Easterns that I have met

[stonyloam]

It has been about a year since I found this site and this has been a wonderfully fun and informative, so I was just thinking about some of the things that I have learned over the last 12 months. Just as a disclaimer, you have to remember that I probably don’t know what I am talking about, but that never stopped me before, so here goes. I remember first looking through this site and seeing all of the beautiful snakes that people had, red sided, San Francisco’s, checkered etc, and all I ever saw were plane old easterns Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (they don’t call them “common” garters for nothing). I have since changed my mind. I have seen a bunch of snakes this past year, and I don’t think that I have seen two that were alike, and the color variations were really incredible. I grouped “my” snakes into three descriptive catagories: (1) “normal” eastern (distinctive unbroken dorsal stripe, large distinct spots), (2) “combo” easterns (dorsal stripe completely broken by spots), and (3) “maybe” maritime garters (no or very faint stripe, smaller spots merging together to almost form stripes across the back). Below are some photos to show what I am talking about.

Eastern: this is my Big gravid eastern from last summer, she is a classic eastern, showing the distinctive dorsal stripe and spots, below her is a beautiful darker classic eastern that I found out by the pool.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/gravid_female.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/fall_garter.jpg


Combo: This little snake shows classic eastern stripe, but the stripe is broken by spots.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/solar_heater_guy.jpg

Maybe: These are really nice little snakes. I have found four of these. The first is my blue garter, and the second is a little guy with mahogany colored spots and no stripe (below). The third is Chloe, now residing with Rhea the fourth is big green (in this months photo contest). When I saw ASLB’s “golden hypo” I thought, wow that pattern looks a lot like my “Maritimes”. I am now wondering if this may be a recessive genetic trait within the eastern population. The other thing that is interesting about this group is the color variation. Chloe and "big green" were green, the blue was of course blue, the other was brown, and then there was the gold that ASLB found.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/new_snake2.jpg

Anyway I just thought i would toss this out to start some discussion. Other pix would be great.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

that blue one and green one are maritimes,I think the color variations of the maritime are not genetic but i dont know that for sure, also i think the reason "ASLB"'s eastern looked like a maritime because its hypo-ness accentuated the spots that the maritimes have, also if you can find me an extreme pair (or pairs) of either blues or greens ill pay good money for them, i would really like to get them so if you think you can get them please contact me.
thanks,
Reed

[Snaky]

Very interesting thread start, like always Terry. I don't have the expertise on this field, since I don't even have an eastern, nor a maritime and as such I've never investigated on it. But I'll be monitoring the thread :)

[drache]

great photos, Terry
I have seen a lot of variation in Easterns - particularly here
Sammy, my old-time favourite, looks different again
she's almost black, with pale yellow dorsal stripe
her pattern is not really visible
but she does have those little red spots on the side
I'll have to get a good shot of her outside when it gets nicer

[enigma200316]

great pics and wounderful thread start, I'll be keeping an eye out also.....

[GarterGuy]

Great thread Terry. I totally agree though....with all the really fancy and pretty garters out there, our common old Easterns are still at the top of my lists. I love going out and photographing them and all the different colour varieties that they come in.....even with in the same population. The snakes in your area probably do demonstrate an area where two subspecies cross over. I'm sure there's integration between the Easterns (T.s.sirtalis) and the Maritimes (T.s.palidullus) there. There's even been some argument whether Maritimes are a valids subspecies or not, or whether they're just a variety of eastern.....kind of like how the Florida easterns are so different. I hope their subspecies designation doesn't change, I can't keep and breed Easterns here, they're a native species. I look forward to seeing this years crop of pics from you, and I'm glad that you were able to find the forum here and be able to share your little guys with us.:D

[ssssnakeluvr]

I have a variety of easterns too!! I love the variety...and still have a long list of varieties to add!!! here's a couple pics of mine.

male with orange, possible het melanistic
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/eastern_3.jpg

female from N Carolina
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/eastern.jpg

female silver eastern
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/silver.jpg

orange female
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/orange_girl_1.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

here's a couple more...

florida blue female
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/florida_blue.jpg

and my favorite......melanistic female!
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/mel_7.jpg

[stonyloam]

Just a few more pix to show what I am talking about:

This is Chloe and the big eastern just after it gave birth to 43 babies (now living around Ithaca NY) showing the distinctively different markings.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/family2.jpg


This is Chloe just after a shed, showing her lovely green color.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/greeny_head.jpg


Believe it or not the same little girl the day I found her, probably getting ready for her first post-burmination shed. No hint of what is under that old skin.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/little_green.jpg

Last is the big green maritime (Chloe's mom?). If she shows up again this spring I might just keep her for a while. I can’t help myself!:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100b1690.jpg

[Blacsmiff]

This thread rocks!!:cool: That N Carilina garter is amazing I've never seen that coloration in easterns before. I have a big green garter. I'll be posting pics soon.

[stonyloam]

Beautiful snakes Don! Lots of uncommon "common" garters.:D:D

[Stefan-A]

Beautiful snakes, both of you. :)

Terry, will you be "baiting snakes" this year, too? :)

[stonyloam]

Terry, will you be "baiting snakes" this year, too? :)

Any time now. A little warm weather should bring them out.:D

[Sid]

Great thread, Terry. Very interesting and nice photos by both you and Don. I have a number of Easterns and the next nice sunny day I'll take mine outside where the colors show up much truer and post them.

Here's one that past last spring. Very deep green and on stripping:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Bertha_5.JPG

[Stefan-A]

A real beauty, Sid. :)

[Sid]

A real beauty, Sid. :)
Thanks, Stefan. She was by far the most laid back Eastern that I've ever had. Really made me sick when I lost her.:( She was great for taking to school exibits. All the kids loved her.

