Short-tail alpine garter snake (Thamnophis scaliger)

Short answers

Short-tail alpine garter snake: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 70×40×30 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, garter snakes; for a small group rather 100×50×50 cm).

Short-tail alpine garter snake: What temperature does it need?

Basking spot Basking spot 30–35 °C, at night 12–20 °C.

Short-tail alpine garter snake: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Recommended (UVB tube above the basking spot; gravid females bask a lot).

Short-tail alpine garter snake: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 8–10 years (estimate; captive animals still breeding at over 6 years).

Short-tail alpine garter snake: Is it suitable for beginners?

No – better suited to experienced keepers (difficulty: Expert).

Climate

Daytime temperature

18–28 °C

Night temperature

12–20 °C

Basking spot

Basking spot 30–35 °C

Humidity

50–65 % (warm side dry, cool side slightly moist)

UVB

Recommended (UVB tube above the basking spot; gravid females bask a lot)

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 70×40×30 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, garter snakes; for a small group rather 100×50×50 cm)

Substrate

Warm side dry with wood chips and some coco humus, cool side thicker, slightly moist coco humus for burrowing; rocks, bark and moss as hides, a small water bowl

Feeding

Food

Earthworms (Lumbricus only, no Dendrobaena), plus thawed pinkie mice and low-thiaminase fish with vitamin B1; in the wild almost exclusively earthworms, rarely tadpoles

Feeding interval

adults 1×/week, juveniles more often

Key facts

Adult size

40–52 cm (maximum just under 57 cm, females larger)

Life expectancy

8–10 years (estimate; captive animals still breeding at over 6 years)

Origin

The Mesa Central in central Mexico (including Jalisco, Guanajuato, Michoacán, México state), about 2100–2600 m

Protection status

Not listed under CITES

Brumation

Short rest period of 6–8 weeks at 12–18 °C with a few hours of basking per day (colder keeping with nights of 1–10 °C has been tried, but the animals then disappear for weeks)

Cohabitation

Group keeping is possible (a small group of roughly equal-sized animals, e.g. 2 males and 3 females, on clearly more space than the minimum). Here too the feeding accident remains the risk: always feed singly, ideally in separate boxes.

Notes

Very little captive experience; the values come mainly from several years of keeping and breeding by a Dutch garter snake keeper and from field studies. An earthworm specialist with little appetite from winter to April – that is normal.

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Related species

• Ahumada's alpine garter snake (Thamnophis ahumadai) – Expert
• Bogert's garter snake (Thamnophis bogerti) – Expert
• Butler's garter snake (Thamnophis butleri) – Intermediate
• Cope's mountain meadow snake (Thamnophis copei) – Expert
• Fox's mountain meadow snake (Thamnophis foxi) – Expert
• Yellow-throated garter snake (Thamnophis pulchrilatus) – Expert
• Common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) – Beginner
• Godman's garter snake (Thamnophis godmani) – Expert

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Short-tail alpine garter snake (Thamnophis scaliger) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 70×40×30 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, garter snakes; for a small group rather 100×50×50 cm)), substrate (Warm side dry with wood chips and some coco humus, cool side thicker, slightly moist coco humus for burrowing; rocks, bark and moss as hides, a small water bowl), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.