Garter snakes come in a diverse range of colors depending on the species, but the common aspect in each is the three longitudinal stripes.You could spot most of these garter snakes in Canada, Florida, and North America. They are often kept as pets as they are harmless to humans, and their venom is of mild intensity.If you are a North American resident, you have a high chance of encountering a garter snake. This would sound like bad news for many, and for some people who have curiosity in-store, they would even get closer to the snake. If you belong to the latter category, then please be cautious! While garter snakes won’t harm you, they may still bite you, and that bite might itch or swell if you have any allergy issues. So, best don’t come in a snake’s way.Common garter snakes stay active throughout the day and are relatively active in various temperatures compared to other snakes, such as the ribbon snakes. These snakes, young and adult, hibernate from October to April, but during winter temperature, you may find them basking on rocks. Common garter snakes are also seen in hibernation in rodent burrows, cavities, crayfish burrows, stumps, or under some rock piles.The female garter snake begins mating in the spring season as soon as they come out from hibernation. The males leave the hibernation first and then wait for females to leave. Males then surround the females after they hibernate, and the males then give off pheromones that are useful in attracting females. After this process, the female finally chooses her mate for mating, and after mating, the female garter snake comes to an appropriate place with the right temperature to give birth. However, the males stay back to mate again with other available females. The females are known to have an ability that helps them store the male’s sperm until necessary, which means the female garter snake is not obliged to mate if she has found no males to mate.In the world of snakes, where a snake could prey even on humans or other young snakes, both males and females of the garter snake species are benign. Despite being termed as non-venomous, both males and females produce a neurotoxic venom in a small amount that is mild to a human but could be fatal for small animals that they eat as food such as worms, fish, and other insects.The length of a garter snake ranges from 8.11 to 53.94 in (46 to 137 cm), and they weigh up to 0.30lb.(0.14 kg), and you can recognize any young or adult garter snake with brown, olive, gray, or black stripes on its body. If you search the pictures of the garter snake online, you would even find some having dark spots along with the stripes, and what you also find in your Google search would be the 35 different species of the garter snake alone! All the species belong to the Thamnophis genus.Do you know that garter snakes are even kept as pets? Mainly because they are non-venomous, helpful in clearing out pests, and also easy to hold. However, experts recommend never catching hold of a garter in the wild because that could violate laws. Instead, you could visit a pet store or a breeder or adopt one from a rescue organization. Once adopted, you could feed them fish and other small insects, similar to what they prey on in their natural habitat. The garter snake can live in an artificial habitat in your home and may even hibernate if you adjust the temperature during the year.If you are keen on knowing about other animals and their dietary requirements, then visit our blogs on pigs’ diet and corn snake diet too.What do garter snakes eat?Garter snakes, both males and females, are known to eat small animals. The garter snake diet typically includes amphibians, leeches, slugs, earthworms, insects, snails, crayfish, other snakes, and small fish. Garter snake food also includes lizards, baby birds, and small mammals. The garters even consume a toad without any harm as they don’t seem to get affected by a toad’s toxic skin secretions.These snake species search their prey with the help of their spot on vision and sense of smell. Various hunting methodologies like craning, ambushing, and peering help them in catching their prey. All these techniques define the way a garter snake moves as it hunts. The garter snake’s quick reflexes and sharp teeth help it to immobilize its prey. The common garter snake has saliva that may be slightly toxic for its smaller prey, allowing them to handle the smaller animals while they eat it easily. Just like any other snake, they swallow their food as a whole.If you have it as a pet in your house, feeding a garter snake is simple as long as you remember these pointers. Firstly, feed adult faster snakes once a week and baby garter snakes every alternate day. Second, try feeding the snake comet goldfish; they like it. Lastly, fresh, clean, and chlorine-free water should be kept available in a large bowl at all times.If garter snakes eat small animals like amphibians, earthworms, and fish, do you know what can eat them? Well, the common garter snake does have a variety of natural wild predators that include shrews, squirrels, aquatic snakes if the garter snakes wander near water and shrews. The common garter snake then relies on its ability to camouflage for protection and flees into the water to avoid land predators. They also coil around to make them look larger, and in this state of mind, they are ready to attack and bite. In the worst case, if the snake is grabbed, they urinate on their attacker and release a very foul-smelling secretion too.Understanding common garter snakes is easy through their diets as the diets vary as a function of age, habitat, and when kept in captivity.The dietary requirements of diet vary from habitat to habitat. For instance, the Sierra garter snake is a huge, nasty snake, and these snakes live in central California’s aquatic habitats, so their diet range includes aquatic species. Thus, if you were to keep this snake in captivity, it would be