Garter Snake Attitude Change

[valhalha30]

I am 99.99999999% sure of why it's behaving the way it is.
I've been around a lot of wild snakes in various seasons... even in winter, (shockingly enough) and came upon very relaxed snakes when the temps were cool/cold even though the specific species would most likely be pre-dispositioned for aggression.
I also was told by a friend of mine who owns over 200 snakes (hots and regular snakes) that ALL of his snakes become very complaciant over the winter, even if they are typically super aggressive. But as soon as the weather gets warmer, they go back to being active/aggressive... or as he says, " the snake's normal behaviour"

It's warming up outside, and during the cooler months, and even days, they will be much more relaxed and laid back. But once spring arrives and breeding season arrives, they get incredibly hard to handle and deal with. They become very aggressive, what seems like spontaniously.
Reason why I came to this line of thought:
"For the first few weeks handling our charge was a challenge - we were bitten, musked, hissed at, there were many attempts at escape, etc. - but over the winter things got better. While not as chilled as our BP's or boa's, our garter would tolerate short handling sessions. With the warmer weather our little garter has suddenly backslid and is almost aggressive, especially during feeding. I'm not worried about getting bitten - I've been nailed by much larger snakes - but was wondering if this was normal. At first we thought the aggression was because s/he was too hungry on the same weekly feeding schedule as our other snakes, but feeding slightly smaller meals twice a week didn't change anything. We were also thinking that other garters would be active outside with the warmer weather, and with breeding season starting maybe that could be it?" - bcr229

Long story short, it's completely normal. Especially for a wild snake ^_^

Hope this helped!