go for live food, you should supervise during feeding. this is because when two snakes have the same prey suits they can injure each other and sometimes even eat each other. The ideal prey is about as wide as the widest part of the snake.

Water

A spacious water bowl, in which all hoses can lie at the same time, serves as a drinking and bathing place and sometimes also as a toilet. make sure that the water is changed when it is dirty. They also drink that water.

Cleaning

A hygienic living environment is important to keep your Thamnophis healthy. To achieve this, the accommodation will have to be cleaned regularly. Cleaning once a week is enough. In order to prevent the build-up of bacteria, the entire residence must be cleaned and disinfected a few times a year.

Handling

This strain has a calm character and is usually easy to handle. nevertheless, there are some things to look out for when handling. First, never squeeze your hose while handling, because their vertebrae are fragile and can break easily. It is best to let your hose lie comfortably in your hand. Also make sure your hands are washed and don't smell like food. Finally, do not handle your hose when it is shedding or handle it in the dark.

Housing
Minimum stay size for 1 couple: 80x 50 x 50
Surface area: 0.5 m2
Daytime temperature: 24-28C
Night temperature: 18-22C
Hours of light: 12 hours
Humidity: 40% -60%
Ground cover: Newspapers, humus or sand

Before the stay there are some extra things that need to be paid attention to. The thamnophis is able to squeeze itself through small gaps. Keep this in mind and make sure that there are no small gaps in the accommodation for it to fit through. In addition, ventilation is required to keep the air fresh and it is advisable to place the accommodation out of the bright sun and as vibration-free as possible.

Behaviour

Hunting method: Strangling food.

Way of life: The Thamnophis marcianus are active all day. Garter snakes are generally more active than most other pet snakes. During the cooler parts of the day, garter snakes roam their territory in search of food.

Character

This species has a calm disposition, If garter snakes feel threatened, they will generally flee. If flight is not possible, they will defend themselves by threatening and if that does not help by biting. A final defense technique that garter snakes can employ is to empty the anal glands, often relieving stool at the same time. This releases a very unpleasant odor.

Points of attention

When purchasing, preferably choose young offspring. Wild-caught animals are often infected with (internal and / or external) parasites, they regularly carry diseases and are very sensitive to stress.

Cost and Purchase

Legislation: not applicable

One-off costs: This includes the costs for accommodation, lighting, heating, water bowl and decoration. Together, this can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.

Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is a few tens of euros per year.

Unexpected costs: Costs have been incurred if your hose accidentally falls ill or your apparature breaks.