Can Garter Snakes Hibernate in Vinyl Siding?

Habitat

• Adaptable and hardy, garter snakes live in a variety of climates and habitats. They're found around ponds, along the edges of wetlands and streams, and in forests, fields, dry rocky regions and residential areas. They like to bask in the warm sunshine on rocks, woodpiles and stone structures. The only place you're unlikely to see a garter snake is in the water.
  
  

Dens vs. Shelters

• The ideal shelter for a garter snake is close to the ground, where it can escape predators and extreme temperatures. Boards, wood or leaf piles, cracks and crevices in foundations and siding, and spaces beneath decks and outbuildings provide this shelter.
  
  The space a garter snake chooses for its den, or hibernaculum, is different. Although garter snakes may use their dens for shelter, they must also provide enough warmth to sustain the snakes through extremely cold temperatures. Good dens have adequate ventilation and are neither too wet nor too dry. They must also be large enough to house several garter snakes at once, rather than just one. Often, the space behind your siding -- while making a great shelter in an emergency -- is not large enough or protected enough to serve as a den. It's more likely that a garter snake den is located in the cracks of your foundation, rather than the siding.
  
  

Hibernation

• Garter snakes hibernate through the winter in natural burrows, which they make either in log piles or vacant rodent burrows. Occasionally, in early spring or late fall, they'll come out of these burrows to warm themselves in the sun. Throughout the cold months, however, they remain dormant in order to prepare for mating.
  
  Some types of garter snakes migrate to the same hibernaculum each year. They hibernate in large groups -- as many as hundreds of snakes in one den -- so that in the spring, they're able to mate easily. Temperatures in the den must never drop below 37 degrees Fahrenheit. With ideal conditions, the garter snakes can stay in their den for about 16 weeks with no negative impact to their health. They prepare for this long dormant period by feeding heavily in the late summer and storing body fat.
  
  

Garter Snakes in Vinyl Siding

• Garter snakes will crawl into cracks or gaps that they find in vinyl siding but, unless there's sufficient space and proper conditions for several snakes to have adequate protection from cold winter temperatures, it's unlikely they'll hibernate there. A snake climbing out from behind your siding is likely hiding from a predator. However, if you notice several snakes emerging from your siding in early spring, they may have found a suitable den within the space behind the siding. In early spring, garter snakes stay close to their den for at least two weeks, venturing out only when it's warm and returning at night to avoid getting caught in a late frost that could kill them.