Hey! I'm a newb!

[frankenspud]

Hi everyone! I just joined today and am new to keeping thamnophis. I've lived in Connecticut my entire life so I am certainly no stranger to the eastern garter- having an interest in herps from a very young age- I've definitely seen/captured my share. Until recently however, I have never kept any thamnophis. This all changed a couple of weeks ago when the pet store where I'm currently employed got in a reptile shipment including two baby albino checkered garters. With their pink and yellow pattern and ruby like eyes- I knew as soon as I saw them they were coming home with me. I'm looking forward to checking out the site and learning from you veterans how best to care for my new charges. I'm posting a couple of pics of their vivarium. It's a 10 gallon aquarium with natural stone, grapewood, a maple branch, dry eco-earth substrate, sterilized sheet moss and some sterilized and dried oak leaves for leaf litter. Thanks guys.49314932493349344935

[infernalis]

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

[mikem]

Welcome! I like your set up :cool: Just make sure your little garter can't get stuck underneath anything or that nothing will fall on it.

[guidofatherof5]

Good advice Mike.

Welcome to the forum.
Here's a link to the care sheet which is always a good read.
Garter Snake Forum - Garter Caresheet (http://www.thamnophis.com/index.php?page=caresheet)

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//744/medium/welcome.jpg

[frankenspud]

oh yeah....the plants are plastic

[frankenspud]

thanks Mike. no worries about the set up...everything is wedged in nice and tight

[Invisible Snake]

Heyyyy welcome to the forum, sweet set-up btw.

[frankenspud]

thanks, already read it and I agree-it is a good read

[Didymus20X6]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/welcome-lounge/4500d1332817250-just-saying-hi-t9i0px.jpg

[frankenspud]

thank you

[katach]

Welcome to the forum family!

[EasternGirl]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Very nice set-up you have. Just make sure with those albinos that your lights do not have any UV in them and if they are giving off heat, you may want to move them so that the heat is concentrated on one side of the enclosure. You want to have a warm side and a cool side so that the snakes can thermoregulate. Make sure to keep the water dish on the cool side. How are the albinos handling the light? My albinos do not like regular light...I use red and black light bulbs for mine. Some people use regular light for their albinos, however, and the snakes do fine...just as long as there is no UV in the bulb. :)

[chris-uk]

Welcome aboard.

[gregmonsta]

Greetings :D

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

[frankenspud]

Thanks EasternGirl. You raise some excellent points. The lights are not uv and only one provides heat(on the left). I may be new to keeping thamnophis but I've been keeping herps for many years so I know my way around a viv.:D like you, I was concerned about the lights at first but they don't seem to be bothered by them in the least. Keeping albino specimens of a diurnal species can be trickey and I would never keep an albino specimen of a diurnal lizard species which need to bask under uvb. Thanks again for your concern and compliments.

[Mommy2many]

Hey, is this Rory?
Glad to see you made it to the forum. Many great people here and everyone willing to help! Love your set-up and was great talking to you last week!

[frankenspud]

Hey Mommy2many! Yes, it's me and I'm glad to be here. Thanks for recommending this site- it's great. See you at the store

[Mommy2many]

Glad to have met you! Love your babies! They are really beautiful! Nice set-up.

[frankenspud]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro48wynQj08 here's a vid of the little guys

[guidofatherof5]

Hey, is this Rory?
Glad to see you made it to the forum. Many great people here and everyone willing to help! Love your set-up and was great talking to you last week!

Thanks Le Ann;)

[EasternGirl]

What I find interesting is how some albino garters don't seem to mind regular lights or even like them, and some albinos are very sensitive to them. My Iowa snow plains seems to like the light...he becomes more active if I turn some light on for him and we even play a little game in which I shine a little flashlight in his hide and he pops his head out to follow the light. However, my albino checkered is very sensitive to light...he hides if there is any light on near him and usually only comes out when the room is dimly lit or to bask under his red bulb.

[Invisible Snake]

Hey great video and thanks for sharing it with us, I also like your set-up it's very natural :)

[zooplan]

Welcome to the forum!

[mikem]

Great video! I use peanut butter lids too ;)