Does my girl need a roommate?
Hi all, I'm still very new to snake ownership so I'm looking for some advice. I got my girl Diana (hybrid red-sided garter and California red-sided garter, one year old) on June 21. I did a ton of research before getting her to make sure she had everything she needed. She's in a 48"×18"×18" terrarium with about 3" of substrate, live plants, a swimming pool, a cool/humid and hot/drier side of the tank, the temp is kept between 70-90° across both sides of the tank, and the humidity is kept between 35-65%. She's got lots of things to climb around on and hide under.
Despite all this, I almost never see her outside her warm hides. If I walk into the room and she has her head peeking out, she'll retreat into the hide. I have a camera on her terrarium and I'll check in on her during the day and rarely see her. Her past two feedings I've gotten her to eat in front of me, but afterward she goes right back into her hide. The other day she was out and about and seemed curious, so I tried putting my hand into the terrarium and she immediately struck at me.
I'm wondering if she would be more comfortable if she had a friend. When researching before getting her, every website said that they *can* cohabitate wish other garters, but none of them suggested it would be better to have multiples. However, since joining this sub I've seen lots of advice to house multiple garters for their comfort. I would love for her to be more comfortable around me and to be handleable. I still have the contact for the breeder I got her from, and he would almost certainly be able to get me another her age.
I know that having her in a higher traffic area might help her acclimate, but I have cats and I'm afraid of them getting burned on her heat lamp. I'd also love if anyone with cats has advice for moving her into an area with cat access.
Thank you for any help, I'm just trying to be the best snake mom I possibly can ❤️