Question- What is this?

[Noodle]

Hi!

So I caught a garter snake today and while I was holding it, a red thing came out of it's cloaca.


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I have 4 other captive bred garters, and I've never seen this before. Also, it's head is a lighter brown, whereas the other 4 have black scales on their heads. Is this a male? What is the red thing?

[Eddie]

its a female just musking you. lol

[guidofatherof5]

It's just the north end of the cloaca. They can extend it slightly so that they don't poop on themselves. It's also used as a paint brush to make sure them can smear a load of musk on you. Just wait until you get one that whips that musk with its tail. It doesn't taste near as bad as it smells.:eek::D

[Noodle]

She didn't try to whip me, she just pooped haha. I looked at her again, and her cloaca was bleeding. Does this mean anything?

Also, how do you sex a garter?

[guidofatherof5]

She may have strained during that last poop, it happens to us all. Keep and eye on it for sure. Here's our sexing thread, if this doesn't help, post up a couple good photos with the tail hanging down and the vent/cloaca visible, we'll give it a good college try.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/breeding/5069-sexing-pics.html