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Temperate terrestrial snake

Garter snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Kept the same way as the California king snake, gopher and bull snake and corn snake, so they share one kit: the same heat, light, and humidity, sized to the animal.

Build a garter snake setup See the gear
Photograph of a Garter snake

Care sheet

What it needs

We have taken these figures from published sources and are still checking them against our own experience. Treat them as a guide, and ask us before you buy.

Basking surface
29 to 32°C Measured on the surface the animal lies on, not in the air.
Daytime air
21 to 29°C The cool end, away from the lamp.
Night air
18 to 24°C
UV index at the basking spot
1.1 to 3 Zone 2. Partial sun or occasional basker, thermoregulator
Humidity
35 to 60%
Daylight hours
14 h in summer, 10 h in winter
Winter
Brumation Torpid for weeks, through the winter.
Where it lives
Riparian or wetland
Adult length
46 to 137 cm
What it eats
Carnivore
When it is active
Diurnal
How it lives
Terrestrial
Typical captive life
10 years
Longest recorded life
14 years A record from the literature, not what to expect. Most animals live well short of it.

Our reading of the literature, not veterinary advice. Animals vary, and so do rooms, so take these figures, and any setup the builder puts together, as a starting point, and ask a reptile vet about your own animal. Where the figures come from.

From the catalogue

Gear that suits a garter snake

Chosen for temperate terrestrial snake. The setup builder puts the whole kit together, sized to the animal, with the reason for each piece.

Build the whole kit

Same care group

Kept the same way

Where it comes from

S Canada (incl. Northwest Territories, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Ontario, Prince Edward Island), USA (Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, NW Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, North-Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, N Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washin

Breeding: ovoviviparous, viviparous.

Where the figures come from