Say Hello to My New Little Friend!

[Susan]

Hubby seems to have good luck when it comes to finding our local wild herps. I came home from work last night to find this beauty snug in a snake bag. He was just sunning himself near hubby's greenhouse and allowed him to come close enough to catch him. He must have been really dozing as hubby said it took him a few seconds to realize what happened, but then gave hubby a good musking and a few bites. He had settled down quite a bit when I handled him, only trying to make a couple of fast breaks, and I've had corn hatchlings make better attempts.

Now for a few questions from those members who have some knowledge on keeping garters...I've identified this guy as an Eastern garter (subspecies of the Common garter found throughout a major portion of the US) and that it's habitat is usually in wetter areas (which isn't where he was found, by the way). It eats frogs, toads, salamanders, earthworms and occasionally small fish and mice. I will attempt a live mouse pinky or fuzzy today, just for kicks, but would like info on the viv requirements of these snakes, as well as any info on the success rate of keeping wc garters and getting them to eat the more readily available food supply. Hubby no longer has a small fish tank to keep feeder fish in (his arawana has moved up to the mice I breed for my snakes), but he does have worms for his other fish (an eel-type who will take F/T pinkies if we keep the big fish occupied on the other side of the tank). Also, my book says these snakes have a large range of sizes, which I suspect is due to the multiple subspecies. Do you think this snake is a subadult or a basically full-grown adult? If the husbandry and care requirements are such that I won't be able to keep this guy healthy, and/or I can't find anything that he will eat, I will release him back into the wild...unless someone would really, really like him for their own collection or breeding program. Any and all help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Nanci]

Ah, that's the snake I grew up on! He ought to mature out at about 36". What a beauty! I've never found one in Florida, but in Minnesota I found many in shingle piles, grassy fields, crossing gravel roads, and of course by water. Don't you love how they feel? So different from smooth corns.

 

[Eriathiel]

He's a cutie! I love the color!

 

[diamondlil]

I can't help with the ID or requirements, just had to say that's a gorgeous snake lovely portrait shots!

 

[Jcapicy]

I'd guess about 1.5 years old. They can be fed minnows and mice, though I'm not sure how well they go back and forth between the two.

Generally similar setup to corns with a little more water.

Never owned one personally so please double check my info before relying on it.

 

[Checkerbelly]

I grew up on those as well. Though ours were more yellow and black. Those are great pictures Susan!

As many as I've caught I've never gotten one to eat. Although I did put one next to my beloved anole tank when I was a kid and that snake went balistic trying to get at the anoles. And that was in Michigan. Anoles aren't even native. So that's what I'd try, especially since you're in Florida.

They can eat poisonous native toads as well.

Good luck!

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

Hello Susan's little friend. Nice find Susan. I know you can ask Joanna (Jodu) and Dean about them as they both keep Garters. Joanna has those great looking Black Necks and Dean has a couple of different species as well. Joanna was very successful in converting them over to f/t food items. Here in Maine they are found all over the place. I have found them in rock walls, brush piles, wood piles and crossing roads but there always seemed to be a good water supply close by. Maine tends to be a pretty wet state for most of the year so I guess it could be considered prime habitat. One thing about Garters, they seem to have one of the worst smelling musk of any snake I have ever handled and a bunch of it too. Again, great find and he seems to be in really good health.
Jay

 

[Bluebird]

gorgeous! wow, pretty color...I love those last two shots, very nice!

 

[Jcapicy]

The Petco by me in orlando has had a Canadian Garter for quite a while now and its growing like a weed. only 19.99 now so I'm tempted but think I may still with Pythons and Corns. It is black with greenish/yellow stripes

 

[jazzgeek]

Nice catch, Susan....literally and figuratively.

Also, bonus points for the "Scarface" reference.

regards,
jazz

 

[Roy Munson]

He/She's beautiful, Susan. If it's a female, it may not be full-grown. If it's male, it probably is (or nearly so). I'm no garter expert, but I've done a fair amount of research. Even though they often live in wet areas, I would keep its enclosure dry, but with access to a water bowl big enough for it to soak in if it wants to. You want a temp gradient, with the high temps probably a little lower than you'd want for a corn/king/rat-- maybe around 80*. If it'll eat mice, I'd use them. I wouldn't recommend going larger than the snake's girth at its widest point. I'd feed it that size every 7 days or so. It would need to be fed more frequently on minnows (ruby reds are usually available at pet stores)-- maybe twice per week. It would need to be fed even more frequently if you use worms. If you use mice, you don't need to use supplements, but if you use the other options, you'll want to supplement with vitamins and calcium/D3.

