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Very UNUSUAL garter...

Allison

Allison

Well-known member
Hey everyone,

I was walking along a trail tonight when this little fellow/gal popped out from under the brush. My first thought was "Oh look, a garter" until I got a little closer to look. Needless to say I allowed myself to be musked into oblivion to get a closer look at him/her.

Does anyone know what to call this? I have seen it in corns but I can't remember the term. Piebald seems incorrect because the snake is distinctly blue in the disrupted areas. Perhaps this is due to a disease or sickness?

I believe it is a simple Terrestrial Garter (Thamnophis elegans), which is about the only snake found in my neck of the woods. :shrugs: Either way, I think it is a really exciting find.

ANY input would be great, tell me what you think!!

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Hmmm... doesn't look like a disease. It would be really neat if it was a random color/pattern!! Any breeding plans?
 
VickyChaiTea said:
Hmmm... doesn't look like a disease. It would be really neat if it was a random color/pattern!! Any breeding plans?
Click to expand...

I don't think it is a disease either.. the scales seem perfectly normal in the "bald" areas. Perhaps a genetic disorder? It sure would be neat as a new morph if it was a gene.

As for breeding... not yet. I'm still waaaay to novice to start a project, especially with a species that I do not spend a lot of time with.
 
VERY interesting, Allison! Wow... So KEWL looking! Might be worth holding and seeing if he'll eat for ya.

Please keep us appraised of his status.

Intriguing!
 
Definitely something to hold onto. Garters usually adapt to captivity pretty well. Feed them worms, guppies, frozen silver sides(which you can find at the pet store with the frozen fish food), maybe some tadpoles, and to make life easier once he/she gets settled you can pretty easily switch them over to mice. Also DO NOT feed garter snakes gold fish, rosy red minnows, fathead minnows, or cat fish. These fish contain a chemical that blocks the absorbtion of vitamin B and can kill a garter in long run. The rest of there care is pretty similar to a corn snakes although they have a higher metabolism so they poop more and need to be fed more often, about 2-3 times a week(unless your feeding mice, then you can feed once a week). Good luck with him/her, its an awesome looking snake!
 
I agree, you should look into breeding it or sell it to someone who will. You may have found a new gene and it should be looked into. I wish I would find something like that. ;) I have a friend who buys snakes that are or may be new genes and he breeds them.. He has some cool stuff.. I don't know if he's into garters though.. lol... But that guy needs to be bred ;)
Keep us updated ;)
 
I agree with what everyone says about this gem with one caveat. You might want to wait for a shed to see if the color remains after the shed. It might be some dye that he got from somewhere!

Thamnophis.com is a good place to start. You might also want to show him to Scott Felzer http://www.albinogartersnake.com/ .
 
This is thinking out of the box, but could it be the calico gene in this wild snakes bloodline?

Another thing that popped into my mind was an old burn..????
 
"the calico gene" is a misnomer....it has been mentioned in corns, but genes are species specific, so "the calico gene" in corns would not be applicable in garters.

That said, looks like some sort of congenital "defect". The scales around the mouth and eyes show the strange color, but appear totally normal. DEFINITELY a keeper....see if the color stays after a shed....see if it'll eat. Garters are cool snakes.
 
Wow, thank you for the responses!

JimGERcream said:
maybe these guys could help you?! ---> http://www.thamnophis.com/forum

I have to agree with the others, I'd breed it or sell it to someone who's into those garters
Click to expand...
Thank you for the link, I will ask them what they think.

jodu said:
I agree with what everyone says about this gem with one caveat. You might want to wait for a shed to see if the color remains after the shed. It might be some dye that he got from somewhere!
Thamnophis.com is a good place to start. You might also want to show him to Scott Felzer http://www.albinogartersnake.com/ .
Click to expand...

Definitely a good idea. I was wondering what he would look like after new skin. I don't believe it is any sort of dye or yard poison because the scales seem so normal, as does his alertness. Thanks for the links, I'm headed over there soon.


Cornsnake124 said:
This is thinking out of the box, but could it be the calico gene in this wild snakes bloodline?
Another thing that popped into my mind was an old burn..????
Click to expand...

I was hoping it was a new "calico garter gene" but I am much more ready to accept a genetic disorder.. lol (Don't want to get too ahead of myself) As for a burn, I don't believe so. The scales are perfect, they are just strangely colored.

Drewby07 said:
That said, looks like some sort of congenital "defect". The scales around the mouth and eyes show the strange color, but appear totally normal. DEFINITELY a keeper....see if the color stays after a shed....see if it'll eat. Garters are cool snakes.
Click to expand...
His face is my favorite part... all scales are completely undamaged but are "splattered" with the color.
 
Allison, may I just say that you have a very pretty thumb.

Be very, very, quiet. In Arizona you need a fishing license to catch snakes and I'm pretty sure it is illegal to sell snakes that you have caught. Mr. Ranger reads this forum from time to time.
 
wade said:
Allison, may I just say that you have a very pretty thumb.

Be very, very, quiet. In Arizona you need a fishing license to catch snakes and I'm pretty sure it is illegal to sell snakes that you have caught. Mr. Ranger reads this forum from time to time.
Click to expand...


This is the best advice in the whole thread!
 
jodu said:
I agree with what everyone says about this gem with one caveat. You might want to wait for a shed to see if the color remains after the shed. It might be some dye that he got from somewhere!

Thamnophis.com is a good place to start. You might also want to show him to Scott Felzer http://www.albinogartersnake.com/ .
Click to expand...
GREAT FIND! I never found a garter like that when I was living in AZ. I would definitely e-mail Scott Felzer. He is on the forefront of breeding new color morphs of garters. I think he will like to see these pics. Keep us posted.
 
Hey Allison, a person to shoot and email to would be Scott Felzer. He would your best bet. PM me if you want his email address.
 
Yah, that is a wicked find, were i live we have melanistic garters, red sided, and normal, never found anything like that. and i agree with robbie, paradox.
 
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