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.
- 1 How big is a full grown garter snake?
- 2 How big around can garter snakes get?
- 3 Can a garter snake hurt you?
- 4 Do garter snakes stay small?
- 5 What is the difference between a garden snake and a garter snake?
- 6 Can I keep a wild garter snake as a pet?
- 7 How can you tell if its a garter snake?
- 8 Can a garter snake be a pet?
- 9 Can garter snakes get in your house?
- 10 How old is a 2 foot garter snake?
- 11 Do garter snakes move at night?
- 12 How big do female garter snakes get?
- 13 Where do garter snakes nest?
- 14 Do garter snakes like to be handled?
- 15 Are garter snakes aggressive?
- 16 Can a garter snake survive being cut in half?
- 17 How do you tell if a garter snake is a female or male?
- 18 How big is a garter snake egg?
- 19 What attracts snakes to your house?
- 20 How many garter snakes are usually in a nest?
- 21 Where do garter snakes lay eggs?
- 22 What can I feed my pet garter snake?
- 23 Can you pick up a garter snake?
- 24 Can a garter snake bite hurt a dog?
- 25 Can snakes enter a house through the toilet?
- 26 How do you lure a garter snake out of hiding?
- 27 What time of day are garter snakes most active?
- 28 How big of a cage does a garter snake need?
- 29 How long can a snake live without its head?
- 30 Do garter snakes go underground?
- 31 Can snakes chew through walls?
- 32 What to do if you run across a snake?
- 33 Do snakes feel pain when cut in half?
- 34 Are male or female snakes nicer?
- 35 Are female garter snakes smaller than males?
- 36 How can you tell if a garter snake is pregnant?
- 37 Does one snake mean more?
- 38 Will a snake chase you?
- 39 What do snakes hate most?
- 40 Where do garter snakes hide?
- 41 Where do garter snakes live?
- 42 Do garter snakes leave their eggs?
- 43 What time of year do snakes lay eggs?
How big is a full grown garter snake?
Garter snakes are usually 2-3 feet in length when full grown. However, Common garter snakes have been recorded in lengths nearing 4 feet. At birth most garter snakes are less than 6 inches long. They grow little from birth in the late summer until their first spring.
How big around can garter snakes get?
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.
Can a garter snake hurt 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). The snake uses its venom to subdue larger prey items, like frogs and mice.
Do garter snakes stay small?
Garter Snake Size
Females are around 3ft long depending on species and males are usually 2ft or less in length. They are a fairly slim bodied snake, males more so than females. Babies are very small, average size at birth is 6-8 inches.
What is the difference between a garden snake and a garter snake?
Many people call garter snakes – some of the most common, widespread and frequently observed snakes in North America – “garden snakes,” a reflection of their common occurrence in yards and farm plots. In other words, a garter snake and a garden snake are one and the same.
Can I keep a wild garter snake as a pet?
Wild garter snakes usually live only four or five years, but a well-cared-for snake can live for over 10 years. We don’t advise buying a wild-born garter snake, as they are shy of people and may never acclimate to living as pets. Catching wild snakes to keep as pets can also be illegal.
How can you tell if its a garter snake?
There are a few key characteristics that can be used to identify many types of Garter Snakes. Every garter snake has keeled scales and small heads with large eyes. Many species are brown or black in base color. They then have a series of lighter stripes running down the length of their body.
Can a garter snake be a pet?
Garter Snakes make ideal pets, especially for beginners. They are generally docile, easy-to-care-for animals with easy housing and feeding requirements. If possible, it’s always better to purchase captive-bred specimens because they are easier to tame and handle.
Can garter snakes get in your house?
Like all reptiles, garter snakes are cold-blooded creatures, so they are often found in locations that offer warmth and food. These slender snakes can enter your home through fairly small cracks. Garter snakes often snack on small mammals, too, such as mice, and small amphibians, such as toads and frogs.
How old is a 2 foot garter snake?
Age | Weight | Length |
---|---|---|
6 months | 2.3-2.9 ounces | 11-14 inches |
1 year | 3.7-4.5 ounces | 14-17 inches |
1½ years | 4.7-5.3 ounces | 18-25 inches |
2 years | 5.3 ounces | 18-30 inches |
Do garter snakes move at night?
Garter snakes are incredibly active. They come out both night and day. They are typically ground-dwellers, but they may also climb shrubs, vines, or trees to escape predators.
How big do female 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).
Where do garter snakes nest?
Garter snakes hibernate during the winter in large dens called hibernacula. These dens tend to be in relatively secluded and warm spaces, such as underneath a house or in an attic. Removing the snakes and placing them outside in the cold will most likely kill them, so you have to be careful with what you do.
Do garter snakes like to be handled?
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.
Are garter snakes aggressive?
Garter snakes are non-venomous, but can be fairly aggressive and will readily strike and bite, sometimes causing an allergic reaction in humans. If handled or attacked, they will release a foul-smelling musk.
Can a garter snake survive being cut in half?
The separated pieces of snakes and lizards may seem to be alive but they will eventually stop moving and die because their blood supply is cut. It’s impossible for cut vessels and organs and nerves to reattach or realign on their own.
How do you tell if a garter snake is a female or male?
Those with some experience may be able to identify males by the taper of their tails. According to garter snake guru Jonathan Crowe at gartersnake.info, males have longer and thicker tails than females. Female tails are narrower, shorter and taper more sharply.
How big is a garter snake egg?
Snake eggs are usually white, beige, or off-white and are oblong in shape. Their size can range from 1-5 in (2.5-12.7 cm).
What attracts snakes to your house?
- Mice.
- Leaf piles.
- Landscaping rocks.
- Dense shrubbery.
