When will they be out?

[Squeaky10199]

Hey i live in South Milwaukee, WI and i live by a set of railroad tracks. By these railroad tracks is a small field that i always find garters. I have kept some in the past, but gave them to other herpists who wanted them. I dont know what kind they are, but i wanted to know when they come out of hibernation so i can catch a baby to keep since i love the the growing process in snakes and love to see the difference from baby to adult. I have two corn snakes and im ready for another snake. So when do they come out of hibernation? It has been getting warmer here, but really rainy and sometimes cold.Right now its in the 40's but when could i find the garters starting to come out of hibernation? Thanks for any help.

[gregmonsta]

I'd imagine you'd see a few once it starts creeping into the upper 50s :)

[Squeaky10199]

Well last week it was up to 60 for two days! But i looked for them and none were out! I figured some would be out for a little while but maybe its still a bit too early. I will try next time. What does a thamnophis sertalis look like? I think this is the species that lives in my area. Any pics?

[Snake lover 3-25]

um eastern garters can look very different... hold on....

[Snake lover 3-25]

here are some of mine....

meadow my 32 inch female
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Meadow/100_1737.jpg

willow my 20 inch female
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Willow/100_1670.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Willow/100_1207.jpg

sooty my 20 inch femals from the same litter as willow (meadow is their mother)
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Sooty/100_1216.jpg

and fawna an 08 baby
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Baby/100_1153.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Baby/100_1640.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

here are some others from 2008
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Wild%20Snakes%20and%20Releases/shanleyssnakes565.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Babies/shanleyssnakes495.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Babies/shanleyssnakes587.jpg

but i know that a bunch of our members will have babies avaliable sooner than you would be able to find a baby in the wild.... which is usually not till fall... meadow will hopefully be having babies in june or july

[Squeaky10199]

Meadow is the closest morph to the ones we have here. Sometimes i find babies from last year which are only about 8-10 inches. But the snakes here have three dull yellow stripes...Still very beautiful though. Cant wait til i get one. This is an example of one i had.. This one was my all time fav, Spot. I wish i still had him/her. What a great snake!
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee250/squeaky10199/crap007.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee250/squeaky10199/crap008.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee250/squeaky10199/bllah013.jpg
http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee250/squeaky10199/bllah005.jpg

I believe this was a sirtalis, i know it was not a radix... This was my favorite snake.. I cant wait til i get another! Thanks for the help!

[Snake lover 3-25]

very pretty:)

[Stefan-A]

I could be wrong, but it looks like Butler's to me.

[Snake lover 3-25]

idk.... it sure doesn't look like the easterns from around here..... but maybe that's just a location thing?

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

looks like a butlers, kinda looks pickeringii but i dont think so

[Zephyr]

DEFINITELY a butler's or butler's x eastern.

[Snake lover 3-25]

neat!!! (but aren't they illegal to catch/keep??)

[olive oil]

DEFINITELY a butler's or butler's x eastern.


That is what I was thinking Kyle. A butler's-eastern mix.

[Stefan-A]

Nothing really points to it being a mix of any kind.

[ssssnakeluvr]

looks like a butler's to me. as to whether they are illegal to catch/keep depends on what state you are in...I know they are protected in a state or two..don't remember which.
once the weather starts warming up and stays warm.....around april to may, they will be coming out. occasionally you will find one out during a warm day during the winter, but not very often.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

that one's head and eyes are far too small and it totally lacks any sort of "neck" area... I'd say definitely not a sirtalis. The patterning is a little off as well. Man, I am just full of good news today!!!:rolleyes::o

[Zephyr]

Nothing really points to it being a mix of any kind.
Head shape, pattern and stripe rows, and lip markings. Not entirely butleri quality.
Could be a partial mix from somewhere down the road, especially if there was a population bottleneck at one point.

[Stefan-A]

Head shape, pattern and stripe rows, and lip markings.
No neck. Relatively little black pigment on supralabials. Stripe rows 2, 3 and lower part of 4. It all fits Butler's just fine.

[Zephyr]

The pigmentation on the preocular, loreal, and postocular scales doesn't fit your standard butleri. The neck in the pic isn't decisive; I have pictures of easterns in similar positions with the same neck shape and form.

However, there is supposed to be a substantial difference between butleri collected anywhere north of Ohio and those collected west of it.

[Squeaky10199]

Well there are butlers around here, around my school we have a butler thing where we have to save the ecosystem to let them gain numbers since they are endangered. I was told it could be a butler but if it was, i wasnt listening to the rules... HEhe I know they are illegal to have but no one has to know right?!:D Im not killing them or taking numbers of them home so it shouldnt be a problem, even though its still wrong. Hopefully when im older i can fufill my dream and be a wildlife ecologist and start breeding the endangered species... To bring back what was once there. I have a dream and hopefully it comes true. It is sick that people kill animals because they are venemous or a nussence.:(

[Stefan-A]

The pigmentation on the preocular, loreal, and postocular scales doesn't fit your standard butleri.
Of course I need to ask what standard you're going by. These signs haven't made it into any identification guide that I can think of. Those others, however, have.


The neck in the pic isn't decisive; I have pictures of easterns in similar positions with the same neck shape and form.The four of them together are decisive.

[mtolypetsupply]

There are plenty of captive breeders on here, why take one from the wild when you can get a captive born one?

[Zephyr]

Of course I need to ask what standard you're going by. These signs haven't made it into any identification guide that I can think of. Those others, however, have.

The four of them together are decisive.

There are identification guides for garters that say they'll eat "small insects" as well. Doesn't mean it's definitive or not because it's in a book.

[Stefan-A]

There are identification guides for garters that say they'll eat "small insects" as well. Doesn't mean it's definitive or not because it's in a book.
Were those guides written by Rossman, Ford or Seigel?

[Sid]

Hey i live in South Milwaukee, WI and i live by a set of railroad tracks. By these railroad tracks is a small field that i always find garters. I have kept some in the past, but gave them to other herpists who wanted them. I dont know what kind they are, but i wanted to know when they come out of hibernation so i can catch a baby to keep since i love the the growing process in snakes and love to see the difference from baby to adult. I have two corn snakes and im ready for another snake. So when do they come out of hibernation? It has been getting warmer here, but really rainy and sometimes cold.Right now its in the 40's but when could i find the garters starting to come out of hibernation? Thanks for any help.

Just two days ago I spotted my first wild Garter of the year. Temp was 80 F that day. Upstate SC.

[guidofatherof5]

Just two days ago I spotted my first wild Garter of the year. Temp was 80 F that day. Upstate SC.

Rub it in, Sid.
Here in Iowa we had a wind chill of -9 this morning. Our snakes were out but you can't tell what kind they are since their wearing coat and ski masks.:D

[count dewclaw]

Woot! I just saw my first garter of Spring today! Not bad for central New York state. Of course, since they hibernate in the old stone foundation of my house it may warm up a bit sooner than some areas.

[jitami]

I'm jealous Sid and LeAnn :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

LUCKY!!!!!!!!!:eek::(

[Squeaky10199]

I would get one from a breeder but i dont really use the shipping deal. Its just easier to get one from the wild and raise it on my own. That may be the wrong thing to do but its the way i go.

[guidofatherof5]

They're calling for 72 degrees on Tuesday and 50's the days before. My wild radixes will be coming out to get some sun. I'll try to get some photos. I sure hope they come out.

[Squeaky10199]

well today it is in the high 40's-50 and i looked for them seeing if they were out but they were not. But its supposed to be 58 on tuesday here so maybe with all the nice weather coming they are out on tuesday. When is their activity time? Will they be out around 3pm?

[anji1971]

Sunny and 65 for Tuesday. Guess who's going on a nature hike???:D

[gregmonsta]

:rolleyes: Santa Claus?

[guidofatherof5]

Spent late afternoon outside sunning a few of my radixes. There were a couple hundred Robins out, all fighting for mates. No snakes. Higher temps for the next 4 days. 73 degrees on Wed. They should be out checking things out by then. I did find a dead newborn from last fall in the grass. Poor little guy.

[count dewclaw]

It was only in the mid 40s today, but next to the house I found this garter sunning itself.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/springgarter2009.JPG

Too bad the camera focused on the weeds instead of the snake.

[Quibble]

Its even starting to warm up around here in southern Michigan. im so glad i live surrounded by fields/farms/swamps/rivers/woods lol XDXD

the weather was absolutely georgeous today... i drove around with all the windows open! i hope it continues.

im sure some garters are startin to wake up.

easy pickens for early spring chickens. i hope... ish...

[guidofatherof5]

The kids and I went out to one of our local radix spots. Last year these hills were covered with them. Granted, we are a month earlier then last year. Didn't see a single snake.:mad: It was about 54 degrees with a cold south wind. Too nice a day to be stuck at home.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/herp09.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/herp091.jpg

[drache]

that looks fun
having a bit of cabin fever here

[guidofatherof5]

I spoke to soon. Look what I found when I got home and did some Herping in the backyard.
They were very docial. My kids were able to just pick them up.
They might be Walmartus.plastics. Very common in this area.:D
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild1.jpg

[gregmonsta]

Those walmartus have some excellent colour morphs!!!!

[guidofatherof5]

I must have been out too early. It was about noon when we visted our in city hot spot. Then, about 4:30pm I was in my front yard when one of my kids yelled for me. I always keep my Sony digital camera with me and am I glad I had it this time. I was able to get a few shot before these two took off. Spring must be on the way. The larger of the two is a beautiful brown phase radix. Both were very nice looking and aloud me to get close enough for these pictures. The brown one is new to my area. Hope to see it again. Next time I'll have to do a closer inspection.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild3.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild4.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wildbrownphase.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

cool!!! waiting for my first snake..... the first ones are real common....got a bunch at my place!! :cool:

[wolfpacksved]

you r the kng of radix, no doubt about it. my fave radix spot is smack dab in the middle of town.

[wolfpacksved]

i have not seen any snakes yet, but frogs and salamanders are dominating at the moment. usually by early April, I'll have seen a racer or sirtalis.

[Squeaky10199]

Well today i thought i would go and check to see if they were out, and i found where they were hibernating last year and today i checked the hole and to my surprise one was right at the edge of the hole, seen me and slithered right in. I checked back a couple of hours later and nothing was seen. Maybe another day!

[drache]

cool sighting

[guidofatherof5]

Caught this little male heading across the backyard. Looks to be in good shape, considering the winter we've had here. Had a small injury on his side. Actually lost some of his lateral stripe. Didn't seem infected and was healing nicely. No reason to treat it. He was very calm and didn't musk me. Set him down and he went along his way. Probably looking for a female. If he only knew what I had in my basement. Girls! Girls! Girls!
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09_male.jpg
Sorry, not a very good photo.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09_male1.jpg

[drache]

nice looking boy

[Snake lover 3-25]

very nice looking finds steve:)

[guidofatherof5]

Weather here in western Iowa is turning cold and wet for the next 7 days. Hope those early rising radixes can get to a warmer place for the next week or so.