[anji1971]

Sorry to hear about that, Sid.:(

I find it very cool that there are so many variations in the Easterns. I've come across many over the years, and I think all have been distinctly different. I also love that they can be mostly striped with very little of the spot pattern, and yet some are almost completely spotted.
"Common" indeed!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

that blue one and green one are maritimes

I have to disagree with that statement, those are easterns. I find garters of all three types that stonyloam mentioned and I too, break them down into those three color groups. Remember, where I go herping is far our of the range of any maritimes (pennsylvania)

I have a female eastern that's identical to the last pic in the first post here. Guess I need to show you guys what I mean and take some more pics!!!

[GarterGuy]

Yeh, Maritimes and Easterns are really similar....it's really hard to differenciate between them, especially in areas where their ranges over lap and they more then likely are integrading. Guess the only "true" Maritimes would be ones from the maritime areas such as Nova Scotia and surrounding islands. That is pretty much their stronghold, since both Easterns and Maritimes are found together pretty much everywhere else.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I'm not even really convinced that maritimes and easterns should be separate subspecies. honestly, I look at a maritime, and I look at an eastern without a stripe, and I see the same snake. what if the maritimes in their "stronghold" are actually just isolated easterns that have happened to favor a stripeless coloration?

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

could be true but im my experiences maritimes seem to be a bit smaller but that could also be just chance from being isolated

I'm not even really convinced that maritimes and easterns should be separate subspecies. honestly, I look at a maritime, and I look at an eastern without a stripe, and I see the same snake. what if the maritimes in their "stronghold" are actually just isolated easterns that have happened to favor a stripeless coloration?

[Serpentine99]

I'm not even really convinced that maritimes and easterns should be separate subspecies. honestly, I look at a maritime, and I look at an eastern without a stripe, and I see the same snake. what if the maritimes in their "stronghold" are actually just isolated easterns that have happened to favor a stripeless coloration?

Well although i agree they are similar, the fact is subspecies are made by a part of one species being isolated from the rest of the general population and developing unique traits. A classic example would be Darwin's findings on the variety different finches in the world, they had many adaptations(mainly beak design) that help them be more "fit" for their environment. In a few years we may see maritime be significantly different than the eastern, length for example like reed said, all because of certain mutations the maritime subspecies has gone through to become more fit for the northern environment.

[charles parenteau]

This year in Quebec a friend of mine and a well known biologist have some project. With the help of the université of Sherbrooke city(i think).

they will find if there is a difference between both sub species..(pallidullus vs sirtalis).here we have intergrade between sirtalis and pallidulus .
Maby there is no reason for calling maritime garter...be back about that this spring ....

[enigma200316]

kool, can't wait to see the results...............

[GarterGuy]

I'm not even really convinced that maritimes and easterns should be separate subspecies. honestly, I look at a maritime, and I look at an eastern without a stripe, and I see the same snake. what if the maritimes in their "stronghold" are actually just isolated easterns that have happened to favor a stripeless coloration?

Yeh I know....that's the problem with a lot of subspecies. I mean San Fran. garters could just be considered the "striped" phase of Cali. redsideds. They look almost exactly alike, except one has red bars and the other red stripes. A lot of subspecies are very "subject" and often they appear and vanish all the time.
I'd be very interested in hearing the results of the study, but very fearful at the same time. I love my Maritimes, but if the subspecies is found to not be valid, then I won't be able to keep and breed them here in PA any more....which would REALLY suck!:(

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I love my Maritimes, but if the subspecies is found to not be valid, then I won't be able to keep and breed them here in PA any more....which would REALLY suck!:(

my hypo female I found looks identical to a maritime and not an eastern. even though she was found way outside maritime range. she also has 8 upper labial scales instead of 7. I have her and her four little ones. I live in PA so, if i ever have any problems... duh she's a maritime!

[drache]

thought I'd toss in a pic of Sammy:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2336/2342472809_220dbcc63b_b.jpg

or two

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2303/2343330112_89ef396005_b.jpg

[Stefan-A]

She looks great, Rhea. :)

[drache]

thanks
I tend to think I'm biased, because she's my favourite

[stonyloam]

Beautiful! How about a full body shot of Chloe? and one of ASALB's hypo. Just for comparison. Just for fun.:D

[drache]

Beautiful! How about a full body shot of Chloe? :D
will do
been planning to, but am waiting for a shed

[Sid]

Terry, here's a couple of shots of another of my Easterns.
Amber
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//588/medium/Amber-1.JPG
and a closeup side view
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//588/medium/100_5440.JPG

[Blacsmiff]

Gotta love that color sid.:)

[stonyloam]

Really nice snake Sid. That is a stripe! We have been talking about stripe no stripe, so it seems that the stripe acts as kind of a boundary for the spots. In other words the more distinct the stripe, the less likely that the spots will cross over the back. I guess that is petty obvious, but look at the photos in this months photo contest, some of the dorsal stripe scales are actually two tone. That looks like a genetic trait (rather than a color variation) to me, and the stripeless snakes (Maritime or eastern) are in fact genetically different from the striped easterns. Another thing that I have noticed is the stripeless snakes also lack the distinctive vertical bars under the eye. Could be part of the trait. Anyway just thought I would toss this out for discussion.:rolleyes:

[ssssnakeluvr]

Nice snake!! pattern looks like a florida blue...without much blue....my fb female looks just like that, very distinct striping.

[Sid]

Thanks everyone. I purchased her at an Expo here in South Carolina last year as wild caught from here in the state.

[drache]

okay
I don't think she's gonna shed any time soon
so here she is

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2348424334_25ce578571_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2130/2348431876_75abd1f62e_b.jpg

the second on is through the glass - hence the smears

[anji1971]

Good shots, Rhea!!
She looks like she has quite an attitude in the 2nd one!!:p

[Lori P]

Wow, she's really beautiful, Rhea!!!

[adamanteus]

Chloe certainly is a beautiful snake, Rhea.:)

[Sid]

That is a great shot and a beautiful Garter, Rhea.