challenging to feed them mice and even fish-scented mice that other common garter snakes have.Coming to diet depending on age, a garter snake’s size and age largely vary its food eating capacity. These reptiles would handle small prey, but they would also prefer large mammals to some snakes of younger age!When kept at home, Garters have certain limitations on their diet based on what they eat. Their preferences can be larger as you provide them with a range of diets. You could get pinky mice to baby garter if they are used to eating mice in their natural habitat in the wild, but if they don’t, then in captivity, you can train them to eat that.Are garter snakes dangerous?As you walk your pet dog, play with kids in the yard, or are doing some gardening, you spot a slender and small body animal slither away, and you become a little shaken up. Has it ever happened to you? Don’t worry; the good news is common garter snakes are not poisonous, and the only reason they could make their way into your house or yard was due to their slender body. But how would you figure out if it’s a common garter snake in the first place? How would you correctly identify the snake and ensure your family’s safety and security? Well, read on.Firstly, a common garter snake, young or adult, is not poisonous and hence not dangerous. These species are a natural help in controlling pests in your yard as they feed on small rodents like moles and mice. So, if you are suffering from any rodent issues, then the common garter snake can be of great help! Although we might warn you that the common garter snakes have tiny teeth that could give you a bite, treating it with proper medicine could help you get better. The only downside of their bite could be an allergic reaction to their saliva, or a minor itching or swelling could be felt. Cleaning the bite spot thoroughly would fix everything.Another crucial aspect to keep in mind would be the garter snake’s distinctive foul smell to ward off any enemies near them. You could also teach your children to stay away from any creepy crawlies in the wild, even if they aren’t poisonous.Do garter snakes harm humans?Walking in your backyard leisurely, you spot a patchy skin animal from the reptiles clan, quite a panicky situation, right? But don’t worry! These garters aren’t going to kill you. The fact is that out of the snake populations existing in the US, only 21 snakes have fatal bite fangs that could kill you, and small skinny snakes like common garter snakes are harmless. Let’s know more about the common garter snakes being dangerous to the human species or not.The common garter snakes, be it young or adults, males or females, have been classified as harmless to humans, and that’s because these snakes are non-venomous. The best part is that they will not bite the human populations unless provoked; however, if they are mishandled, all they would do is defecate or discharge musk. A little disgusting, but at least they won’t cause any serious injury, right?The reason why common garter snakes live with humans as pets is also because they don’t possess any venom. Many people in North America have adopted the common garter snakes as pets as they are easy to handle. Fun fact, the garters are also considered wrigglier than other snake species. If you or the store you get food for your snake is short on rodents, the garter snake would also survive on fish! Yes, just fish would suffice for common garter snakes in captivity.Unlike cobras, vipers, and rattlesnakes, common garter snakes have no poison. Still, some subspecies of garter snakes tend to have toxic saliva that is considered venomous but not to us humans! So again, not a concern if you get bitten by the garters. If you get bitten, then clean the bite site thoroughly to avoid infection. Immediately visit a hospital if you start having health issues like disorientation, vomiting, difficulty breathing, or nausea. Some people have allergic reactions, and swelling and itching in humans after a bite could be a health condition or allergic reaction. If you are not sure if the snake that bit you was a garter snake then, consult a doctor immediately.As a matter of fact, the poison of common garter snakes could cause your pet dog’s irritation, too, if you have one. If your pet dog and garter snake live in the same house, then keep an eye that the two don’t interact much and if there is some injury on your pup, treat it appropriately.Why are garter snakes good to have in the garden?The young and adult common garter snakes are called a gardener’s friend, and do you know why? Firstly, they don’t harm them, and secondly, they are a complete help to farmers in eating all the pests that create havoc in the garden. Read on to find more about these shy species of snakes that silently help the gardener by eating slugs and a range of other pests and live in harmony with you.This snake with stripes is often called a gardener’s snake because they aid the farmer by eating populations of slugs, grubs, grasshoppers, and other insects. A larger common garter snake would also eat mice. The best part is that the common garter snakes are shy and will themselves avoid your pets and you. All they wish is to live peacefully with you and your family.Garters are active animals during the day and night, and they are so swift owing to their slender body that you would not notice their presence in your garden. They would come out to eat the available food in your gardens, such as worms, toads, insects, snails, slugs, and other pests. They would even chew on salamanders, fish that might be hiding in vegetation, logs, stone walls, or in rocks in marshes, woodlands, and meadows.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for garter snake diet, then why not take a look at the crane fly diet or garter snake facts.
Garter snakes come in a diverse range of colors depending on the species, but the common aspect in each is the three longitudinal stripes.
