WEBVTT - How Do Garter Snakes Work? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.480 Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey 0:00:06.559 --> 0:00:10.600 brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. If you live anywhere in 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:14.000 North America, chances are that you've seen a garter snake 0:00:14.120 --> 0:00:18.759 slithering past, whether that inspires a flinch, a scream, or 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:22.720 the desire to get closer. Garters are relatively harmless, but 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:25.000 don't try to pick one up. It might try to 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:27.960 defend itself with a bite, or could struggle and emit 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:32.040 a foul smelling substance from its annal gland. Still in 0:00:32.080 --> 0:00:34.519 the world of snakes, the garter is among the world's 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:38.040 most benign. They were thought until the early two thousands 0:00:38.040 --> 0:00:40.800 to be non venomous, but they do in fact produce 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:44.200 a neurotoxic venom, although it's so mild and in such 0:00:44.240 --> 0:00:46.720 small amounts that it can't kill or even harm a 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.640 human being. In many areas, garters are the most common 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.479 snake in the neighborhood. There are about thirty five species 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:56.280 of garter snakes. They range in length from about eighteen 0:00:56.320 --> 0:01:00.480 to fifty four inches that's forty seven centimes, and can 0:01:00.520 --> 0:01:02.760 weigh up to about five ounces or a hundred and 0:01:02.760 --> 0:01:06.639 fifty grams. They're often primarily black or gray in color, 0:01:06.959 --> 0:01:11.080 with stripes all down the lengths of their bodies in gray, brown, black, 0:01:11.240 --> 0:01:15.679 or olive if you have dark spots. Garter snakes are 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:18.760 shy and will avoid human beings and pets at all costs, 0:01:18.959 --> 0:01:21.880 living peacefully in harmony with you and your family. But 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:25.520 they are highly active and great for your garden. You 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:27.840 might see them both at night and during the day, 0:01:27.880 --> 0:01:30.080 but you might not know they're there, as they'll slither 0:01:30.120 --> 0:01:33.360 away from you as quickly as they can. They eat 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:36.360 all the pests that wreak havoc in your garden, subsisting 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:40.920 on slugs, snails, insects, grasshoppers, and even small rodents, plus 0:01:40.959 --> 0:01:44.399 pretty much anything else they can catch hiding underboards, in vegetation, 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:48.000 under logs, or among rocks and meadows, woodlands, marshes, and 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:53.640 along hills. However, garters do make good pets, mainly because 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:56.560 they're active during the day, but you shouldn't catch a 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.040 garter in the wild to keep as a pet. It 0:01:59.080 --> 0:02:01.520 could be against the law, and snakes that are breading 0:02:01.560 --> 0:02:04.640 captivity are much more likely to be dostle around humans 0:02:04.720 --> 0:02:07.320 and willing to be handled. Go to a pet store 0:02:07.400 --> 0:02:09.640 or a breeder, or get one from a rescue organization. 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:13.919 The internet has lots of tips for a first time 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:16.360 snake owner setting up a home for a garter, and 0:02:16.400 --> 0:02:18.360 anyone who could sell or give you a pet snake 0:02:18.400 --> 0:02:21.080 would likely be glad to give you advice. But here 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.880 are the basics. And Garter snakes can be kept in 0:02:23.919 --> 0:02:26.800 a terrarium with a secure lid, and the tank should 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:30.720 be longer than the snake. Snakes are escape artists, so 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:33.440 that lid and perhaps awaited object to go on top 0:02:33.480 --> 0:02:37.359 of it is important, and garters often like swimming, so 0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:39.960 the habitat should have enough water, not just for drinking, 0:02:40.080 --> 0:02:43.079 but for soaking. A heat lamp or heat mat will 0:02:43.120 --> 0:02:47.440 help keep the snake warm. Decorate its home with rocks 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.040 garters like to rub against them, and things for the 0:02:50.040 --> 0:02:54.000 snake to climb on and hide in or behind. Garters 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:57.239 also like to borrow, so deep loose substrate at the 0:02:57.240 --> 0:02:59.359 bottom of the tank is good, so you can use 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:02.720 anything from shredded paper to coconut fiber to moss, and 0:03:02.840 --> 0:03:05.440 you'll have to change it regularly. The size of the 0:03:05.440 --> 0:03:07.680 snake will determine what sort of foods you should give it, 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:10.800 and they don't need to be fed very often. Young 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.040 or pregnant snake might need a meal every four or 0:03:13.080 --> 0:03:15.880 five days, but non pregnant adults can go about a 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:24.359 week to ten days between meals. Today's episode is based 0:03:24.400 --> 0:03:27.040 on the article the Harmless garter Snake It's your Garden's 0:03:27.080 --> 0:03:29.520 best Friend on how stuff works dot com, written by 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.640 John Paritano. Brain Stuff is production if I Heart Radio 0:03:32.760 --> 0:03:34.840 in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and it's 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:38.040 produced by Tyler Playing four more podcasts my heart Radio, 0:03:38.280 --> 0:03:40.960 visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 0:03:41.000 --> 0:03:42.360 you listen to your favorite shows.