[drache]

yes - she is astonishing
and she is a fantastic snake in every other way
I need to find her a mate
for those of you who joined more recently:
Chloe was given to me by Terry (stonyloam) when we visited him last summer
there are pics in this thread http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/1626-our-niagara-falls-trip-2.html
now that I look at the photo of Chloe in that thread, I think that she's grown a little

[stonyloam]

She looks like she has quite an attitude in the 2nd one!!:p

She is really a sweetheart,:) was from the day I found her, but she is also one tough little girl, she did not have an easy first 2 years:(. She looks fantastic, and she certainly has a wonderful home. :D

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

ahh very pretty rhea she does look a lot like mine :)

[drache]

where did yours come from, Reed?

[GarterGuy]

Yeh, Chloe looks a lot like my Sage.....except that Sage still has the light coloured sides down further on the body then Chloe does. That and of course Chloe is A LOT bigger then Sage too....LOL.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//512/medium/Maritime2.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//512/medium/Sage2.jpg

[Pinky]

Here's Mr.Pink with his classic black base color and golden stripes...
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t39/buggyboy80/305.jpg
He is the only reason I enjoy snakes today!:)

[stonyloam]

Another really nice snake. It seems that with all of the variations we have seen here there are some real opportunities to selectively breed some incredible looking snakes that are "true" easterns.

[reptileparadise]

'There are some really neat looking snakes in this thread!

[drache]

I love that deep yellow on Mr Pink

[Pinky]

I love that deep yellow on Mr Pink

Thanks , I wish the camera could pick up all the wonderful details of his color!

[ssssnakeluvr]

well, poo! love that yellow one, was going thru my gallery looking for my yellow one....he's not there!!! will have to put a pic in there and put him on here!!!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

So i decided to photograph all of my sirtalis individuals on some white posterboard...
Okay, so... sirtalis pics!
Here's a large female... she is the definition of what most people picture when they think of an eastern garter snake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/060.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/067.jpg

This is mini-zack. She was pulled out of my friend zack's engine. A very heavily collared eastern with a small head. Although the picture doesn't show it, she is much more yellow than the above snake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/042.jpg

The next two are shots of a female found in the same area as my hypo. She's a gorgeous rusty red color. Even her stomach is a deep red that i can't seem to capture on a camera.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/046.jpg

The rusty color bleeds right into her belly!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/047-1.jpg

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Here is a male I selected to be her future mate! He's got an overall rustic tone but is not near as red as her. I hope that together they can produce some really stunning babes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/070.jpg
him again,http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/073.jpg
and once more
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/074.jpg

a Pretty lemony stripeless male from the same locality as the above two snakes and the following hypo individual. He will breed the hypo female nexy year if her son does not.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/080.jpg

A close shot of the hypo female's scales. looooove her color. I can't beleive I FOUND this snake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/021-1.jpg

A head shot of the snake i have coined the golden hypo
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/018.jpg

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Here's her entire body:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/014.jpg

The next two are comparison photos. It is the hypo beside a normal idenitcally- patterned female sirtalis.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/023.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/026-1.jpg

And finally, STUBBY! Got hit by a lawnmower... had no skin on a 7 inch stretch of her back for a long time... it has since grown back. The only thing she hasn't magically regenerated is... her tail :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v447/xxAngelinblackxx/038.jpg

thank you for viewing yet another batch of my photos and this batch was just to display the HUGE variety that sirtalis displays. And to show off my hypo :p

[GarterGuy]

Beautiful snakes.....I hope to have a nice varied collection of palidullus someday (since I can't do the eastersn).

[zooplan]

nice pictures
Thanks for sharing.

[Stefan-A]

Very nice photos. :)

[Snaky]

Great pics, thanks for sharing! :)

[Bay_area]

Nice snakes you have there! Thanks for sharing
Jerry

[reptileparadise]

VEry nice to see the variation in easterns! Love 'm!

[Sid]

Great photos and a very nice collection, Shannon

[enigma200316]

awsome looking snakes Shannon, and great pics too..............:)

[anji1971]

What a beautiful group!!:cool:

[Gijs & Sabine]

Great pictures !! It's amazing to see how many differend easterns there are.

[adamanteus]

Nice pictures, Shannon, and an excellent topic. It would be interesting if other members were to add photos of their Easterns to this thread, to further expand to comparison.

[reptileparadise]

You've got some excellent photo's of beautifull animals!

Maybe we can create some sort of database with all kinds of appearances of all different (or at least, some) subspecies!

[adamanteus]

Great idea, Sjoerd. Let's start with sirtalis sirtalis right here in this thread!:)

[stonyloam]

Great snakes and super photos Shannon! The markings of your hypo do look remarkably like those of some of the snakes that I have around here. I am more convinced than ever that the pattern (lack of stripe and no dark bars under the eye) is genetic. Am looking forward to seeing what shows up this summer.

[ssssnakeluvr]

here's my yellow male....

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/yellow.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

here are mine!!!
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/snake_006.jpg:D

[anji1971]

Shanley, I just love your snakes -- their colouring is absolutely beautiful, almost pink! Wish I could find some like that.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

thanks!!!:):):):):)

[reptileparadise]

Lovely snakes!

[adamanteus]

Yes, absolutely beautiful snakes, Shanley. Congratulations.:)

[drache]

yes, Shanley
not that I'm normally into pink, but your garters make it look great
they're real beauties

[reptileparadise]

Here are mine. The female has a poorly defined stripe, the male has a very nice and bright stripe. Both are het. melanistic. Ow, yeah...Found them hooked up yesterday :D

You can actually see some of the beautifull rainbow glow. The photo was taken about 3 hours after shedding.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/Kousebanden/DSCF7471Small.jpg

the male
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/Kousebanden/DSCF7475Small.jpg

[zooplan]

Very brilliant close ups, Sjoerd:D

[Zephyr]

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0055.jpg?t=1208185751

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0070.jpg?t=1208185754

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0073.jpg?t=1208185756

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0080.jpg?t=1208185758

[Zephyr]

I've met even more than these actually. :P

[adamanteus]

Love that first one, Kyle.

[Zephyr]

Snake number two had an attitude problem.

