I must really love my garters!

[infernalis]

I just came in from netting minnows, the wind is blowing, snowing like mad and I had to break an inch thick layer of ice from the water before I could even begin netting.

Of course smashing on the ice scared them all away, so I had to squat and hold the net while waiting for them to come out of hiding.

After spending an hour just to net 4 minnows I decided to come in and warm up a bit.

Went back out and CHEATED by throwing some shrimp pellets into the water.. Still came back with only 3 minnows that time.

Now Dorothy is sewing cheese cloth all over my minnow traps so I can go leave them in the water overnight.

Sure hope those little buggers appreciate the lengths "daddy" goes through to keep them fed.

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol but they love you so:D

[Sid]

I just came in from netting minnows, the wind is blowing, snowing like mad and I had to break an inch thick layer of ice from the water before I could even begin netting.

Of course smashing on the ice scared them all away, so I had to squat and hold the net while waiting for them to come out of hiding.

After spending an hour just to net 4 minnows I decided to come in and warm up a bit.

Went back out and CHEATED by throwing some shrimp pellets into the water.. Still came back with only 3 minnows that time.

Now Dorothy is sewing cheese cloth all over my minnow traps so I can go leave them in the water overnight.

Sure hope those little buggers appreciate the lengths "daddy" goes through to keep them fed.
Isn't life grand.:D

[olive oil]

You are such a good Daddy Wayne.:D

[infernalis]

Sid, believe it or not as I am standing near the creek listening to the wind howl, I couldn't think of anything I'd rather be doing at that moment.

But I did just get off the phone a few minutes ago, Secured a trade deal with a nice pet shop, I bring her a batch of mice, she orders me a hundred feeder guppies:D

The Christmas rush is beginning, and lots of little boys and girls get pet mice.

Better to leave the ice to get thicker so the kids can go skating...

I'll still be cold, but for another reason.

[guidofatherof5]

The lenghts we go to for these little scrubs. From minnows in the frozen creek to spending hours outside during a thunderstorm dodging falling limbs and lighting bolts. The welfair of them is important. "When you care for the least of these"

[reptile3]

You must really love them!!! SNOW?? already!! ha ha none here. Just has been very chilly here in GA!

I had a pet mouse before!!:D

[Scaley.Jade]

I WANT SNOW lol
i love snow

[Stefan-A]

I WANT SNOW lol
i love snow
We've got snow.

[Loren]

Wow Wayne, you make me feel preet bad for not even wanting to get out of my computor chair to go feed some snakes... :)
Actually I have been busy boxing up many of my snakes in sterilites to go in the closet for the winter.
So far I am keeping the garters awake though. As long as they want to eat.

[Garter_Gertie]

Dekay, you are just a Hallmark kind'a guy. Furshure, furshure.

[infernalis]

Thanks MK

Since my server outage has gutted my pictures thread, I'll post them here for a bit until I get the server back online.

Here is "Prince" our daughter named the snake princess, however he is a male so I call him prince.

He is another of my adults that will eat and swallow while I hold him.

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

[guidofatherof5]

Wayne, Great photo.

[infernalis]

Thanks Steve:D

Just love the way his head distorts while he eats, almost looks cross eyed.

[guidofatherof5]

Speaking only for my Radix. Have you notice how their pupils constrict as they focus on the food just before they strike. They dial it in and it's gone.

[infernalis]

I will have to watch for that Steve.

Usually my robust feeders react so quick, I can't say I have noticed.

[guidofatherof5]

I notice it best in my babies. They seem to study the food for a few moments then strike. I also have noticed that sharing isn't part of their makeup. With a whole plate of food in front of them they will go after the one who takes a bite instead of getting their own. I'm sure in the wild this is a needed reaction since it may be the only food there.
Only the strong and aggressive survive.

[Aundrea]

WOW Thats a very nice pic there!!!! Love the name :D

Looks like you have a bowl of pinkies and mice there lol


Thanks MK

Since my server outage has gutted my pictures thread, I'll post them here for a bit until I get the server back online.

Here is "Prince" our daughter named the snake princess, however he is a male so I call him prince.

He is another of my adults that will eat and swallow while I hold him.

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

[reptile3]

Wayne that is an awesome picture!!:)

[drache]

cool picture, Wayne

[infernalis]

Thank you all for the nice words.;)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Wayne.. i know how you feel! I am always dragging one of my brothers out to the creek to net minnows. It is MUCH more effective if you use two people: and here's why. Minnows when scared will flee either down or upstream depending on which way you are coming from. I am sure you realize how annoying that is. They generally always use the path that is the deepest and fastest moving part of the water. If there are two equally low and fast paths, block one off with some stones. I get my brother to walk on land so that he is standing upstream of the large group of minnows. Then, he gets into the center of the water and waits for me. I and standing downstream(this keeps the net wide open the whole time) from that same group of minnows and put the net down (it works best if the net is dark in color) into the deepest fastest part of the flow and hold it there. Then my brother starts stomping and RUNNING straight for the minnows who panic and flee downstream and in their panic, almost the whole school will swim straight into the net and when you pull up, you have a net full of 100 minnows!

I also found that if you find a good deep hole in a creek, and you simply put teh net down in the water and wait 5 or 10 minutes... fish of all sorts start to get curious (provided you hold completely still) and will start to swim right in and out of the net!


Speaking only for my Radix. Have you notice how their pupils constrict as they focus on the food just before they strike. They dial it in and it's gone.


I have noticed that, epecially with my king rat snake the effect is amazing. I can always tell when he's thinking food, because normally his pupil while open are large and round, but as soon as he spots a "meal" of any sort, his eyes instantly narrow into tiny red vertical slits and he looks EVIL!!!!

