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Found Garter in Sisters Basment....HELP!

MyLittleGuyCyrus

MyLittleGuyCyrus

New member
HI all! Got a call from a freaked out sister-in-law telling me to come to her house NOW as she has found a snakein her basment and I need to catch it! After laughing and telling her to calm down my hubby and I headed over!

After we caught her she of course spewed her stinky juice (I was wearing gloves) I noticed her vent was very large and when I looked there was something red protruding from it.....it had a hole in it. Was that her womanly parts and she was ready for some action or is it something more serious? I know you can't give me a definitive answer but I will take your educated guess!

Also, I am in Colorado! I am guessing she came out of the wall to either find food or get a little.....not sure which! Anyway, should I let her go now (it's a bit nippy), wait until a warm front comes in or should I just wait until spring.
I have a hard time keeping a wild animal captive, but I am afraid if I keep her until Spring I will become attached and then I won't let her go! But, I really am afraid to let her go now cause of the cold and I am worried about letting her go when just a warm front comes in because I would still worry about her when it got cold again! However, if you guys tell me to cut her loose during the warm front I will!

Thanks!
Robin
 
well the red protrsion may be man parts the hemipenes can evert on or both because man snake have to sex organs. That is my guess hope it helps
DD
 
I've noticed on a couple female kings that I have that when they musk, _everything_ comes out...And garter snakes are musking maniacs! Garter snakes go to people's basements to brumate for the winter. If it's cold out now, and you release her, she won't be able to find a warm enough place to brumate. I don't know about during a warm front, can you find the right habitat, near water? How long will it stay warm? Long enough to find a place? If you keep her, I think they are pretty easy to get to eat minnows or- can't think of what they are called, rosy somethings, from the pet store. And you can let her go in the spring!
 
I used to find and keep garters all the time as a child only for a few months and then release them. My parents instilled wild animals should be kept in the wild blah blah blah so I always had to let them go. We feed ours goldfish, but I always caught babies and have no clue what an adult would eat. Why is everyone else finding nakes in their home? Seriously I live by the woods and never have had one come in my house, no fair!!
 
Nanci said:
I've noticed on a couple female kings that I have that when they musk, _everything_ comes out...And garter snakes are musking maniacs! Garter snakes go to people's basements to brumate for the winter. If it's cold out now, and you release her, she won't be able to find a warm enough place to brumate. I don't know about during a warm front, can you find the right habitat, near water? How long will it stay warm? Long enough to find a place? If you keep her, I think they are pretty easy to get to eat minnows or- can't think of what they are called, rosy somethings, from the pet store. And you can let her go in the spring!
Click to expand...


Part of me wants to keep her, but I know I shouldn't. My hubby definatley doesn't want to keep her and neither do my kids.....I am alone in my quest!

Anyway, it is going to be in the 60's today through Wednesday and in the 50's Thrus. and Friday! I do have an open space my house....I call it the swamp lands. I know snakes live in there, I have seen them! There is also a man made pond in that area too!

Should I let it go? I think she would be ok in that area! Geez, here I am stressed about a garter snake and her well being! What have you people turned me into. The old me wouldn't have even gone to get it from my sisters house much less give a rats booty what happens to it! *sigh*
 
I would wait for a mild day and let her go close to where you found her (but outside of course) she will know where the burrows are that she can get protection from the cold in. If you take her somewhere unfamiliar to her then it will be more of a risk she might freeze. If they don't want her released near their house I would keep her til it warms up and try fish or worms for food - have never kept a garter before though (I don't like the musk ;) )
 
You're not "keeping her" you're boarding her for a short time. Why don't your kids like her? That was the first snake I ever caught- when I was a kid, I _lived_ to catch garters!

My daughter has a WC leopard frog- I don't remember why, but when she got him, it was too cold in Minnesota to release him. So apparently he's quite a character and the whole family has become attached to him. I don't know if he'll be leaving in the spring or not! Frogs are a lot easier to relocate than snakes, though- all they need is the correct habitat, they don't have to be able to find their way around fast.
 
My son could care or lessif we keep it. He doesn't pay much attention to my sweet Cyrus. My daughter, who loves Cyrus and loves to hold him, told me we already had a snaka and she saw no reason to have another one. I think she is caught up on the fact that it is wild.....she is 7. My husband, well, he didn't even want me to get Cyrus. He has come along way though.....in the beginning he wouldn't even hold him, but now he will!

I am so confused....I really am a firm believer in leaving the wild to the wilds.....but she is really sweet. When I caught her she just coiled up around my hand. She never tried to bite or nothing. When I put her in a 10 gallon viv (as opposed to the steralite shoe box I brought her home in) she didn't even musk at me. I weighed her and she is 76 grams. CONFUSION....CONFUSION!

Ya know, I caught a dog running in the same open space I have debated letting the snake go. I caught him with the intention of finding his owner....2.5 years later Oreo is MY dog and I'll be danged if anyone tries to take him away from me! I am not good at catching things and then releasing them...i love animals more then people and I get easily attached....so, if I do keep him until Spring there is an excellent chance I won't do it.....is it possible to give a garter a good home in captivity?
 
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