[Stefan-A]

Attitude or attitude problem? ;) :D They look great, especially the first two.

[Zephyr]

That last female was such a nice snakey. :P
Didn't bite me or anything when I finally picked her up.

[Sid]

Very nice photos, Kyle:D. I like the first one best, very well defined strips and the total absence of checkering to make it a little unusual.

[Zephyr]

BTW, I'm heading back there after school tomorrow.
LEt's hope for some oddballs! :D

[Zephyr]

Okay, after having a totally discouraging hunt at the fall den area, only finding one little male who I don't have a pic of, I headed over near the lake where there was a reported ball a few years ago. After checking in with my friend Dorothy at the Interpretive center, I convinced my mom to come a little further down the lake side trail with me. I heard something rustle and turned my head to see this MASSIVE female just sitting there! I'm thinking I may have scared off a male, because she looked cozy and probably hadn't made the movement.
So anyways, the vid will explain the rest. :P
Video of Me capturing a huge female eastern garter snake - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Henry%20Ford%20Area/?action=view&current=MVI_0091.flv)

[adamanteus]

Nice catch, Kyle... good video Mom!

[count dewclaw]

That is a big one! Good job.

[Zephyr]

Nice catch, Kyle... good video Mom!
lol, Yep, my mom did good. XD
That snake was MASSIVE. She had to be at least 3 1/2 feet long. Also, she didn't bite or anything, I grabbed her by the body instead of the head too...
Just a tad bit of musk, but just the smell of it. :P

[adamanteus]

She was a nice looking snake. Did you let her go?

[Zephyr]

She was a nice looking snake. Did you let her go?Of course. :P
Some one's gotta make this year's babies. :D

[Zephyr]

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0093.jpg?t=1208295391

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/ZephAmp/Garter%20Snakes/IMG_0099.jpg?t=1208295392

[Zephyr]

I know what she's thinking in pic 2:
"Ain't I cute? ...
Now can I go find boyiez plz?"

[Stefan-A]

She's a real beauty. :)

[anji1971]

Nice! She's bigger than any I saw on my last walk. I've got to get back out there armed with a camera!:p

[adamanteus]

She is a really nice Eastern.

[Lori P]

Kyle, what a great video! And what a great mom, for sure!! It was really cool to get to see and hear you. :-)

She's a gorgeous snake-- I'm glad you let her go. She seems to be thriving very well there!!

[drache]

what a cool garter, Kyle
a big beauty
I'm glad she's out there, populating the garter world

[bulrush]

Zephyr, that is a garter very similar to the ones I see, except the ones here have no stripes. Just an olive top, cream bottom, and often orange dashes at the border of the olive and cream. Usually these are larger snakes, 24-30 inches. I would assume these to be females.

[count dewclaw]

Terry thought I should add this photo here...it's also in the pale male thread.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/palemale.JPG

There are at least 2 other big females in our yard this year plus at least a dozen males.

[Zephyr]

Okay, I went herping for two hours again today and found TONS of garters! I even found the "Attitude" snake a mile from her previous location. :P
Also, I brought home a little male who has black diamonds near a high yellow neck, and the diamonds turn into a black stripe on the first scales with a very yellow stripe above it on 2 and 3. I found snakes in areas I never knew had them, and there were no garters at the garden plots, leading me to believe they migrate to their area. :O

[adamanteus]

Interesting notion, Kyle... a sketch map would be good at this point....

[jeanette]

what a great bunch of pictures, i can see ive got a lot to learn about these little guys, definately where species and morphs are concerned.
Do a lot of people on here that breed these guys, breed for a certain colouring?
or do you all just let nature take its course?

[adamanteus]

I've been intending to try for decent pics of my melanistic Easterns for ages, but haven't got around to it.
Here's a couple of shots, but they're not very good I'm afraid.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//539/medium/black1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//539/medium/black2.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Oh, they're good enough I think. :)

[reptileparadise]

yep, defenitly good enough!

Melanistic easterns are about the hardest subjects to photograph...It looks like my camera can't focus because there isnt much contrast in these snakes...

It's a nice day today...I'll head outside in a few moments, taking the black with me...

[anji1971]

James, that snake is beautiful! Love that head shot, and please mail him to me at once!!:D

[reptileparadise]

Pretty satisfied with the result. I tried several backgrounds (white, pink, black and green), but this seemed to work best...
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/Kousebanden/DSCF0019Small.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/Kousebanden/DSCF0020Small.jpg
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s285/reptile-paradise/Kousebanden/DSCF0011Small.jpg

[adamanteus]

Very nice, Sjoerd. It is very difficult to photograph a black subject, isn't it?

[adamanteus]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//539/medium/mel1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//539/medium/mel2.jpg

[count dewclaw]

James, that last shot looks really nice. Pretty snake.

[reptileparadise]

Very nice James! Is it me or do melanistics eat a lot? (mine does, and he looks just as fat as yours hahaha)


Very nice, Sjoerd. It is very difficult to photograph a black subject, isn't it?

Defenitly! It also very ahrd to take nice pictures of Famke, with her blach head and dark eyes!

[adamanteus]

Is it me or do melanistics eat a lot?

I can't say I've noticed that, Sjoerd. Mine are good eaters, but not excessively so.
What I have noticed with them is their strength..... they hold on when handled almost (but not quite) like a constrictor. They seem a lot more muscular than my other Garters, whereas my Florida Blues are less so, quite 'baggy' to handle, almost like a vipers body.
Has any body else noticed differences in the musculature between species/sub-species?

[Stefan-A]

What I have noticed with them is their strength..... they hold on when handled almost (but not quite) like a constrictor. They seem a lot more muscular than my other Garters, whereas my Florida Blues are less so, quite 'baggy' to handle, almost like a vipers body.
Has any body else noticed differences in the musculature between species/sub-species?
vagrans. They feel almost like constrictors as well. They don't hold on to you quite as much as constrictors when you're holding them, but much, much more than parietalis or tetrataenia.

