New garters*pics*

[zirliz]

Here's my two new Garters Any one can tell me the species petshops are clueless.....

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/DCF_0277.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/DCF_0276.jpg

Here's the other alot less co-operative
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/DCF_0274.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r314/zirliz/DCF_0273.jpg- *

[Daniel]

The first one is definitely a Thamnophis radix or plains garter snake and the second one looks as far as I can see on the two pics more like an eastern garter snake or Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis.

Best wishes,

Daniel

[zirliz]

Cool Thanks,
two different species guy in pet thought they were both the same, yeah, now I've 4 species of Garters

[GarterGuy]

I'll have to agree that I think that the first one may be a T.radix, but with the really blurry incomplete pics of the second, I wouldn't even try a species or subspecies on that one. I will agree though that, from what little I can see, they do look different, but you'll want to get some clearer pics and probably do some scale counts to be more accurate.
Roy

[Blacsmiff]

they look like butlers gartersnakes to me

[zirliz]

How can I find out what they're?

[ssssnakeluvr]

better pictures will help...i can say for sure the top one is a plains garter....the side stripe is on scale rows 3 and 4. all others it's on 2 and 3.

[Valley Pets]

Could anyone tell me why everyone is so unsure of their garters that they buy in the pet stores over seas? Not many seem to no what kind of garter they are even getting?! Don't the stores no what they are getting? Over here you almost always no what you are getting?!
Just a thought... It kind of bugs me lol...
Ryan-Valley Pets

[Cazador]

A lot of times, the pet stores label garter snakes simply as garter snakes, but sometimes they call ribbon snakes garters as well. Sometimes pet stores even mistake the species or subspecies. Some pet stores have true experts, but others have people with expertise on kingsnakes, cornsnakes, or even parakeets or something else, so they know very little about the different types of garters. I, for example, know a fair amount about garter snakes, but I'm not that good at taxonomy (though I don't work at a pet shop). A person that is 17 years old and looking for a part-time, after school job to get some date money might have even less experience at telling garter species/subspecies apart.

[Stefan-A]

No, the stores don't know. The info just seems to get lost on the way from the breeder to the store, even if the snake itself was bred by a competent breeder. In my situation, it means that all garter snakes follow the same path, from breeder to wholesaler to exporter to importer to wholesaler to pet store to owner. I bet that somebody along the way doesn't care about more than if it's a garter snake and after that, everybody tries to identify the species with little or no success.

As far as I can tell, there are no local breeders.

Example: The first store I bought a garter from got the species right, but couldn't say anything about the subspecies. The second store sold a garter as a Thamnophis sp., which was in my opinion the right decision, since the wholesaler passed it to them as a "Thamnophis similis". :rolleyes:

[drache]

I have no idea where our stores get their garters, but I certainly have never seen them called anything other than just Garters. Most of the ones I see are common sirtalis. Also - they persist in feeding them goldfish.
Most of the people working in petshops here, know very little. Some of them like animals, but for most it's just a job. They don't pay much after all.

[krystalirelan@southslope.]

I have had more luck with small, locally owned pet stores. The chains tend to not know thier back side from an iguana. I am lucky that I am in an area with a very reputble small pet store owner. Unfortunately it is harder for these stores to make it as they don't have the buying power that a PetSmart may have, and most people don't want to pay extra for the knowledge or security of a healthy pet, they want a bargin.

[adamanteus]

I have had more luck with small, locally owned pet stores. The chains tend to not know thier back side from an iguana. I am lucky that I am in an area with a very reputble small pet store owner. Unfortunately it is harder for these stores to make it as they don't have the buying power that a PetSmart may have, and most people don't want to pay extra for the knowledge or security of a healthy pet, they want a bargin.

So true, and so sad!:(

James.

[Stefan-A]

The situation is reversed here. We do have one large chain/franchise (by local standards) and they have been pretty well informed. I believe they even required certain courses of their employees at some point. They are still not by any means perfect, but still far more professional than the small stores. The smaller stores are usually the ones that don't know their back side from a iguana, probably for historical reasons. Exotic pets (i.e. other than mammals and birds) weren't available until they changed some animal import law in the mid-80's.