I need urgent help with my snake! (Resolved)

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I need urgent help with my snake! (Resolved)

Post by FJrocks003 » Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:11 pm

I can't go into to much detail but here's the story. I got I snake. I don't have I tank for her. I was forced to put her in an AIR-TIGHT bin that I am not allowed to drill holes in. I have been staying up all night for the past few days with her so I would never have to seal the bin. It is about 10 gallons and the snake is 2ft long. I don't know how much longer I can stay awake. I new tank is arriving in the mail in a week but I can NOT last that long. I also know that I would rather go crazy from not sleeping then have the snake suffocate in that awful bin. Would she survive the night if I sealed the bin to get some rest? PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME! THIS SNAKE MEANS THE WORLD TO ME AND I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET.

Edit - Thank you so much for all your help! The 30 gallon tank I was hoping for never arrived, but my neighbor helped me out by giving me a 20 gallon (long) instead. Because to snake was rescued I don't know how old she is or how big she will get but hopefully she won't get to much bigger, though if she does I will have to upgrade again latter on. She has 2in of aspen as substrate, a large water bowl in one corner, lots of sticks and rocks to climb on, 2 tunnels (made from paper towl rolls), and a 2 hides. I also made something out of old boxes for her. It is a ramp leading up to a platform (right bellow the heat lamp) with a built-in hut bellow the ramp and a shaded area bellow the platform. The tank has a screen lid with 4 clamps, a lock, and 2 20 pound weights holding it shut. I just took off the weights because I figured that was a little overkill. I was just a little paranoid because the first night in her new tank I woke up as she was slipping out of her tank. It was a real merical that I woke up when I did, after that I completely locked down the tank. On a different note, she has settled in well and has already made a huge tunnel system, and just today ate her first mouse! :D
Last edited by FJrocks003 on Mon Mar 23, 2020 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by Overmountain1 » Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:33 pm

I would think you could just set an alarm every few hours and sleep in between at the very least, but yes should be ok for a time.
I mean, basically, maybe 1-2x during the night you could open it up and freshen the air a bit. That small of a resting snake will not use a ton of oxygen, and maybe all night would be ok, but as I don’t know that myself, this is my best suggestion for you.

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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by wodesorel » Tue Mar 17, 2020 9:41 pm

Reptiles can end up with respiratory infections at the drop of a hat. If it truly is airtight, it is not safe to use for any length of time. They need constant airflow, they are not hermit crabs. It needs air vents, period.

I am also seriously concerned about escapes if you leave it opened. A snake of that size would have no trouble escaping a 10 gallon enclosure, and you won't find them again. They die without a water source in a matter of days, and other pets will kill them on sight.

If you can't house it properly, it needs to be returned or surrendered to a rescue.
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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by FJrocks003 » Wed Mar 18, 2020 7:16 am

I wasn't leaving it open without myself there but I was opening it every hour throughout the day for about 10 minutes. I know that I shouldn't have adopted her without having it's real tank set up but it was scheduled to come way before she did but it got delayed. I'm In a bit of a sticky situation but I'm I going to have a 30 gallon setup ready for her in less then a week now. Even then I can't "return" her because she was rescued from a neighbor who knew NOTHING about snakes. I have had reptiles before so I think I know what I'm doing. I'm very mad at myself for letting this happen. Someone else put in the chat some advise that I'm planning on trying out tomorrow. Other than the bin it's self does this set up seem right? She is a garter snake (not wild). I have two different hides, one smaller, big enough for stretch out in. There is a large water bowl and a bowl of soil with worms and slugs hidden inside (she seems to enjoy hunting around for them). I also have lots of rocks and sticks and even a tunnel for her to climb around in. There is a heating mat (borrowed from the hermit crabs until she gets her own) and a light over head. The substrate is shredded newspaper and paper towels mixed with wood chips and dried grass. Do I need anything else (other than the tank)?
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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:16 pm

FJrocks003 wrote:I wasn't leaving it open without myself there but I was opening it every hour throughout the day for about 10 minutes. I know that I shouldn't have adopted her without having it's real tank set up but it was scheduled to come way before she did but it got delayed. I'm In a bit of a sticky situation but I'm I going to have a 30 gallon setup ready for her in less then a week now. Even then I can't "return" her because she was rescued from a neighbor who knew NOTHING about snakes. I have had reptiles before so I think I know what I'm doing. I'm very mad at myself for letting this happen. Someone else put in the chat some advise that I'm planning on trying out tomorrow. Other than the bin it's self does this set up seem right? She is a garter snake (not wild). I have two different hides, one smaller, big enough for stretch out in. There is a large water bowl and a bowl of soil with worms and slugs hidden inside (she seems to enjoy hunting around for them). I also have lots of rocks and sticks and even a tunnel for her to climb around in. There is a heating mat (borrowed from the hermit crabs until she gets her own) and a light over head. The substrate is shredded newspaper and paper towels mixed with wood chips and dried grass. Do I need anything else (other than the tank)?
Glad to hear you were able to rescue the snake from the neighbor. I found this great garter snake care sheet if you want to check it out:

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Garter- ... are-Sheet/

I'd suggest getting her a UVB bulb and a heat lamp, so she has a basking area. The UVB rays will help with calcium absorbption. Otherwise, make sure you dust her food here and there with a calcium/vit D supplement. I have a tortoise and I use this neat little dome heat lamp from Zilla:

https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Reptile-Ha ... B009GHI32K

It uses mini halogen bulbs. You can choose from 25 or 50 watt. I use the 25 Watt and it heats the basking area up to 100 degs sometimes, depending on the room temp. It saves me energy and space and my tortoise loves it. I always keep an extra bulb on hand in case one ever blows out, but it never has.

Good luck!!!


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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:19 pm

PS- Here are some substrate suggestions from the care sheet:

"There are many substrates that will work for garter snakes. Popular choices are Zoo Med Repti Bark, Zoo Med Aspen shavings, newspaper pellets or pulp crumbles (Carefresh or similar products), Zoo Med Natural Cypress and Exo Terra Coco Husk like products. Substrates to avoid are sand, clay cat litter, cedar, pine or other aromatic wood products, or dirt from outside. Newpaper or paper towels can be used for babies but are not good choices for adults. Due to garter’s high metabolism, a deeper more absorbent substrate is preferable. Also, garters like to burrow, so it is good to provide at least an inch or two of substrate."

I've always used the Zoo Med Cypress mulch for my tortoise, and it works great.

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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by FJrocks003 » Thu Mar 19, 2020 4:10 pm

For the calcium could I use ground up cuttlebone?
Indigo, Fleck, Flame, Dilly, and our newest addition: Thunder
RIP: Bubbles (passed on Wednesday March 31, 2020)

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Re: I need urgent help with my snake!!! NOW!!! THIS IS VERY URGENT!!!

Post by CrabbyLover77 » Thu Mar 19, 2020 6:12 pm

FJrocks003 wrote:For the calcium could I use ground up cuttlebone?
I wouldn't see why not. Are you going to provide a UVB light eventually? If so, then you wouldn't need a Vit D supplement. If you're not doing the UVB light, then I would get a calcium powder with Vit D in it. Zoo Med makes a powder with and without Vit D. Image

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