Somebody here had an infernalis together with a terrestris, in those photos you can definitely see how big the difference is in musculature.

[adamanteus]

What interests me, is that my melanistics are just Eastern sirtalis sirtalis, are all Easterns this way?
They are, of course, the same sub-species as my 'floppy bodied' Florida Blues.

[count dewclaw]

The Easterns in my yard are quite strong, but I have nothing to compare them to...

[enigma200316]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Wild_T_s_s_21.jpg

[enigma200316]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/T_s_s_3.jpg


my Eastrn that i have now/wild caught

[enigma200316]

the one I found under my porch but let go last summer.....duh:rolleyes:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Picture_699.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

I can't say I've noticed that, Sjoerd. Mine are good eaters, but not excessively so.
What I have noticed with them is their strength..... they hold on when handled almost (but not quite) like a constrictor. They seem a lot more muscular than my other Garters, whereas my Florida Blues are less so, quite 'baggy' to handle, almost like a vipers body.
Has any body else noticed differences in the musculature between species/sub-species?
guess you haven't met my florida blue girl!!!! very thick and strong, very much like my melanistic eastern...she actually feels more muscular than the melanistic.

[ssssnakeluvr]

here's my melanistic female....all 43 inches of her!!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/mel_7.jpg

here's my florida blue female...33 inches of attitude!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/female_florida_blue.jpg

[Zephyr]

Hmm... Odd.
One of my regular eastern females looks similar to that one... Maybe it's just a different color gene that was isolated in Florida...

[Zephyr]

Beautiful snakes by the way. XD
I'm thinking of either buying or finding a melanistic. :P

[Zephyr]

Well, another day of herping. Today's was the most productive. Around 40 garters caught, only a handful got a way, and I even found a flame! I was tempted to keep him, but I adhered to the rules of the area and let him go. However, after we'd left the protected area my girlfriend found a red brown snake! So, of course, I kept her. Also, we herped a bit in the garden plots and found 2 garters! This means that the garters that fill the plots in the summer must migrate the 2 miles distance from the falls to get there! But why...

[drache]

I don't think I've ever posted a picture of Boyfriend
well, he just shed and he looks pretty good
too bad the lighting is crappy

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/2449174254_661058849f_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2108/2449185180_b90883d202_b.jpg

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

very pretty rhea, has some nice orange under his chin

[Zephyr]

Looks almost part silver to me.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

What interests me, is that my melanistics are just Eastern sirtalis sirtalis, are all Easterns this way?
They are, of course, the same sub-species as my 'floppy bodied' Florida Blues.


from my experience, yes. The easterns tend to hold onto you with an iron grip!

[drache]

very pretty rhea, has some nice orange under his chin
the photo is still a tad too yellow and while he does have that lovely orangey yellow at his throat, what these pics don't show, is that his dorsal stripe is distinctly lime coloured after the shed - totally surprised me

[Sid]

Here's you another one Terry. If any of you have the "Snake Measurer" software...tell me how long she is. The pocket rule in the photo is 6 inches from bare end to edge of blace tape.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//589/medium/new_eastern-1.jpg

[Stefan-A]

About 30-31".

[Sid]

Thanks, Stefan. About what I was guessing. The copy of the measuring program I have no longer works. Will have to reload it.

[enigma200316]

well just by looking at it I was gonna say a good 24-30 inches......;)

[count dewclaw]

There's a program to measure snakes!?! Cool! :D

[anji1971]

I should look into that program. All I do now is measure their shed skins, and compare to the last for an idea of growth.

[drache]

I sort of guess by how long they are when they're mostly stretched out along some measurable surface

[count dewclaw]

That is what I've been doing, but you only get an estimate that way....

[Lori P]

So what is this software? Is it free, off the internet somewhere??

Incidentally, I have a great, super easy little program for re-sizing pics if anyone wants it. It's very basic, not much editing ability, but great for re-sizing. It's called i_view.

[Stefan-A]

Search the forum for Snake Measurer or snakemeasurer. :) There are links in most of the threads where it is mentioned.

[Zephyr]

Hmm. Sounds like a must have! :D

[Sid]

Terry, sorry for side-tracking your thread. For those interested in the measuring software, it is free and here's the link:
Apps (http://www.serpwidgets.com/Apps/measure.html)

[stonyloam]

While up at the farm (100 mi east of home) getting ready for spring planting, came across this little lady. She is a real beauty, a non-typical eastern. I suspect a gravid female.:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/farm_snake.jpg

P.S. Rhea has chloe shed? Would love to see how her color is now.

[Zephyr]

It might just be me, but these guys seem to have SOOOOO many different color varieties!
http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2091/img0471hc6.jpg

A fresh face/phase *PUN D<* from the field today. :P

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

lol, it isnt you... their variety is infinite... i think we already have a thread dedicated to eastern variety somewhere :)

[stonyloam]

Snakes have been pretty hard to come by this year, but found this one about a week ago getting ready to shed, and again today with some fresh new skin. About the prettiest that I have ever found (aside from the blue one):D. There is another, almost black that is just as nice, only a little faster.:rolleyes:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/pretty_garter2.jpg

[Zephyr]

Snakes have been pretty hard to come by this year, but found this one about a week ago getting ready to shed, and again today with some fresh new skin. About the prettiest that I have ever found (aside from the blue one):D. There is another, almost black that is just as nice, only a little faster.:rolleyes:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/pretty_garter2.jpg
Very nice snaky. :P
I like the nearly orange sidings. XD

[ssssnakeluvr]

thats a sweet garter!!! I want!!!!!!

[reptileparadise]

Indeed, thats about a perfect eastern! Handsome little guy!

[stonyloam]

Got em! He was back under the same rock, and he was just a bit slower:D! The stripe is a very very pale yellow, almost white, sides are pale yellow. Beautiful little guy.:D The lump in the middle is probably a slow toad. :rolleyes:
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/il_blackie.jpg

[adamanteus]

That's a nice snake, Terry.:)

[stonyloam]

Thank you everyone, it has been a good day.:)

[Stefan-A]

Very nice finds, Terry. :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

awwwww i love that second one....:D:D:D

[Snaky]

Indeed some great finds!

