Not corn snake related but I need help figuring out what snake this is!!!!!
 

So I live in western Montana and while walking around my apartment i found a snake near the heater. Yay for me! I caught it with a bowl and I don't want to let it go since its so cold out here I don't think it would survive. It's super small and very aggressive(although that's very understandable) The main native snake here is a rattle snake but there is no rattle or anything resembling one on its tail. I have an extra 10 gallon my corn outgrew, should i keep him for the winter or release him into the snow. What should I do? Any ideas to what kind of snake this is? sorry the pictures are bad. Any help is appreciated!!!!

I'm thinking gopher snake because of his blunt stubby snout maybe??

Or western terrestrial garter snake since hes so so tiny

Looks like some form of garter snake to me. :shrugs:

Maybe Dekay's brown snake?

That's what I'm thinking.

Don't release him into the cold right now. He came into your house to get warm.

I think it's a Garter Snake. I can assure you whatever it is, it's not a rattle snake or any type of venomous snake.

If you have a zoo or animal rescue somewhere in your area, they may take him off your hands. Otherwise, don't release him until the temps get up around 58 degrees or higher. If it is a Garter snake, they typically enjoy cooler temps than most of the other snakes, and will even take a swim to cool off.

You could try feeding earthworms, small feeder fish, and small frogs, as they eat those in the wild.

Good luck with the little fella, I hope he makes it through the winter.

I thought garter snake too but it doesn't have the dorsal stripe and only part of the lateral. Plus its belly is a really dark gray, is that common? He's a lot darker than in those pictures and his scales look kind of spread out and quite rough.

Do you think he'd eat pinkie parts? I doubt I can find earthworms this time of year.

Many pet stores as well as places that sell fishing poles will carry earthworms.