Why do you think garters are so underrated and overlooked in the hobby?

[Invisible Snake]

Why do you think garters are so underrated and overlooked in the hobby?

[guidofatherof5]

They are small and flighty.
They are interactive and require more time.
They are considered garbage/pest snakes as they are so abundant in many areas (of no value)
"A real man wants a big snake"
They are not BIG money makers.
They are not understood.


They are the best kept secret in the snake hobby and I hope it stays that way. Even people that are "into" snakes don't like garters. Garter keepers are shunned by many of them.
It's their loss and our gain.;)

[Stefan-A]

What Steve said.

You can't use a garter as a status symbol and that doesn't sit well with a lot of people.

[Invisible Snake]

They are the best kept secret in the snake hobby and I hope it stays that way. Even people that are "into" snakes don't like garters. Garter keepers are shunned by many of them.
It's their loss and our gain.;)


I hope they get more popular, that way more scientists/herpetologists would study them, publish articles, write books on them and also ppl in general won't see them as pests or expendable pets and would get a better understanding/appreciation of them. Might also help with preserving their natural habitats, etc.

[Stefan-A]

I hope they get more popular, that way more scientists/herpetologists would study them, publish articles, write books on them and also ppl in general won't see them as pests or expendable pets and would get a better understanding/appreciation of them. Might also help with preserving their natural habitats, etc.
Thamnophis is probably the best studied genus in the reptile world.

[guidofatherof5]

Thamnophis is probably the best studied genus in the reptile world.

And T.sirtalis parietalis (Red Sided Garter) is probably the most studied species.

[Stefan-A]

And T.sirtalis parietalis (Red Sided Garter) is probably the most studied species.
Of that genus, yes. However, I am willing to bet that Vipera berus is still better studied.

[d_virginiana]

I'm glad garters aren't very popular in the hobby honestly. Their habits are ideal for people to go out and collect large numbers of them. I mean, I know they can do that with any species to some extent, but where garters are so common and tend to live and hibernate in dense numbers I feel like you'd see a big drop in wild populations if they suddenly became super popular as pets.

[Ctah_Lu]

They are small and flighty.
They are interactive and require more time.
They are considered garbage/pest snakes as they are so abundant in many areas (of no value)
"A real man wants a big snake"
They are not BIG money makers.
They are not understood.


They are the best kept secret in the snake hobby and I hope it stays that way. Even people that are "into" snakes don't like garters. Garter keepers are shunned by many of them.
It's their loss and our gain.;)


I agree, most of the people that keep snakes have them only to show how brave they are because they have big snakes.

[indigoman]

I agree, iam known as the " Garter guy" at the local reptile expo. I don't care that they don't understand my choice in herps. I like it that they are not in the commercial aspect and status seeking part of the trade.

[guidofatherof5]

I agree, iam known as the " Garter guy" at the local reptile expo. I don't care that they don't understand my choice in herps. I like it that they are not in the commercial aspect and status seeking part of the trade.

They are blind to the best snakes out there.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm glad garters aren't very popular in the hobby honestly. Their habits are ideal for people to go out and collect large numbers of them. I mean, I know they can do that with any species to some extent, but where garters are so common and tend to live and hibernate in dense numbers I feel like you'd see a big drop in wild populations if they suddenly became super popular as pets.


I hope they never do. So many of them would diet of starvation(crickets) or thiaminase(goldfish and minnows) poisoning.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

It's also not only garters that are woefully under rated.European,North African,Middle eastern and Eurasian Colubrids deserve to be more popular.I wish popularity would be based on the interesting behaviors and unique charms of the species.Sadly it seems it's based on morph possibilities and amount of profit to be made from breeding.(In short I wish that the morph scene and royal python would bugger off:D)

[Stefan-A]

This would be an interesting question to ask on the bigger reptile forums.

[Selkielass]

I occasionally see a picture of a ball python I think has a pretty pattern, but more often than not the latest super ultra shiny multi morph just looks like a washed out splotchy mess to me. And fat. Their healthy adult proportions just don't suit my idea of a snake.

[d_virginiana]

I've always wanted to get into breeding ball pythons, and maybe raise one of the heavy bodied constrictors like a blood python or something. But that's mainly just because I'd want the experience of it (and because one or two breeding pairs of the right morph of ball python would get me close to breaking even financially with the reptiles...).
But nothing beats a garter if you want a pet snake and not just a display snake. I know no snakes are ever really 'tame' but garters come a heck of a lot closer than most.

[Stefan-A]

This would be an interesting question to ask on the bigger reptile forums.
Regarding my own post here, I think I've said that just about every time we've discussed this issue.

We can sit here and self-righteously speculate until the end of time, but why not just ask other reptile keepers what they think about garters and the idea of keeping them?

[guidofatherof5]

I will post that very question on ssnakess.com

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Interesting responses so far at RFUK Opinions on Garter snakes - Reptile Forums (http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/921574-opinions-garter-snakes.html)

[guidofatherof5]

Here's the link to the question on ssnakess.com

Opinion of Garter Snakes - sSNAKESs : Reptile Forum (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/97211-opinion-garter-snakes.html#post800431)

[snake man]

Reading the other forums so far it looks like everyone is saying nice things.

[Greg'sGarters]

Here are some of my top reasons



Garter Snakes won't take a live large rat and constrict it to death.
They are long, thin snakes that don't look very intimidating.
To most people, they are just that snake that they could find under the wood pile in their backyard, nothing special - same reason why green anoles aren't very popular pets in Florida.
The babies have to be fed very often, and are often harder to get to eat than other rodent-eating snakes.
There are hardly any pattern mutations for garter snakes, mainly lucy and pied. Most are just color mutations. Compare the number to ball pythons.
Not very easy to find at reptile shows. Only a select number of breeders of them, a lot of which are on this forum.
They won't bring you big bucks.
They can be picky eaters.


But I still love them!

[Selkielass]

Funny, points one and two are why they appeal to teachers and kids, in my limited experience.
personally I find a you.ng butlerat stalking and subduing a worm nearly its own size even more exciting than constrictors. Squeezing prey.

[Greg'sGarters]

I think that they are both cool in their own separate ways. The big constrictors are cool because...well who doesn't want to see a snake 3 times your size eat a chicken? Garter Snakes are cool because of how delicate they are while stalking, they are like surgeons.

[jscott67]

I think they may not be overlooked on purpose, but instead because in my area they are hard to find in the pet trade. There are the Narcisse Snake Dens, but collecting from there is illegal. I didn't realize they were available as pets until a little while ago. Wxpis, pets stores and the online classifieds are full of corns, boas and pythons, never have I seen a garter.

I have bbeen looking for a snake that stays small, can be kept communily and is active during the day. These little guys meet my criteria perfectly! Now to find more!

[Invisible Snake]

Jonathan Crowe recently wrote this article on why garters are under appreciated in the hobby (He runs the garter snake FB group)

Why Don't Reptile Keepers Appreciate Garter Snakes? - Gartersnake.info (http://www.gartersnake.info/articles/2013/why-dont-reptile-keepers-appre.php)