[Zephyr]

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/586/img0512ij5.jpg
Nice female I caught yesterday at a new location.

[Zephyr]

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/4458/img0525zr5.jpg
My easterns being adorable...
Only one of the ones from the pen is missing in the pic. :P

[Snake lover 3-25]

awwwwwww is this your outside pen??????:D:D:D:D:D

[Zephyr]

awwwwwww is this your outside pen??????:D:D:D:D:DChya. :P
Aren't they cute? XD

[Snake lover 3-25]

really really!!!:D:D:D

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

hey kyle, with more than one male how are you going to keep track of who breeds with who so you dont inbreed that much?

[Zephyr]

hey kyle, with more than one male how are you going to keep track of who breeds with who so you dont inbreed that much?I plan on warming them up from brumation next year in pairs, letting the males plug each girl, then recording who did who. :P
Inbreeding shouldn't be too much of a problem with 9 snakes. XD

[drache]

nice snakes everyone
I'm still catching up and there were some lovely surprises waiting in this thread

[Steve C]

Here's a couple of old pics of some Virginia easterns easterns.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/Steve64/Field%20Photos/000_5404.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/Steve64/Field%20Photos/000_5127.jpg

[Zephyr]

Here's an odd girl I found a while ago; Check the colors. :D
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6594/img0559bk9.jpg

[GartersRock]

Cool! I love the variation of Easterns!! I love the garters we have here in south tx, checkereds, blacknecks and texas. (esp love the last two but they are SO hard to find). So the only garters I have ever found are checkereds. They show close to zero variation. lol! So you people who have easterns locally! Enjoy your variation!!

[infernalis]

never found 2 exactly alike:D

My "High Red Phase" Eastern

http://www.reformedsniper.net/GSM/chief.jpg

Spot - Self explanatory

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snake/snakesr.jpg

A "wild man" in my woods..

http://www.reformedsniper.net/snake/gart.jpg

An unfortunate toad wanders into Garter country

http://www.reformedsniper.net/sn/choad.jpg

[Blacsmiff]

My two easterns. The green one is from NE OH. The smaller SE TN. My Melanistic exscaped last year.
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm242/melanistic/100_1190.jpg
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm242/melanistic/100_1195.jpg
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm242/melanistic/100_1196.jpg
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm242/melanistic/100_1188.jpg
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm242/melanistic/100_1166.jpg

[infernalis]

Nice snakes!! 28 posts in 2 years? now we know who the quiet one is:D

[adamanteus]

Nice snakes, Blacsmiff.:)

[drache]

those are beautiful
I love that olive with the russet spots

[crzy_kevo]

i think everyone has already seen my eastern but here it is again
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3338/picture004jx9.jpg

i love the wonderful rusty color

[infernalis]

Hello George:D

[Blacsmiff]

Thanks all!! And yes DekayBrown Im always here lurking around.:)
drache... nice snake!!! Beautiful!!

[stonyloam]

Gertie was talking about finding unusual snakes in another thread, and I realized that I had not included my most spectacular find in this thread. The only snake that I really, really regret letting go, but alas I was sadly underinformed at the time.:(

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/blue_gartet_snake.jpg

[infernalis]

So that snake is still lurking around in NY, Hmmm I sure hope it wanders into my yard:D

[Lori P]

Every time I see that pic I start to drool uncontrollably. As I'm sure every here does!!!!

[enigma200316]

http://content.sweetim.com/sim/cpie/emoticons/0002006A.gif (http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=10) http://content.sweetim.com/sim/cpie/emoticons/000201C7.gif (http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=10) http://content.sweetim.com/sim/cpie/emoticons/0002006C.gif (http://www.sweetim.com/s.asp?im=gen&ref=10) Its ok Terry, maybe someday you'll find it again or maybe its offspring.........

[el lobo]

Yes, thank you, Kevin. I am sure everyone is eternally grateful for you showing us your OUTSTANDING eastern.:mad:

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow that's the coolest snake EVER!!!!!! :D:D hope you find it again!!!!:D:D

[jitami]

Absolutely stunning Terry!

Maybe it's better you released it? Otherwise we'd all be beating down your door for babies! Might be a bit of a hassle :) :p :)

[Garter_Gertie]

What is it? It looks blue... What a gorgeous snake!

[stonyloam]

It is blue, and it is either an Eastern, T. s. sirtalis or a Maritime, T. s. pallidulus (an Eastern subspecies).

[Blacsmiff]

Sky blue Maritime .....nice:)

[Blacsmiff]

Check this out!!!!!!
FieldHerpForum.com :: View topic - Blue Phase Garter Snake from NW Indiana (http://fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18395&highlight=gartersnake&sid=4ad27ef4d3d97c9b328f5dfb7166e705)

[Snake lover 3-25]

neat!!!!!!!:D

[ssssnakeluvr]

that's an axanthic chicago garter, t s semifsciatus...very nice snake...I emailed the guy but he already talked to Scott Felzer....:mad:

[Zephyr]

Time to bring this thread back from the dead!
Here's a very large male eastern I pulled out of thorn bushes last year. It was the only one out that day. VERY nice coloration. :)
http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8662/img0198hc8.jpg

[infernalis]

OK I'm game.

Here is an Eastern I met out back a couple summers ago. Never picked it up, just snapped a picture.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/eastern4.jpg

This one just ate a very big toad, again photo only, never touched it.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/full.jpg

[Zephyr]

That second one is neat. :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol wow that must have taken a while to swallow lol he's fat:D

nice finds:D

[Zephyr]

Somewhere on my memory cards I have a picture of a medium sized eastern female who tore her sides swallowing a toad... She was going to dehydrate where my friend and I found her, at the bottom of a dried up, stone-bordered pond, so we moved her over to water and let her go from there.