- Gaps in your home’s foundation.
- Bird baths.
How many garter snakes are usually in a nest?
Garter snakes give birth to 20 to 40 live young at a time, though Beane pointed out that litter sizes can vary greatly. “As few as five and as many as 101 have been reported,” he said.
Where do garter snakes lay eggs?
The young are incubated in the lower abdomen, about half way down from the snake’s body. Gestation is usually two to three months. Most females in the northern parts of their range give birth to from 4 to 80 young between late July and October.
What can I feed my pet garter snake?
A well-balanced garter or water snake diet consists of: Frozen/thawed rodents and earthworms, plus occasional feeder fish. Ribbon snakes will also eat gut-loaded crickets or tadpoles and do better on a varied diet.
Can you pick up a garter snake?
While garters are relatively harmless, if you pick one up, it may try to defend itself with a bite — a relatively harmless bite, but a nip nonetheless. It will also struggle and emit a foul smell from its anal gland. Still, in the world of snakes, the garter is among the world’s most benign snakes.
Can a garter snake bite hurt a dog?
A garter snake Bite is not likely to be dangerously toxic to your dog, some swelling will probably occur and if the swelling is too severe you should definitely take him to the vet to get treatment, but he should be fine otherwise.
Can snakes enter a house through the toilet?
Yes, but it’s not common. Sometimes snakes will swim up through the pipes or enter a bathroom through an open window or door and coil up in a toilet bowl in search of a place to cool down during the hot, dry summers. However, this doesn’t really happen in urban areas.
How do you lure a garter snake out of hiding?
You can try to entice them by providing them with hiding places (stacked rocks, sheets of plywood, or stumps) and fresh water sources (such as shallow fountains or ground-level birdbaths).
What time of day are garter snakes most active?
Considering they spend the winter hibernating, a potential run-in with a garter snake will most likely occur during the late spring and summer. These pests are also primarily active during the warmer hours of the day, like the afternoon, which is when they leave their dens to hunt and bask in the warm sunlight.
How big of a cage does a garter snake need?
(For example, an aquarium tank that is two feet long by one foot wide could house a snake up to three feet long.) A baby garter snake’s cage should be no larger than five gallons (and could even be half that size); in general, a garter snake less than a year old can live comfortably in a five-gallon tank.
How long can a snake live without its head?
If a mammal loses its head, it will die almost immediately. But snakes and other ectotherms, which don’t need as much oxygen to fuel the brain, can probably live on for minutes or even hours, Penning said. “Severing the head isn’t going to cause immediate death in the animal,” Penning told Live Science.
Do garter snakes go underground?
In contrast, harmless garter snakes and ringneck snakes will often burrow underground or find natural cavities (such as rodent burrows) to evade the cold. And they tend to stick in the same area. So if you see one in your yard, it may remain there for years.
Can snakes chew through walls?
Because snakes cannot chew or dig, they must gain entrance through small holes and cracks. Depending on their size, snakes may even be able to slither under gaps in doors. Once inside, snakes travel throughout houses inside walls, pipes, and around trusses.
What to do if you run across a snake?
If you have an encounter with a snake, give it the right-of-way. Do not attempt to kill the snake, just move out of the snake’s way. If you encounter a snake in the housing area or in your yard, call the police desk at 255-2222 and follow their instructions.
Do snakes feel pain when cut in half?
Once they are captured, their heads are often forced down and severed with a machete. Others have their heads nailed to a tree and their skins slowly peeled off. Because of their slow metabolisms, snakes remain conscious and able to feel pain and fear long after they are decapitated.
Are male or female snakes nicer?
Perhaps because of this, though, the females are often credited with being more aggressive than the males. Both are widely considered docile, but, particularly once eggs have been laid, the females do tend to be more sensitive and more likely to bite or lash out.
Are female garter snakes smaller than males?
While adult male and female garter snakes look alike, girls are typically longer and bulkier. Mature males average about 16 to 24 inches in length, while females reach about 30 to 36 inches long, depending upon species.
How can you tell if a garter snake is pregnant?
You can tell a female has become gravid when her skin stretches, spreading out her scales. A gravid female’s appetite will increase dramatically (I feed gravid females every other day) until a week or so before giving birth, when she’ll quit eating entirely.
Does one snake mean more?
Snakes are not social creatures. Contrary to common belief, they do not always travel in groups; instead, they prefer to hunt and live alone. So, chances are if you find one snake, there’s no greater likelihood that there are more around the place.
Will a snake chase you?
While dangerous, rattlesnakes (and most snakes in general) are not aggressive and won’t chase you. They only strike when they’re threatened or accidentally touched by someone who can’t see them while walking or climbing.
What do snakes hate most?
Ammonia is a common snake repellent. Snakes hate the smell of ammonia and won’t come near it. Soak rags in ammonia and place them in unsealed plastic bags. Leave the bags where you usually see snakes to keep them away.
Where do garter snakes hide?
Most garter snakes hide or live in dark places during the spring and summer when they are not basking. Check for garter snakes in fields, tall grass, under leaves, and logs. They prefer to be close to the ground and camouflaged in the grass.
Where do garter snakes live?
Range and Habitat: Garter snakes are common throughout the Southeast and most of North America and are found in a wide variety of habitats, including meadows, marshes, woodlands, and hillsides.
Do garter snakes leave their eggs?
They lay eggs and do not care for their young after birth. Two Midwestern types, garter snakes and rattlesnakes, retain their eggs inside their bodies until they hatch, imitating a type of “live” birth typical of mammals.
What time of year do snakes lay eggs?
The breeding season of most snakes is in the springtime from March to May. The breeding period varies depending on the species of snake. Snakes lay their eggs in the early part of summer between June and July.