Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. If you live anywhere in North America, chances are that you've seen a garter snake slithering past, whether that inspires a flinch, a scream, or the desire to get closer. Garters are relatively harmless, but don't try to pick one up. It might try to defend itself with a bite, or could struggle and emit
a foul smelling substance from its annal gland. Still in the world of snakes, the garter is among the world's most benign. They were thought until the early two thousands to be non venomous, but they do in fact produce a neurotoxic venom, although it's so mild and in such small amounts that it can't kill or even harm a human being. In many areas, garters are the most common snake in the neighborhood. There are about thirty five species
of garter snakes. They range in length from about eighteen to fifty four inches that's forty seven centimes, and can weigh up to about five ounces or a hundred and fifty grams. They're often primarily black or gray in color, with stripes all down the lengths of their bodies in gray, brown, black, or olive if you have dark spots. Garter snakes are shy and will avoid human beings and pets at all costs, living peacefully in harmony with you and your family. But
they are highly active and great for your garden. You might see them both at night and during the day, but you might not know they're there, as they'll slither away from you as quickly as they can. They eat all the pests that wreak havoc in your garden, subsisting on slugs, snails, insects, grasshoppers, and even small rodents, plus pretty much anything else they can catch hiding underboards, in vegetation, under logs, or among rocks and meadows, woodlands, marshes, and
along hills. However, garters do make good pets, mainly because they're active during the day, but you shouldn't catch a garter in the wild to keep as a pet. It could be against the law, and snakes that are breading captivity are much more likely to be dostle around humans and willing to be handled. Go to a pet store or a breeder, or get one from a rescue organization.
The internet has lots of tips for a first time snake owner setting up a home for a garter, and anyone who could sell or give you a pet snake would likely be glad to give you advice. But here are the basics. And Garter snakes can be kept in a terrarium with a secure lid, and the tank should
be longer than the snake. Snakes are escape artists, so that lid and perhaps awaited object to go on top of it is important, and garters often like swimming, so the habitat should have enough water, not just for drinking, but for soaking. A heat lamp or heat mat will help keep the snake warm. Decorate its home with rocks garters like to rub against them, and things for the
snake to climb on and hide in or behind. Garters also like to borrow, so deep loose substrate at the bottom of the tank is good, so you can use anything from shredded paper to coconut fiber to moss, and you'll have to change it regularly. The size of the snake will determine what sort of foods you should give it, and they don't need to be fed very often. Young or pregnant snake might need a meal every four or five days, but non pregnant adults can go about a
week to ten days between meals. Today's episode is based on the article the Harmless garter Snake It's your Garden's best Friend on how stuff works dot com, written by John Paritano. Brain Stuff is production if I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Playing four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.