[infernalis]

somewhere I have video of that snake eating the toad, and some other stills including the toad 1/2 way down.

[Zephyr]

I found my video. You find yours. lol

[infernalis]

Lets see, approximately 50 8mm tapes, 2 hours each, 10 minute clip.

Make a deal Kyle, come on over, I'll let you watch them all, and when you see it just give me a shout.

[Zephyr]

Lets see, approximately 50 8mm tapes, 2 hours each, 10 minute clip.

Make a deal Kyle, come on over, I'll let you watch them all, and when you see it just give me a shout.
Ugh... Old tech makes me mad. DX

[infernalis]

Old tech?? That camcorder was close to 500 bucks. It even shoots in total darkness.

I left it on a guys motorcycle trailer once, and it rolled off going 50 MPH and thankfully he saw it in his rear view, called me up and gave it back.

A little road rash was all that happened. Sony makes good stuff.

I guess if it had a HDD and shot MPG it would be better.

I don't care much for those direct to DVD cameras, too fragile for the action filming I do at the race track.

[Zephyr]

Time to resurrect this thread...
Went herping with a friend (he's on here by not very often; I forget his username.)
2 minutes after he left the garters showed up. :P

Found this beautiful girl while digging through a compost heap.
http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9705/sdc10102k.jpg
"Yes, I am a snake, could put me down please?"
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2411/sdc10104c.jpg
Sneaky girl hiding on some leaves.
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/792/sdc10111f.jpg
I was VERY tempted to keep her.
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/8956/sdc10113f.jpg

[Zephyr]

Pretty northeastern girl.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1042/sdc10120s.jpg
I like her cheeks. :)
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6343/sdc10121.jpg
Leetle one with lots of color.
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/631/sdc10125w.jpg

[gregmonsta]

Lovely finds :D

[Zephyr]

I think rhubarb is one of garter snake's favorite plants. I always find them where there's rhubarb in Michigan, and when I went to Utah they were where the wild rhubarb was. :P
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/5161/sdc10126n.jpg
"I gotta keep a sharp lookout in case one of those humans comes by!"
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2299/sdc10127l.jpg
"Yikes! He found me!"
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/6462/sdc10129q.jpg

[drache]

great finds - you lucky guy
I do often wish that mythical garter population in Prospect Park would spread to the point where I could find one in my compost

[Snake lover 3-25]

great finds!!

[sirtalis01]

nice looking easterns everyone.....around my way i have several diferent colors variations...greens,yellows,blues and orange...here is a pic
http://i31.tinypic.com/rie069.jpg:D

[stonyloam]

Been a while since I posted here, and after the abysmal “baiting “ season this spring, was worried that there would not be many garters around this summer. Turned out to not be the case. Found a nice shed the other day and found what came out of it this morning. Was a little cool, so an easy catch. Obviously gravid, one of my “maritimes” Another smaller one scooted off and saw a huge tail heading down a mouse hole on the other side of the walkway. Some milks hanging around too, one looked familiar, will have to check out my photos to see if I can id it. Anyway hope to have a few more photos this summer :D.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/june_2010.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Milk pics, milk pics! More garter pics!

Hey sirtalis, those girls in the bucket look very gravid!

and zeph, the rhubarb does make an excellent shady and safe place to rest, not to mention, slugs agree and can usually be found in and under rhubarb.

[Mommy2many]

Very nice photos! The one we just found outside near our front step was in the Hosta. Hard to see them in there. Equally as difficult to catch!

[sirtalis01]

Yes they where...if you are asking your self if i took any well no, even tho i was tempted :p i didnt...i just like going to my spot and counting how many i find...the most i found in one day was 65....and like 100 dekays.:eek:

[Mommy2many]

Wow! I would love to see that many snakes at one time!

[ConcinusMan]

March 20, 2010, NW Oregon near Tualitin/Beaverton. An area that redspot(Nate) turned me on to. Sunny 74 degrees. I go there, and you can hear a sound like "white noise", the ground is making a "hissing" or "rustling" sound. A closer look reveals that you are surrounded by thousands of garter snakes. It's actually a challenge not to step on them because the ground is literally blanketed with them. Mostly very small T. ordinoides but there are hundreds of T. s. concinnus around too. Probably the closest thing you can get in the U.S. to the Narcisse dens.

That was the den areas in NW Oregon. Now when you go there, (today at the dens) you can find almost none. The snakes have already moved into their feeding areas. Still, many dozens of snakes away from the den areas and in feeding/summer areas nearby. Concinnus and ordinoides everywhere!

[stonyloam]

Was out splitting wood this afternoon and came across this beauty just catching some rays on top of an old cherry log. Had to look twice to make sure it was not one of my pool snakes. Am not sure I have seen this one before, nice "maybe marathon":D . Matches her surroundings pretty well I would say.:cool:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/mahagony_maratime.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Great photo, Terry.
Beautiful snake.

[stonyloam]

Just thought I would document some of "my" snakes here this summer. There is a really big one (might be the “big Eastern” I have yet to get a shot of. So far here are a couple: I know this one looks like the same snake as the last two, but she is not. She is getting ready to shed and has a few more gold highlight than the others, and lives on the left side of the pool, the other on the right. I almost think that these are the snakes that I kept for a while a couple of years ago, I’ll have to go back and check some photos. This has been a lot of fun, the hard part is training them to crawl up onto my hand for the photos;).

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/maratime_2.jpg

This guy (maybe gal) has taken up residence behind the pool filter, right next to the pump. Seems to like the warm air from the motor. Not the best photo, had to use the flash

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/filter_snake.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

This guy (maybe gal) has taken up residence behind the pool filter, right next to the pump. Seems to like the warm air from the motor. Not the best photo, had to use the flash

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/filter_snake.jpg

A garter snake Cabana Boy. You're so lucky, Terry.

