the White Plains Expo

[drache]

Mikhaila and her friend Gavin and I went to the Expo in White Plains today
I was just going to pick up my tanks from glasscages and some other odds and ends (hurrah, I got a temp gun)
well I was really practicing a lot of self restraint
I didn't adopt a beardie at the rescue, but I spent too much time there apparently - enough time to hear my vet say he'd seen garters and to get curious.
Well shucks! I saw them too
all my self restraint went out the window
okay they're a little beat up (stubby tails both), but vigorous and . . .
look for yourselves:
girl
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1090/756986104_d0da11c8a1_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1045/756985906_4a0fb78443_b.jpg
boy
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1435/756986408_4cff171585_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1404/756986628_1f2c29c2de_b.jpg
surprise
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/756987040_6a06626d35_b.jpg
the mixture of bliss and shame is indescribable - I'm just glad, Rick isn't around - he'd be so disappointed in me

[GarterGirl]

They are SO beautiful!
Too bad you guys can't see them with your own two eyes!

[Sputnik]

Oh, my god, Rhea! They are amazing! There's no way in the world I could have resisted them either. That last one is just totally incredible!!! What is it? I WANT ONE!!! PLEEEEEEASE! lol

[ScimitarX]

They are all gorgeous!!!

[Lulu Bennett]

reah they are beautiful but i agree with rosina the last one is sooo stunning i would have given in

[Sputnik]

I just google image searched for snakes with red bellies. Could it be a ringneck snake?
Wow, you have some absolutely amazing types in the States! Those red-bellied snakes are gorgeous, too... I wouldn't know where to stop...

[Sid]

Beautiful Garters and the third is a Ringneck. Not sure of the subspecies on it. Congrads!

Sid

[Elliot]

That ringneck has some stunning color, it almost looks fake!

[Stefan-A]

Nice looking snakes, especially the garters. :) The ringneck snake... a bit too bright for my taste. :D

[adamanteus]

Beautiful Garters and the third is a Ringneck. Not sure of the subspecies on it. Congrads! Sid

I think it's Diadophis punctatus amabilis.:)

[Sputnik]

James, tell me... do you really have all these Latin names in your head or are you just very good at google-ing? Either way it's pretty amazing!

[adamanteus]

No Google, I'm just amazing!:rolleyes:

[Lulu Bennett]

now, now if you carry on like that then he wont beable to get out of his front door for work in the morning :D

[adamanteus]

Let's not forget my charm, charisma and boyish good looks.

[Lulu Bennett]

conceded much??

[Sputnik]

Going once, going twice... :D

[adamanteus]

Did we overlook my buns of steel?;)

[Lulu Bennett]

lol sweety don't take offence i was only joking:D

[adamanteus]

Anyway....Getting back to the Ringneck. :rolleyes: Beautiful snake, is it settling in okay?

[drache]

okay, okay
back to the snakes
the garters specifically
the little ringneck is sweet and very neo-tech looking and all that
and it is settling in nicely - even coming out a bit to look
I do still need to tweak it's habitat - substrate specifically
but the garters - they are cool
I'm not that great at IDing, but I'm fairly certain they're T. s. concinnus (they were offered as "red-sided garters")
I just didn't know they came with blue undersides
come to think of it, Stephan, you might not like them
one of them is almost as garish as a T. s. tetrataenia
I visited them today at the new house and it seems they've already made themselves at home
I am so happy I brought them home

[Sid]

Rhea, If you aren't already up on the ringneck's care, they are very different from Thamnophis. Need more humidity, feed mainly on worms and are nocturnal. There are some real good care sheets for them on the net, just do a search if you feel the need to and congrad's again.

Sid

[drache]

Rhea, If you aren't already up on the ringneck's care, they are very different from Thamnophis. Need more humidity, feed mainly on worms and are nocturnal. There are some real good care sheets for them on the net, just do a search if you feel the need to and congrad's again.

Sid

right
that's why I need to tweak the substrate
I was going to use the same mix the tarantula does well with plus add a damp hide
I do have all the stuff - except right now I don't know where
the damp hide I is as good as it gets today (I managed to find some moss) - tomorrow substrate
I haven't offered food yet - he just got here yesterday
btw - we named him Coral
the garters are named Victor and Hermione

[Elliot]

No Google, I'm just amazing!:rolleyes:

I wish I was as modest as you James...:(

[enigma200316]

I caught a wild ringneck about 12 inches long and kept it for about two weeks and had to let it go because it wouldn't eat, it drank but would not eat nomatter what I tried.....any way I know they like soft moist areas like
some sand and dirt mixture or something like that with maybe some leaves
and hiding places they like hiding under things and if you have sand they will bury them selfs in it........its pretty cool.........but good luck!!!!!!

