how often does your garter go in the water?

[hjelte]

Ok I was just browsing around on the web and found this reptile forum where someone asked the question how often others garter-snakes actually went INTO the water. And not just using it to drink. Now I know that this really is a species-related question, but I´m kind of curious wether garters have different personalities when it comes to these things. My radix was in her bowl a couple of times when she was fairly new (not counting when I gave her live feeder fish to hunt) but now I days I never see it. I also have a Sirtalis now and I haven´t seen him in the tub yet. Both species being kind of "generalist-garters" in there habits so I find it quite interesting to know if any of you with "generalist-garters" see individual preferences in such behaviour.

I hope this post is understandable. I´m working night-shift and I´m sleeeeepy:o

[ssssnakeluvr]

i have trouble keeping some of my garters out of the water! I usually don't put a big bowl in their cages...

[hjelte]

really?? Interesting. What garters do you have then?

[ssssnakeluvr]

lots.....i have had a few plains that wouldn't stay out of the water, currently I have a few adult wandering garters that won't stay out!!

[hjelte]

Alright, I find that really interesting. In the other forum I mentioned someone had a theory that her garter stopped soaking as much when she switched it over from fish to mice. Me personally, I think it sounds kind of far-fetched. What do you think? What do you feed the garters you have that can´t stay out of the water?
Chris

[suzoo]

Hi, I have 7 T. Radix and they never go into the water, except for fish.

[Stefan-A]

Male sirtalis, never. Female sirtalis, sometimes but not often.

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

The female might even be using it to get away from the male when it gets too excited. The chase usually ends at the water bowl, with the female in it and the male outside it.

I think it might also have something to do with their swimming possibilities as babies, at least the male didn't have more than a small cup until about a month or so before I bought it.

[Snaky]

Here it depends on the snake. One of the cyrtopsis are sometimes found in the water, but I haven't seen the sirtalis in the water yet. But I don't think this is species dependend, more individual dependend.

[snakeman]

A lot of my garters go in the water after they eat.They are all easterns.

[Gijs & Sabine]

But I don't think this is species dependend, more individual dependend.

I agree with Snaky. We've got a lot of different garters and some will go in the water sometimes and others from the same species are absolutely not.

[hjelte]

ok thanks for all the answers! (not that I wouldn´t be interested in reading more on the subject;) feel free to post! ) I don´t know why I have this fascination of their "aquatic" leanings...:rolleyes: