Snakes are fascinating critters that have bad reputations that they don’t deserve. I think this is because people don’t know and so they get scared and just assume. People assume that they are slimy and born mean and evil that they go out of their way to bite and chase you but that’s not true. I’m here to try and change the way people react when they hear the word snake!

First I am going tell you about the habitat garter snakes live in. Garter snake habitats tends to be near water - whether it’s a big puddle, a lake or a stream. They also like fields and marshy forest floors. Theses snakes are not tree dwellers, they like it better on the ground, however they can sometimes be found inter woven in a fence soaking up sun. A way to try to and avoid or find them is by their diet. Their diet is codependent with their habitat. Their diet consists of amphibians: frogs and salamanders, small fish, earthworms’ sometimes small rodents and lots of other insects. As you can plainly see garter snakes are not what you’d call picky eaters!

Next I am going to tell you about their temperament. There are fairly docile snakes but when angered harmed or scared may try to bite or strike, but tend to calm down and relax after you hold them for a few minutes. They will also release a foul smelling musk when caught in the wild, but it does wash out, and they only release it once and then calm down. If you decide to keep one as a pet hold them on a regular basis and they will stay calm and sometimes fall asleep while being held. Boy snakes also tend to be calmer than girl snakes but not always.

Finally I am going to tell you why I think garter snakes make good pets. Some of the reasons they make good pets are because they stay relatively small and manageable. They only get between 3 and 4 feet in length and about as wide as a quarter. They are one of the most desired snakes in the pet trade and by breeders because of the variety of colors they come in. Some are red, black and blue like the San Francisco garter, or neon blue and black like the Puget sound garter. They also come in jet black, brown, red, albino, and hundreds more colors. These snakes are also very calm and easy to handle. They are not picky with food so are easy to feed. Last but not least, Garters don’t need much when it comes to a cage, however they are good escape artists so keep them well contained. I suggest before getting your garter snake you do some research about the sub-breed you want, and what habitat and food it needs before you actually get the snake. After you have done your homework, get your new snake and enjoy your new friend!

In conclusion, I hope I have changed your mind or removed some of the scary mystery about garter snakes for you, I also hope that maybe you learned something from this paper that you did not know before.