[mustang]

Just thought I would document some of "my" snakes here this summer. There is a really big one (might be the “big Eastern” I have yet to get a shot of. So far here are a couple: I know this one looks like the same snake as the last two, but she is not. She is getting ready to shed and has a few more gold highlight than the others, and lives on the left side of the pool, the other on the right. I almost think that these are the snakes that I kept for a while a couple of years ago, I’ll have to go back and check some photos. This has been a lot of fun, the hard part is training them to crawl up onto my hand for the photos;).

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/maratime_2.jpg


howd you get em to come to your hand!?

[stonyloam]

the hard part is training them to crawl up onto my hand for the photos;).


Robert, I think I owe you an apology. Didn't think anyone would believe that I could actually do that ;). Best I can do is get them to sit there for a while for a pix. When I pick one up I cup the snake in my hands and up against my body. Make sure the eyes are covered. After a little while they will start to relax, and say "this is warm and dark, so it is not too bad":). After a while longer they will just sit there after you take your hand off, anyway long enough for a portrait. Kind of stinky sometimes, but works, especially on a cool morning.
P.S. This technique does not work with milksnakes, they try to chew their way out.:eek:

[Snakers]

Hey Terry, are you keeping any snakes as of now?

[Mommy2many]

A garter snake Cabana Boy. You're so lucky, Terry.


Steve, is this a boy? Looks a little thick in the middle, me thinks.

[guidofatherof5]

Steve, is this a boy? Looks a little thick in the middle, me thinks.


I'm guessing it's a female but Cabana Girl didn't sound right.

[ConcinusMan]

"female entertainer" perhaps? Wait.. that doesn't sound right either.

[GARTERKID]

This thread is awesome it has totally answered all my identifying questions aBOUT ALL THIS YEARS BABIES.I love this site im learning so much.
Im home!!!!!!!!!!!
john

[guidofatherof5]

This thread is awesome it has totally answered all my identifying questions aBOUT ALL THIS YEARS BABIES.I love this site im learning so much.
Im home!!!!!!!!!!!
john


What a great testimonial.
Glad you came home, John.
You are right. It's a great site.:)

[PINJOHN]

just wanted to keep this thread going its possibly the best i have come across so far
perhaps all those contributors from past years will up date with their latest news and photos of these truly great garters
come on you eastern enthusiasts keep a great thread going

[stonyloam]

Came across this well fed big girl out by the woodpile this afternoon. Looks lik a a close encounter with a big ol slow toad:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/well_fed.jpg

[PINJOHN]

some on all you eastern owners this is your thread, lets have more opinions, comments and even better more photo's, help feed this old mans addiction for eastern's :)

[RedSidedSPR]

Oh lordy, that's a meal.:eek:

[guidofatherof5]

Hello Terry,

Great photo.

[d_virginiana]

Nice photo!


some on all you eastern owners this is your thread, lets have more opinions, comments and even better more photo's, help feed this old mans addiction for eastern's :)

I wish I could find some other than the two that live in the upstairs room! You'd think living in the middle of the woods in prime Eastern territory we'd occasionally see some around here. :p

[guidofatherof5]

You know the old saying.

Habitat, habitat, habitat:D

[RedSidedSPR]

Or anywhereyou'not, anywhereyou'renot, anywhereyou'renot.:p

[snakehill]

I met a beautiful little Eastern Monday evening (8/08). She (I am guessing that she is a female, I haven't had a chance to get a close enough look yet) looks to be a yearling. We found her near the barn that we rent. I plan to release her when I recieve my Radixes from Steve so I guess she is my "training garter". She seems to be settling in I guess. It's my first WC snake so it's hard to tell. I've only taken her out of the tank once so far. She bit me several times then latched on for about a minute before letting go. I offered her worms but she wasn't interested. We'll see how it goes. I'll try not to be a pest with my questions about her but I'm sure that I'll have some so please bear with me! By the way garters do poop alot don't they?!! Thanks in advance!;)

[RedSidedSPR]

She bit me several times then latched on for about a minute before letting go.

She sounds awesome! :D

[guidofatherof5]

I met a beautiful little Eastern Monday evening (8/08). She (I am guessing that she is a female, I haven't had a chance to get a close enough look yet) looks to be a yearling. We found her near the barn that we rent. I plan to release her when I recieve my Radixes from Steve so I guess she is my "training garter". She seems to be settling in I guess. It's my first WC snake so it's hard to tell. I've only taken her out of the tank once so far. She bit me several times then latched on for about a minute before letting go. I offered her worms but she wasn't interested. We'll see how it goes. I'll try not to be a pest with my questions about her but I'm sure that I'll have some so please bear with me! By the way garters do poop alot don't they?!! Thanks in advance!;)

Keep in mind that snake will need time to go to or find a place to Winter. If you keep it too long it may not have that chance. Might be better to release soon or keep her(?) until Spring.
Just an idea.

[snakehill]

Crap I didn't think of that! Duh! Maybe I'll keep her until spring. I'll have to set up another tank for the new ladies!:o

[PINJOHN]

. I'll try not to be a pest with my questions about her but I'm sure that I'll have some so please bear with me! By the way garters do poop alot don't they?!! Thanks in advance!;)[/QUOTE]

one or the main functions of this site is to help people better look after their garters, it is full of people who will give you the information you need to do just that, questions seem to fall in the main in to two category's, ones which come up frequently and unusual one ones fall outside of a lot of people,s experience, but no matter which, all questions are given full attention. the two pluses for me are to see members after gaining some experience, help answer questions that they themselves had asked in their less knowledgeable days, that for me is a buzz and the sign of a healthy site, the other type, the unusual queries, are good because getting them answered makes us all a little more knowledgeable , so what im saying in a very long winded way is don't be afraid to ask its what the site is here for

[RedSidedSPR]

Yeah, ask away.

[PINJOHN]

Nice photo!



I wish I could find some other than the two that live in the upstairs room! You'd think living in the middle of the woods in prime Eastern territory we'd occasionally see some around here. :p

don't despair Lora garters might be like buses, you wait for ages and they all turn up together:D lets hope so