Garter snake in basement

Question
QUESTION: Saw an 18" Garter snake in basement 1 mnth ago. Again last wk, but then could not locate it to get it outside before cold temps. Located it yesterday but lost track of it again today. Left a cut up thawed pinkie nearby, 24 hrs ago, it has not eaten it. Know bad to feed if it is going to hibernate. Floor temp is currently 61 F. Want to keep it alive til spring. Should I continue to leave out food? How long should food be left in the area before removing? The area it is in has two furnaces and full of potted plants and other stuff to hide under. Trying to keep cats out of the area. It is not likely to find live mice. There are a few moist spots & small pile of wood for burning. Also have a large dog dish of water in area, previously used by cats & some cat food. Any suggestions/help appreciated.

ANSWER: Hi Lois,
   I admire your effort in helping this little garter out. I'd continue to leave food out for another week or two and see if he takes the bait. Chances are, he will be okay. I have lost several snake IN my house and they always find a way out, not sure how, but they would have decomposed if they died. My guess is that they made it under the house and found some mice. You might also putting some flour down along the edges and see if you can track him down. Good luck!

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QUESTION: Kevin, thanks for quick response! Several more ?'s. How long should a thawed pinkie be left before it would be "bad" for snake to eat? Local pet store was out of earthworms/night crawlers, will try to get some. Also understand slugs would be good. Let me know if that is correct. May be able to find some in the leaves the next warm day. Is the flour to watch for movement? If snake can be caught (Okay, if I can get the nerve up to try to catch it), would it stress it too much to put in a 50 gal aquarium, just to keep track of it & away from the cats? Could put in some wood and some place to hide. Any suggested simple reading on how to make it most comfortable & reduce the stress til spring? And how warm would it need to get before he should be placed back outside? Presumably it is a regular snake seen several times a yr in the yard which has been named Izzy, "Is he there, or is he not". They can really startle me but I do respect them! Thanks for you help!

ANSWER: Lois,
  Yes, it is correct that garters often eat slugs and worms. That is what they eat in the wild, but some will also eat pinky mice. I would guess that a pinky would be good for about 18 to 24 hours at 61 degrees. After that, it is probably a good idea to get rid of them (ziplock bag then into the trash).

Don't be afraid of garters. They will bite you, but are harmless. The worst thing they do is poop on you. It is a defense mechanism that they use quite often. The flour is used to track the snakes movement and you can count on him getting in to a warm place. He would be fine in a big aquarium if you can get him to eat. Wood makes a good place for a hide. Google "garther snake care sheet" and you should have ample info to keep your new friend healthy. Let me know when you find him!

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QUESTION: Hi Kevin, the little garter snake has been found! Placed it in a 50 gal aquarium, half is covered by glass, the other half a screen w/wood holding it down. Aspen shavings on one half w/large dish for water. Using wood to block off the other half which is just glass for now. He didn't seem to like shavings, so thinking of putting some pea gravel & smaller rocks on the other side. Cleaned the pea gravel earlier in the yr to place in the bottom of flower pots. It is hardware store bought. Should I clorox or bake to sterilize it before putting in w/snake? Or just rinse off? Is there something else I should use, like garden dirt? If so, should that be sterilized? Got a heater for a 30/40 gal. Recommended to put on side, but wondering if it will provide enough warmth there. Option to put on bottom but need to make sure gravel/dirt/snake carpet is down. We put two feeder fish in the water last night & looks like he ate one. He slept the night in a small box, though he is hiding behind a piece of wood, on the glass at the moment. Put an opaque beverage container in with some gravel and lid w/flip top to see if that would work. Need something that when he is in it, I'll be comfortable closing up briefly while I clean/feed. He is not really happy about being confined, though I'm sure it is for the best, at least until spring. His tail seems a little damaged, and a little further up, hoping the anus area isn't injured. How long should it take to defecate? No idea what snake poo should look like. There were trails of blood in the basement back in Oct, we thought it might of have been from a mouse the cats found, would a snake bleed that much if injured? We saw the snake for the first time a couple days after we noticed the blood, but not long enough or close enough to notice if injured. His tail looks like it is ready to drop off, very thin. Is that natural/common?

Thanks!

Answer
Lois,
  That is great to hear. I will attach a garter snake care sheet to the end of this post.

I would stick to the aspen as it is 100% safe. The under tank herater will be fine, just make sure he has a hide over and off of the heater. I would think that he will defaecate within 2 weeks. Since it is hibernation time, his metabolism is slower than in summer. I am not sure how much he would bleed, but if he has made it this far, I'd say he will be okay. Snake poo can range from looking like a human's to hard and very white (uratic acid). The garters I have captured always had runny poo and were happy to share it with me! I can't give you an opinion on the tail without seeing it, but if it does drop off, no big deal. I slammed my Macklot's python's tail in the enclosure and she lost it. She pays me back by biting me every time I come around. You are doing a lot for this little guy and it sounds like you are being careful. I am sure he will be okay and would thank you for it if he could. Where did you find him?

Here is the link to the care sheet:
http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/576.html