[KITKAT]

Their natural food is small salamanders.

[GarterGuy]

Very nice looking snakes.....welcome to the Concinnus club!:D The ringneck is very good looking too, I hope you have luck with it. I know they can be sometimes difficult to successfully keep in captivity and their dietary needs can be really varied. I know of some that will refuse to eat anything other then other small snakes. If you'res doesn't eat what you're offering, you might try small live fish. I've heard this works surprisingly well for Northern ringnecks (D.p. edwardis). I'd have to guess that you've got either a Northwestern (D.p.occidentalis) or Coral-bellied (D.p.pulchellus) Ringneck...all depends on how many black spots there are on the belly. Pulchellus has very few and Occidentalis is "lightly spotted". (Sorry James!.....neck ring looks way to wide to be amabilis :D ). Here's links to a page for both subspecies.......
D.p. occidentalis
Diadophis punctatus occidentalis - Northwestern Ring-necked Snake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/d.p.occidentalis.html)
D.p. pulchellus
Diadophis punctatus pulchellus - Coral-bellied Ring-necked Snake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/d.p.pulchellus.html)

Good luck with all you new "kids".
Roy

[Stefan-A]

Off topic, but anyone ever come across a D. p. regalis?

[adamanteus]

Sorry James!.....neck ring looks way to wide to be amabilis :D ).

Not totally convinced, but I'll bow to your opinion.:)

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/images/dpamabilisjuvlr05.jpg

Diadophis punctatus amabilis.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/756987040_6a06626d35_b.jpg

Rhea's snake.

[Sputnik]

I love that swirly thing they do with their tail...

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/images/dppulchellus2.jpg

[drache]

Roy I was looking at those links and I swear I cannot tell the difference between those two different sub-species - both of them have black spots
my snake does not have any black spots at all
also the border between the dark grey dorsal colour and the bright orange is not frayed, like it is on those snakes
my snake looks like it was painted with guache
the head is shiny black and the dorsum is flat dark gray
I'm trying small fish first - my worms are really big
I'll keep you posted

[drache]

Roy
I looked at those two links and I cannot tell the difference between those two subspecies - they both have dots on the ventral surfaces
mine doesn't have any
all his colours and the borders between them are very clean and defined
I'm going to try small minnows on him overnight
my worms are a bit big, but if he doesn't take minnow I'll make one smaller

here's an update on the Concinnus
yes, they stayed put this time
I don't think they've had rodents before
I brought them a peach fuzzy each and they both recoiled
he ended up going for it and then eating the second one
she wouln't
I'll bring her a couple of scented ones tomorrow and some trout and worms for back-up

[Elliot]

Where do you get the peach fuzzies at?

[Lulu Bennett]

whats the difference between them and normal fuzzies??

[Elliot]

whats the difference between them and normal fuzzies??

They're kind of between a pinky and a fuzzy.

[Lulu Bennett]

so there the rather large pinkies the muppet of a pet shop owner is selling me lol

[Elliot]

so there the rather large pinkies the muppet of a pet shop owner is selling me lol

lol possibly if those pinkies have a bit of fuzz covering their bodies.

[Lulu Bennett]

lol yup i thought that he was being a bit sly. normally i get to have a look to see if they are ok but the other day he shoved them straight in a bag and said nothing lol

[CrazyHedgehog]

Here's links to a page for both subspecies.......
D.p. occidentalis
Diadophis punctatus occidentalis - Northwestern Ring-necked Snake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/d.p.occidentalis.html)
D.p. pulchellus
Diadophis punctatus pulchellus - Coral-bellied Ring-necked Snake (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/d.p.pulchellus.html)

Roy

sorry, but some of the photos are THE SAME photo... this is the same snake! (open both links up together, they use the same photographs!!)

[Lulu Bennett]

i have just had a look and only one of the pics is the same the one with the name something something S lol

[Lulu Bennett]

D. p. occidentalis (http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/d.p.occidentalis.html).) that one lol

[CrazyHedgehog]

ok, ok so I exagerated,.....but they are the same snake!?? now I am confused...

[adamanteus]

I'm always a bit reluctant to trust some of these sites. I think some guy kept one sub-species for a couple of months and thinks he's an expert, so he Googles a load of images and tries to make a definitive site. The internet, whilst useful, isn't a bible. You can't beat good old fashioned experience.

[Lulu Bennett]

i don't have a clue but they are unbelievably, absolutly gorgeous!! where can i get one from??

[CrazyHedgehog]

You can't beat good old fashioned experience.

Ummm,,, so you being the expert here James....
how different are they?

[adamanteus]

They crop up in shops in the UK quite frequently, you just got to keep a look out. I've kept quite a few in the past.

