Greetings from the north!

[jscott67]

Good day all. I've been lurking for a bit but decided to say hi. I just picked up my second snake, and my first garter today. He(?) is a tiny Oregon red-spotted garter. I got into sake keeping earlier this year, and got a corn snake, now named Genghis Corn. The new fellow doesn't have a name yet, just settling in.

I've wanted a Garter for some time now, but couldn't find any in Canada. I stumbled upon this guy at a pet store. Not where I'd prefer to buy but this store is an independent where they take good care and attempt to educate before they sell.

He is added to the collection that now includes the two snakes, two crested geckos, a Moluccan cockatoo, a cat and a border collie. The inn is almost full.

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[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

[indigoman]

Welcome to the forum, healthy looking T.concinnus. I have a male myself, very fond of him!

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you with us. T.s.concinnus are awesome garters.
Here is a link to the care sheet which is always a good read.
Pet stores are notorious for giving bad garter advice. Not saying that yours did but a good read of the care sheet is really important. Especially the food section.
Beautiful snake and great photo by the way.
Garter Snake Forum - Garter Caresheet (http://www.thamnophis.com/index.php?page=caresheet)
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//744/medium/welcome.jpg

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Welcome to the forum :D

If your unsure of its sex post some vent pics and well have a bash at sexing it for you

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum :D

If your unsure of its sex post some vent pics and well have a bash at sexing it for you

Good idea William.
Here's a link to a thread that will help you sex the snake yourself or show you the appropriate kinds of photos to post for us to have a go at it.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/breeding/5069-sexing-pics.html

[Light of Dae]

Welcome Fellow Canadian!! I have a friend in Winnipeg who is also on this forum, Thamneil he has a bunch of Checkered Garters albinos n normals. aswell as some red-sided garters.
Which Pet store did you find him in? Were there more? How much did they charge for him?

I'll send him a pm letting him know he should say hi.

**Since you got him at a pet store I have to mention this... NO GOLDFISH, Or MINNOWS, and don't even think of crickets or any bugs or grubs!!!***

Guppies n Platys are safe feeder fishes if you are going to feed live fish... but be aware there is a parasite risk in all live fish.

[snake man]

Welcome.

[jscott67]

I found him at Pet Traders here in Winnipeg. He was $60, I'm not sure what a reasonable price is as I have never seen them in stores before. I was told guppies, plates, and Phoenix worms, and pinkies when he is big enough but they also said that so far he has only eaten guppies.

I will definitely post vent pics soon. Ill give him a bit of time to settle in and get eating first though.

When feeding f/t fish, is it like feeding mice? Or do most have to be tease fed? Has there been different rests feeding at different times of the day? Morning vs night? When feeding live fish, how deep is to deep for a dish? I have a ceramic bowl about 1 1/2" high, would that be okay as long as he has a way to climb out? Are the guppies okay in unheated, but dechlorinated water? Or should the water bowl be nearer to the warm side of the tank?

Assuming this little guy settles in and all goes well I have a 40 gall terrarium ready in case I get a few more. Just in case of course!

And thanks for the warm welcomes and advice. I think I'll be spending a lot of time reading the past posts.

[kueluck]

You got a little cutie there, hope you enjoy your new friend and post updates w/lots of pictures.

[Greg'sGarters]

That is a beautiful Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus (Oregon Red-spot Garter) you have. Welcome to the best garter snake forum on the planet!

[jscott67]

Wow is he ever a fast little monster! And a glutton. I asked for the smallest pinkies available and cut one into quarters. I barely had the tank closed when he absconded with the biggest piece. I went to three stores today in search of feeder guppies, only to find Rosey Reds and feeder goldfish. Luckily for me, he seems to like mice. I thought he'd take a little longer before he thought about eating.

And thanks for all the warm welcomes! I'm surprised to find a few Winnipegers here :) I'm off to peruse the old posts and see if any of my may questions have been answered.

I will definitely be posting vent pics, once the little worm cooperates!

[Invisible Snake]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

"Greetings from the North"

"Winter is coming"

Quotes from Game of Thrones :p

[jscott67]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

"Greetings from the North"

"Winter is coming"

Quotes from Game of Thrones :p

Ha ha! I did not know that.

That series is on my list for when it gets cold out!

[ProXimuS]

Hello and welcome:)

What a cutie you've got there! From what I understand these guys are rather ravenous eaters.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/7709-ranch-concinnus-15.html
^ Check out post #142 lol!!

[Stefan-A]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

"Greetings from the North"

"Winter is coming"

Quotes from Game of Thrones :p
He's from south of the 60th parallel. That makes him a southerner to me. ;)

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

S/he is so freaking cute!!!

[thamneil]

Hey! Finally found your post! First of all, welcome aboard.

You already know that im jealous of your snake so im sure I dont have to mention that. The other Winnipegger that you'll find on here is Kantar. He works with marcianus, radix, and parietalis. Seems like youre doing everything right with the little guy! If I may make a suggestion, stick with the pinkies for a while. They are great garter grub and will have the little fellow growing quickly! Fish can sometimes be iffy especially when dealing with snakelings that tiny. Worms should be a good addition at this size.

As I mentioned in the PM, I have already spoken to Lance in regards to bringing in a couple more. I will know by Wednesday. You bought the little guy for $60? Lance had told me that these are priced at $90. Im hoping this was just a mixup as the last thing I want is to be ripped off right after Christmas!

