Pet Shops and Breeders! - Click here to distribute our care sheets for free!
Snake Care Sheets
Lizard Care Sheets
Turtle Care Sheets
Amphibian Care Sheets
General Care Sheets
WNYHS Home
Get notified by e-mail when new or updated care sheets are posted!
Wednesday, April 16th
April's meeting will focus on how to safely handle and present your reptile to the public. Please feel free to bring your own animal to show off.
Meetings start promptly at 8pm in the Alumni Room of Medaille College.
Annual Banquet
PLEASE NOTE: The annual banquet and recognition dinner will be rescheduled due to conflicts. The new date will likely be a Saturday in May, please contact a board member for more information.
Garter, Ribbon, Water Snakes Care Sheet and Information
Please click here for a printable PDF version.
Common Name: Garter, Ribbon, Water Snakes
Latin name: Thamnophis spp.
Native to: North and Central America
Size: Up to three feet in length
Life span: This group of snakes can live for 10 years or more with proper care.
General appearance: All members of the genus Thamnophis are slender-bodied snakes and are usually striped with a solid or checkered body. Males generally have a thicker base of the tail than females.
Housing requirements:
Enclosure: Most single snakes can be housed in a 10-gallon or 20-gallon tank with a secured screen top depending on the size of the snake. It is important that the enclosure is escape-proof as these snakes excel at escaping from their enclosures.
Temperature: Like most snakes, members of Thamnophis like a temperature gradient. The cool end on the enclosure should be around 70° F with a basking spot of around 84° F. At night the basking area should be turned off.
Heat/Light: It has not been proven whether these snakes require UV light or not, though they should be provided with an appropriate photo period. Basking areas can be achieved by using incandescent basking bulbs, infrared heat bulbs or ceramic emitters. Under no circumstance is a hot rock acceptable since these will often cause serious burns to your animal. Timers and thermostats can be used to control photo periods and temperatures in the enclosure.
Substrate: A variety of substrates can be utilized for these snakes. Newspaper or paper towels can be used, though many favor a more visually appealing substrate. Aspen shavings can be used as well as a sandy soil mixture of about 50% natural play sand and 50% potting soil. Cedar shavings should be avoided as they can prove to be toxic to your animal. New research has also proved that pine shavings may also have negative long term effects as well.
Environment: A suitably large enough pool should be provided for the snake to allow it to swim. A hide box should also be provided. Branches for climbing can also be provided,
Diet: These snakes eat a varied diet. Items such as earthworms, red worms, and other insects will usually be readily accepted. Fish such as guppies, sand eels and Lance fish can also be provided in the pool. An exclusive diet of just fish is not nutritionally complete and should be fed with other prey items such as earthworms. Many specimens can also be converted to appropriate sized mice.
Maintenance: Fresh water should be offered daily. If using newsprint then clean as needed. Wood shavings or a soil mix should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your snake or any cage accessories.
Other references or recommended reading:
Kaplan, Melissa. "Garter Snakes." Updated 17 August 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2003. http://www.anapsid.org/gartcare.html
Francis, Alan. "Maintenance of Garter Snakes." Updated May 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2003. http://www.gartersnake.co.uk/maintenance.htm
"Garter & Ribbon Snake Care." Teen Reptile Club. Retrieved 1 July 2003. http://teenreptileclub.freewebspace.com/custom2.html
For information about the garter snakes found in New York State see our Common Garter Snake Guide. For information about the ribbon snakes found in New York State see our Ribbon Snake Guide.
Remember that in many places it is illegal to take wildlife out of the wild without the proper permits from local, state, or federal authorities. Please do not release any captive reptiles or amphibians into the wild as this will disrupt the natural order of our environment. See our amphibian and reptile adoptions page for more information on what to do with unwanted herps.
Every purchase from Wormman.com helps support the WNY Herp Society!
Help further herpetology research and education by donating to the Marvin R. Aures Herpetological Grant