Garter snakes are among the most widespread snakes in North America. They prefer to live in grassy forest areas, often near water – but sometimes wander into people’s backyards.
Garter snakes can climb short walls, and even stairs, as long as they have gaps, rough surfaces, or small footholds to grab onto.
Snakes do not “stick to walls” like lizards; instead, they rely on friction to climb.
They’re likely to slither up a rock wall, but will struggle to climb smooth vertical surfaces (like painted drywall) or high stairs.
How Garter Snakes Climb Walls & Stairs
Like all snakes, garter snakes use their slender bodies, strong flexible muscles, and rough scales to climb surfaces.
How Garter Snakes Climb Walls
To climb a wall, garter snakes use a method called ‘concertina locomotion‘, where they grip the surface with side-to-side S-shaped bends and pull themselves along.
The scales on a snake’s belly are specialized to provide extra grip, allowing them to cling to rough textures.
Garter snakes can use gaps, or ledges on walls as footholds to climb, and often follow pipes, vegetation, or cables attached to the wall.
How Garter Snakes Climb Stairs
Stairs are more difficult for garter snakes to climb – but with determination, some snakes may successfully climb up a staircase.
To climb a staircase, the snake lifts the upper third of its body using the rest of the body as leverage.
Once the top part is on the first step, it will pull the rest of the body. The procedure is repeated until it reaches its destination.
That said, its important to note that a garter snake can only climb stairs if its body length is sufficient to get from one stair to the next.
In general, snakes need at least twice the body length in comparison to the height they want to climb.
For example, if the height between two steps was 8 inches, the snake needs to be at least 16 inches to be able to climb the stairs.
Garter Snakes Typically Enter Houses on the Ground Floor
Although garter snakes can climb walls, they are typically not very arboreal and will spend most of their time on the ground.
For this reason, most garter snakes that come into your house will enter on the ground floor, rather than up the wall.
Since snakes don’t dig, the only way garter snakes can enter your home is through open spaces.
This could be:
- Gaps under doors
- Cracks or openings in walls
- Pet doors
- Pipes
- Vents
- Any other space that leads to your house
If a window or door is left even just a few inches open, an adult garter snake can squeeze through.
In addition, garter snakes could hide in large plants or objects outdoors, and then find themselves inside, when these are transferred indoors.
6 Reasons Why Garter Snakes May Climb Walls Or Stairs
There are several reasons why a garter snake may climb a wall or staircase to enter your house. It may be searching for a meal, or even escaping a predator outdoors.
Here are 6 reasons why a garter snake may enter your home.
1. Search for a Meal
Garter snakes are carnivorous predators, that hunt insects, and small animals such as rats, mice, frogs, and lizards.
Trash piles, birds seed, or even uneaten pet food left outdoors, can attract mice, insects, and lizards which feed on the insects.
The presence of these creatures can attract Garter snakes searching for a meal – and these snakes may wander into your house.
Even if there are no rodents in your home, garter snakes may still get in, on their search for food.
2. Search for Water Or Moisture
All animals need water to survive, and garter snakes are no exception.
These snakes often slither into people’s homes in search of water, or moisture.
They may seek out leaky water pipes, or other damp areas such as sinks, toilets, or bathrooms.
3. Search for Shelter
Like all reptiles, garter snakes are cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals.
This means they cannot internally regulate their body temperature. Instead, their body temperature changes with the temperature in their surroundings.
In other, their environment is the main influence on their body temperature.
As the temperature changes at different times of day and night, they move around in their environment to regulate their body heat. This is known as “thermoregulation.”
When their body temperature is low, they move into the sun to warm up, when it is high, they move to the shade to cool down.
On hot sunny days, garter snakes can be attracted to the cool shade of your house, and may seek out damp areas to hide.
In the wild these snakes often hide in spaces under rocks, to escape the heat, and many areas of your home can provide a similar environment.
During cold months, garter snakes may enter your house in search of a place to overwinter.
4. Habitat Disruption
Sometimes garter snakes may wander into your home because their habitat has been disrupted.
For example, in areas that experience flooding, snakes often move to higher ground and may be driven into people’s homes, seeking safety.
In addition, human destruction of forest areas may also lead to these snakes ending up inside nearby houses, in their search for new shelter.
5. Safe Breeding Nests
Garter snakes often enter houses looking for warm, dry locations that are free of predators to nest and reproduce.
Snakes typically nest in dark areas of the house, so a dark basement or crawlspace can be used for nesting.
Unlike many snakes, garter snakes do not lay eggs. Instead, they give birth to live young, with each female having anywhere from 15 to as many as 40 babies per mating season.
Conclusion
Garter snakes are mostly terrestrial, but they are fairly decent climbers.
They may sometimes climb short walls or stairs, to find food, and to escape predators, among several other reasons.
However, they are only able to climb up short walls with rough surfaces, or footholds they can use to grab onto
They will generally struggle to climb up smooth vertical walls, or slick painted surfaces.
Hi, my name is Ezra Mushala, i have been interested animals all my life. I am the main author and editor here at snakeinformer.com.