Enough of my rambling! It is great to have another Winnipeger on board. You are more than welcome to come and check out my army of garters at any time. Enjoy the forum :)

[jscott67]

I will gladly take you up on your garter tour. Just let me know when your Holiday craziness settles down a bit :)

I'm glad I'm on the right track, but much of the credit must be given to whoever made the care sheet on this forum both easy to understand, and easy to find! *a tip of my hat to you* As I saw the little guy I turned to Google for info. I found a few care sheets with non conflicting information and decided to bring him home. The only really bad info I received from the store was that he would eat crickets and by the time he was settled into his tank I found out different.

He is a very entertaining fellow. I think I may need a few more...

[guidofatherof5]

The care sheet is the work of forum members.
If I had a dollar/loonie every time a pet shop suggested feeding crickets.;)

[jscott67]

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[guidofatherof5]

Very nice, again.

[snake man]

Nice looking fella you have there.

[thamneil]

Gorgeous! No word from the supplier yet, but there are many more available according to the list. Cant wait!

[chris-uk]

Welcome aboard. You've got some great photos of the author gorgeous concinnus.

[jscott67]

I'm amazed at the spunk and personality of the little guy. When I get home from work he scoots up onto his ledge and watches what is going on. I am so glad I got him instead of a ball python!

[guidofatherof5]

I'm amazed at the spunk and personality of the little guy. When I get home from work he scoots up onto his ledge and watches what is going on. I am so glad I got him instead of a ball python!

The power of garter snakes strikes again.:D

[Light of Dae]

You know he will always be begging for food lol. Since he is still young you can feed him every 2-3 days. Do a big meal one day, then a snack next feeding, big meal, snack. etc.

I have a kingsnake, she is so sweet but SO lazy! Garters all the way!

[ConcinusMan]

Gorgeous! No word from the supplier yet, but there are many more available according to the list. Cant wait!

I'd know one of my snakes when I see it, and I'm confident that's one of 90 or so I produced this year. (I sold roughly half of them in bulk) Might even turn blue anery on you as it grows up. It's already showing the signs. I think you have one of the ones from a blue morph to blue morph pairing.

Here's mom:

http://oi49.tinypic.com/raorib.jpg

http://oi46.tinypic.com/ix5bok.jpg

[ProXimuS]

That would be awesome if it turns out to be one of your anerys:D

[ConcinusMan]

I know it is. And I even recognize which litter it's from. That's how I know which "mom" to show. Most of her babies had those narrow bars on the side ranging from normal orange to yellow, and also the blue traces/belly and "pickeringi - Like" facial markings. These traits are what make me so sure. That pale yellow has a high potential of fading away while the blue comes in stronger with time. Even perfectly normal ones (born to blue parents) have done this so I think you're gonna end up with a blue one there.

[jscott67]

It's very hard to type with my fingers crossed... but I'm hoping you're right! How old would you expect him to be? And when should I start bugging the store about ordering a few more? ;)

I can't believe what a small world it is!

[mikem]

A little late, but wanted to say welcome! Beautiful garter :cool:

[ConcinusMan]

What store? One group I sold to a pet supply company in So. CA, and another group to an individual that buys wholesale. I think maybe you got one of the ones I sent to the pet supply company. They buy low and in bulk, then supply animals to pet stores and/or send them out for export.

[jscott67]

I got him from pet traders here in Winnipeg, I'm not sure which supplier they use.

I agree he's a gorgeous little fellow who with those puppy dog like snake eyes sucked me in. Oh well, I've an empty 40gall that could use a resident or two!

[Kantar]

Hello Jscott,

Another winnipegger!!, now we have 3 and can have field trips :D

If you'd like I do have albino checkered about the same size as yours

Other people may frown upon it bur I mix my species in my tanks, I have a radix and an albino checkered as best friends, along with a 2nd albino and a red sided. Plus a red sided and a radix in another tank.

Its always an option, 40 gallons will easily do 2 or 3 snakes for life

[ConcinusMan]

I just never know where my snakes will pop up. A store in Winnipeg? Wow. Anyway, I'm pretty darn sure that the store got them from this company, which got them from me. Wonderful World (http://www.wwps-inc.com/)

Which brings up something...

The lack of American garters in Canada. Seems to me like we just stumbled on a way to get them flowing across the border.:cool:

Maybe we can setup some kind of collective effort involving that pet store, the supplier, and the Canadians who want garters. The store could order them and perhaps ship them to buyers throughout Canada. That way, all the U.S. breeders including myself have to do is ship them to CA. Of course, if we do that, we can't ship species that are native to CA.

What do you think? Maybe approach the store with that idea. See what they think.

Just out of pure curiosity, would you mind telling me how much you paid for the snake?

[guidofatherof5]

Looks like that website needs a little Thamnophis education.

RIBBON SNAKES thamnophis sirtalis:D

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, well.. :rolleyes:

They probably don't even realize that just because it's a garter snake, that doesn't necessarily mean it's T. sirtalis. I see that a lot. A person will be showing say, a coast garter, and call it "common garter snake. T. sirtalis" :cool: It's not. It's a subspecies of "Western terrestrial garter snake" and it's T. elegans, not T. sirtalis.

But, given what very little I know about rat/corn snakes, when I see one I just call it a "rat snake". I have no idea what it's real common name is, or it's actual species name.

[ConcinusMan]

jscott... here's another one and I know for sure this is one I produced.
Now look at yours and you'll see how I can be so sure that snake came from my litters.http://i46.tinypic.com/13zd1ck.png


http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/welcome-lounge/7700d1356232422-greetings-north-07-p1010614.jpg

[thamneil]

I'm a bit late! This batch came from Massasauga Imports in Ontario. Was told that they are of American origin. I wouldn't doubt that they came from you Richard!