By the way, I find they'll eat pretty much anything if it's scented with amphibian first.

[Lulu Bennett]

whats its common name?

[adamanteus]

Ringneck snake. You take a gamble on the sub-species unless you know them well.

[adamanteus]

Ummm,,, so you being the expert here James....
how different are they?

Inge, I wasn't saying I had that experience, just that you can't beat it!:rolleyes: I've kept a few, and they'll all the same!

[GarterGuy]

As far as care.....I bow to experiance. I've never kept them....just a gatherer of as many facts on snakes that I can find. As for the ID.....yeh the site's not great, thought it'd at least give an idea, but it is one of the better sites on native Cal. herps. From what I got from the field guides and such...a ringneck with a fairly wide neck band(what appears to be two or more scales wide with out any narrowing) and ventral scales with little or no spotting would be D.p.pulchellus or the Coral-bellied Ringneck. As always, just putting in my two cents....spend it wisely. :D

Roy

[drache]

well
whatever sub-species he is
the fish are still alive and swimming in the little bowl
so it's the worm reduction job today
I'll also see whether my local shop per chance has some odd small prey
occasionally they surprise me
I also haven't quite given up on the fish, either
can snakes manage to get snails out of their shells?

[drache]

whatever sub-species it is, so far it's not going for the fish
so today it'll be worms and then we'll see . . .

[drache]

no interest in worm either
I'm trying to get hold of my rescue guy, to see whether he has any amphibians I could rub a small pinkie on
the dumb thing is that I'm going away for three days tomorrow
it's something I planned for a long time and people are sort of expecting me to be there and I also spent some money on it - and yet I'm thinking of blowing it all because of the little snake
then again - it's a snake
he can probably last just fine for a week without food, even though he's little
if I get a hold of my rescue guy, I'm fairly certain I could park the little guy with him, If I don't get him to eat by tonight, and he'd work with him
if not, I don't know what I'm gonna do
it's not like I could hunt for unusual prey items before I leave, but I have an appointment near a pet shop in the city and I'm thinking of getting a small frog
I'd rather not feed it frog though and I don't want to get one just for scenting
I wonder whether they have frozen amphibians - doubt it very much

[GarterGuy]

Sorry to hear that the little guy isn't eating for you. I think he'd be fine for the three days that you'll be gone. It may just be that he needs time to get used to his new home as well and may just start feeding when he's finally comfortable. I know it sucks to buy a frog just to use for scenting, but it may be the best thing to try next. If you know someone who's got a frog or toad (something native preferably), you could ask them if you could rub a pinky on it?:rolleyes: An odd request, but then most of us herp keepers are a bit odd. :D Good luck with him.

Roy

[drache]

I spoke with my vet and he's having a friend of his send me copies of the ten pages in a snake book that deal specifically with this species in detail (forget which book)
I changed the substrate to something that holds more moisture - a fir and moss mix - he really likes it, went to burrow for a little and then checked out his whole tank
I think he's just not hungry yet
I got him smaller worms and ended up losing one in the substrate
one interesting thing:
remember how I said that he doesn't have any spots? well, he does now - lots of them
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1068/792236340_5a58d8daa4_b.jpg
so maybe it's not a sub-species thing . . .

[drache]

I did it! I did it!
I posted a picture!
it's complicated, but I now know how
cool!

[Sid]

Rhea,

When I do have Ringnecks, I get a container of night crawlers from the bait shop here. I remove the cover and place the container in the enclosure. If the snake is hungry, it's happy to burrow through the container.

Sid
P.S. Great photo!

[GarterGirl]

I did it! I did it!

She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it! She did it!
Hurray! She did it!
Now she can show me.
Congratulations!

Sorry!
I had to let it out lol

[Lulu Bennett]

pmsl well done lol beautiful pic too xxx

[adamanteus]

Well done Rhea! You finally posted as photo! Good one too.

[drache]

Rhea,

When I do have Ringnecks, I get a container of night crawlers from the bait shop here. I remove the cover and place the container in the enclosure. If the snake is hungry, it's happy to burrow through the container.

Sid
P.S. Great photo!

thanks Sid
both for the great tip and the compliment
the little guy really likes tunneling
do the nightcrawlers pretty much stay in the container?

[Elliot]

thanks Sid
both for the great tip and the compliment
the little guy really likes tunneling
do the nightcrawlers pretty much stay in the container?

Most of the time they just go down to the bottom. (fishing experiences but I can't see how this would change anything)

[drache]

thanks again, Sid
I'm pretty sure it worked
I put five worms in a smaller container with dirt
I don't think they would have gotten out by themselves
this morning there's only two
phew!