I've had great luck getting them to take mice by scenting the mice with minnows. I froze a bunch of minnows into a dense block, then I partially thawed the block at each feeding, swishing the mouse around in the fishy water. But I don't even have to do that anymore. They seem to be VERY opportunistic and omnivorous feeders. Good luck!

 

[tricksterpup]

Ah, that's the snake I grew up on! He ought to mature out at about 36". What a beauty! I've never found one in Florida, but in Minnesota I found many in shingle piles, grassy fields, crossing gravel roads, and of course by water. Don't you love how they feel? So different from smooth corns.

Nanci,
Sadly, since I have moved to MN I have not seen any except once and that was it. I have seen water snakes and Fox snakes but that is about it. My goal is to get some fox snakes and try to breed them in the up coming years.

 

[tricksterpup]

By the way Susan, Great Catch.

 

[Nanci]

Nanci,
Sadly, since I have moved to MN I have not seen any except once and that was it. I have seen water snakes and Fox snakes but that is about it. My goal is to get some fox snakes and try to breed them in the up coming years.

The place our cabin was at was near Annandale. So close to St. Cloud, on Clearwater Lake. But I've seen them all over the St. Paul suburbs area, too. Maybe you just can't find them because you're not a kid any more! You don't have the entire summer to devote to snake hunting.

 

[tricksterpup]

The place our cabin was at was near Annandale. So close to St. Cloud, on Clearwater Lake. But I've seen them all over the St. Paul suburbs area, too. Maybe you just can't find them because you're not a kid any more! You don't have the entire summer to devote to snake hunting.

I actually think its something else. I personally think that suburbia America is just growing to much and habitat is dwindling. All those nice fields in St Paul are gone and most of the country side is littered with Town Home complexes. Also with all these neighbor hoods needing to look nice use fertilizer and the snake's food supplies are vanishing. Not just that, Roads are becoming more and more packed, the snakes no longer have room to roam with out getting ran over by a car.

 

[Susan]

Thanks everyone, especially Dean, for all the nice comments and info! He/she is in a temporary container until I get a larger one ready (just needs to be cleaned thoroughly). I found a tree frog that I put in with him/her for the moment...as if it's going to eat the day after being caught and placed in a strange place, but heck, offer when I can find and finding tree frogs before the rainy season was just dumb luck (and how it got into hubby's trunk, I'll never know). I have enough frozen fish handy from when hubby tried them for his tanks so I should have no trouble scenting mice when I try to feed him/her in earnest. Slightly lower than optimal corn temps should be easy, especially now that Mother Nature is providing such a nice range to choose from. When I transfer him/her to it's more permanent viv, I'll see if I can perhaps determine sex. I hate probing, but will if I have to, but is guesstimating sex by the tail taper post-vent pretty mush the same in garters as in corns?

 

[Roy Munson]

When I transfer him/her to it's more permanent viv, I'll see if I can perhaps determine sex. I hate probing, but will if I have to, but is guesstimating sex by the tail taper post-vent pretty mush the same in garters as in corns?

Visual sexing of garters is pretty much the same as it is with corns.

 

[Susan]

Update

Well, this gorgeous snake has not only eaten a frog and a squid-scented F/T pinky, but has also shed. I'll be offering another meal tomorrow, but this time, at least 2-3 scented large pinkies. And my daughter has named him/her...Ferrari, which fits perfectly as this thing is FAST! The new skin and sunshine really bring out the blues and greens! I hope he/she continues to do well as I would really like to keep him/her. And looking at the tail is of no help in sexing this snake. I've included a close-up of the scales as they are quite fascinating and different from corn snake scales.

 

[Roy Munson]

Wow. "He" is looking fantastic! Great name; they ARE super-fast. I've had more "open tub" escapes from garters than any other snakes I've owned. Now, I usually open their tubs within a bigger tub to give myself a fighting chance. But sometimes I get lazy. That's how I ended up chasing my male black-necked around the dining room for a half hour a couple weeks back.

The scales close-up is awesome. That's a strong keel!

 

[CALIVIK]

What a beautiful snake!