[infernalis]

Shannon, when Dorothy is not helping, I hold the net and throw rocks upstream to spook the minnows my way:D

[reptile3]

Shannon, when Dorothy is not helping, I hold the net and throw rocks upstream to spook the minnows my way:D

Can you spook them my way??? LOL :p

[infernalis]

I took some fresh photos at feeding time, My RADIX:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/2radix.jpg

My Christmas Radix is a male, He is only about 75 percent the size of the girls, so he eats his pinks cut into strips.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/1radiz.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/3radix.jpg

And Snowflake our (Dorothy's) Snow Eastern...

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/1snow.jpg

[adamanteus]

Lovely radix, Wayne, especially the normal.

[Sid]

Great photos, Wayne. Awsome specimens there.:)

[infernalis]

Lovely radix, Wayne, especially the normal.


Where is the "normal"? James:D

Hint - No snake was shown twice;)

[guidofatherof5]

Gotta love those Radixs. Looks like a group of good eaters. Nice pictures, Wayne.

[infernalis]

The snow male is a fussy eater, when I first got him he had not had a meal since birth, required baby toads to get him started.

I always have to offer fish first, and shove pinky parts at him as he is swallowing his fish.

I told the breeder recently that most people would have ran out of patience with him by now.

Thanks for the compliment.

[anji1971]

Nice pictures, Wayne.
The Christmas radix is very........bright and glowy! I think they have an almost otherworldly appearance to them. Pretty snake though. :)

[drache]

nice photo, Wayne
I like the normals best myself

[infernalis]

Acouple more, One of my ribbons and Masubius...

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

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/1amasub.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

I love to watch the scrubs eat. They get sooo into it!

[infernalis]

Maybe a little out of context, but here is some non garter snakes...

Oreo the Pueblan Milk peeking out of his aspen.

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

A couple of my Dekayi babies born this year, the lighter is included to illustrate the size of these micro snakes.

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



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

The ever so poular Limon

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/limon2.jpg


Cain the royal python

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/cain2.jpg

And lastly my "gang" that resides in the living room on the entertainment centre over the television.

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

Every time I try and photograph them, they all start checking out the camera, Last night when I took this three clicks later they were even ON the camera "What is this shiny thing?"

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking little ones.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

The ever so poular Limon

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/limon2.jpg





::gasp::

its' my other boyfriend!!!

I've missed him!

So Limon.... you come here often?! You want to come back to my place tonight?! I have lots of trees....

[Lori P]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data/500/cain2.jpg

I love this pic!!! I just wanna kiss those lips!!!

[infernalis]

Its more like I want to eat your camera:D

[Lori P]

I used to have a bumper sticker that said "I kiss my donkey on the lips". Now I want a snake one!!!

[infernalis]

Some new photos of Xena. She has been here the longest of all my snakes:)

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

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data/500/hair3.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data/500/medium/hair2.jpg

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

[reptile3]

Wayne, you have captured some great pictures of your snakies!! I love all the pictures!! Now I know why my dekayi's are sooo friendly!!

My snakes, & cats love my camera too.. Jake & Ginger love to come up to the camera real close.

[infernalis]

Xena will play in my hair for as long as I leave her there. Never attempts to leave, until I take her out.

Stephanie, she is mother to yours.:)

[jitami]

What a goofball :D

[olive oil]

I was wondering what she was in,in the first few pics.
Your curls. Too cute.
How old is she?

[infernalis]

I estimate around 4.

She was a young adult when I found her, she bred for me the first spring.

Her mate "Speedy" passed away before the litter was born.

[reptile3]

I estimate around 4.

She was a young adult when I found her, she bred for me the first spring.

Her mate "Speedy" passed away before the litter was born.

RIP Speedy! Yes I like your curls too!:D

[guidofatherof5]

Letting the snakes in your hair. What a great idea:rolleyes: If I had some hair!:(
Careful Wayne, You know what they say about hair? "Hair today. Gone tomorrow"
Nice pictures.

[reptile3]

Letting the snakes in your hair. What a great idea:rolleyes: If I had some hair!:(
Careful Wayne, You know what they say about hair? "Hair today. Gone tomorrow"
Nice pictures.


:eek: my hubby can vouch for that, and he is only 33!

[brain]

Wayne you raise minnows in your back yard?
I have a pond at my place and never though of raising them buggers.
Great idea:(
Michael

[GartersRock]

Aww!!! She is adorable!

I now currently have two adult females her that I LOVE!! And am getting two unknowns in January. All texana. They are wonderfully addictive! :D:D

[infernalis]

Heading back down to the creek, need some little dace for my dehydrated Florida...

Crickey it's 18 degrees out:eek:

Gonna have to smash some ice for sure!

[infernalis]

I'm back...

The net kept freezing solid, my fingers went stiff, feet got wet and the temperature dipped 3 degrees while I was back there.

Good news is scored 3 dace minnows for my little Florida blue to eat.

Put my modified trap in a fairly deep hole, hope I get some results there.

The 3 minnows I did get were really close to the shore.

[Snake lover 3-25]

all that for 3 minnows??? wow now that's devotion!!!! lol cute pics meadow loves my hair:)

[infernalis]

The trap was empty after leaving it there overnight. Bummer.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

thats been happening to me a lot, Wayne....

before winter set in I thre out a trap into a hole FULL of minnows. The nexk day I had one dead fish in there, and it was almost 8 inches long (not a minnow) and it's head had been eaten by a crawfish!!!! :mad: