Garters with kids

[ZZTalon]

Hey all,

I'm curious and would love to tap in to your experience. What have you found is the most handle-able/tolerant Species? Or is there one? Could you work with any garter to make them "kid-proof"......I've used corns for years with kids, as they're "easygoing?" and tolerate the occasional squeeze or weird holding. (Not sure what else to call it, other than the way people seem to hold snakes when they haven't held very many, or they have little arms/hands) So far, Garters seem a bit too.... fast? to let kids hold. I'm cool with them being a "touch only" snake, but as most kids ask if they can hold them, I'm curious about everyone's experiences, and whether there's a species I should focus on handling frequently.

Thanks!
Chris

[guidofatherof5]

I think you are right. Most garters are a bit to wiggly. This tends to make the holder hold them too tight. If corns are working I would continue using them.
I have some very docile garter as long as I'm holding them. For anyone else they are not as trusting and calm.

[Invisible Snake]

From my experience certain Sirtalis and Marcianus are more easily handled as sub adults and adults, I would let my cousins ages 4-7 hold the snake with their hands cupped. I would never let my youngest cousin hold a snake on their own for fear they would grip too hard. I also never let them hold young garter snakes because they would just fly off their hands.

[d_virginiana]

Males also seem much more wiggly than females. My female would be content to just sit in someone's hand for awhile. My male would almost definitely get away from a kid not used to handling snakes.

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

I think a lot depends on the snakes individual personality as well. My girl Failte would let a baboon hold her. She is just so completely easy going. Then I have Pumpkin who thinks she running a race if anyone else holds her. The rest range anywhere between the two.

[ConcinusMan]

Rubber boas are perhaps the most ideal "kids snake" on the planet. Pick up a wild one off the ground and they simply wrap around your hand and sit there. For hours if you let them.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G6CaWsSmiQo/T5rKxczaHgI/AAAAAAAADh4/zNKVV7v95dA/s1600/IMG_20120427_093216.jpg

I have to agree with Steve. Garters tend to be a bit quick, squirmy, and unpredictable. This could lead to kids being afraid of them, or to the snake getting injured by improper handling. The right individual could be an exception. Amy (T. radix pictured below) is so easy going that it was no problem letting my niece (7 yrs old at the time) hold him.

http://img863.imageshack.us/img863/6852/amy046large.jpg

[ZZTalon]

Thanks, all! That's kinda the feeling I was getting. My corns are kinda like that rubber boa. It's weird, like when someone holds them and they are scared/nervous, even the tamest ones appear to react differently, than to some one who can kinda "flow" with them and hold on loosely. I'm not entirely sure if it's the snake reacting, or if thier movements just become more apparent when they contrast with the somewhat rigid appearance of the nervous holder.

[Foxrun402]

I believe they can sense fear and it makes them cautious or act dominant... I have a T.s Parietalis and she is FAST! I have trouble getting her out when she wants to bask she will just dart and be gone in the blink of an eye! She even jumped from my hand to the bed once ( false strike that direction = jump ) and she was determined to get in my pillow case for some reason... I have let my nieces see her and feel her climb across their hand but not hold her... she is too young and fast... but im sure you could handle one near them if it trusts you it should somewhat trust them you would think...

[Selkielass]

My best handlers are my adult female T.Butlerii. they are small enough not to scare elementary school age kids, and they tend to hold on and twine themselves around fingers.
after kids are comfortable with the butlers, they are attracted to the pretty colors of my albino marcianus (male) who is about as laid back as any snake I've encountered.

Butlers are not a common species, and may be delicate when young (higher mortality rate than id like on the c.b. babies I sent out two years ago.)I but the adults are tough friendly little snakes.

[ConcinusMan]

Butlers are not a common species, and may be delicate when young (higher mortality rate than id like on the c.b. babies I sent out two years ago.)

Not surprising. They're T. ordinoides' closest living relative. The two species are almost indistinguishable from one another. T. ordinoides are very popular with kids in the northwest. They're much less intimidating than other garter snakes in the region.

[Selkielass]

I want to get a northwestern, just to see how similar their behavior is, but the only ones that have turned up at my local population reptile show looked almost identical to my butlers. Id like to get one that doesn't resemble my local snakes to avoid confusion.

Butlers twine and hold onto fingers. Nearly impossible to provoke into biting. Small species (20If inches) does we'll in small enclosures. Thrives on worms so easy to feed for the squeamish (no rodents needed. Low food bill.)

Brachiostoma- runny snake. Bit and drew blood repeatedly. Small species, but protected.

Young Puget sound garter- doesn't twine or hold on much. Hates to be squeezed or have movement restricted by any pressure at all. Fast mover when spooked.

Easterns- climb over hands, will wedge body in folds of clothing to feel secure and to climb for a better view, but don't hug with body much. Grow very large and may intimidate snake shy people. Big eater
Big pooper.

Marcianus- pretty colors, some will eat readily in front of strangers an
d even accept food from unfamiliar hands. May try to eat unfamiliar hands. May grow quite large. Big eaters and poopers.

[Steveo]

When looking for something calm for a kid, I'd suggest getting an adult snake that is already known to be calm. Some just never settle down.

[Selkielass]

Very true. The outer I mentioned above may never calm down enough to tolerate handling by unskilled hands without excessive stress- he has personal space issues children can't or wont respect. Great attitude tho..

[chris-uk]

My radix girl could probably be handled by anyone that was confident enough to want to, and she's robust enough for me not to worry about her "getting broken". She's the only one though.
I wouldn't want a child handling any of my others. The female Cuitzeo is actually much more handlable than most of the others now, and at 352g she's sturdy, trouble is she's only handled by me really (Char occassionally) so I don't know how she would be with other people. My checkereds can be quick and nervous. Blacknecks... I wouldn't even consider letting others handle, as I now regard them as "watching snakes". Male Cuitzeo is too nervous. Male radix is too unpredictable. And the infernalis babies are too nervous, quick and delicate.

I think it comes to individual personality rather than trends for a particular species.

[d_virginiana]

Garters seem to be okay with being handled by specific people rather than being handled in general. I mean, they're not difficult to handle if you know what you're doing around snakes, but mine definitely act differently around me than with people they don't know. My blind one will panic if he smells someone other than me in his tank, and refuses to go to other people's hands. Harley is much more active with other people holding her, but when it's me she's content to just wrap around my hand and sit there.

[ConcinusMan]

And I can get just about any garter to do that when they're cold. Temperature makes a big difference in how they react to handling. Something to keep in mind.