I is the new!

[Quibble]

hey everyone! my name is Beth, I live in Michigan. I've been familiar with garter snakes for about 7 years (since we moved to the boonies....). I've kept a few here and there, but always let them go at the end of summer. This year however I have gotten particularly interested in seriously owning garter snakes, so I went to Petco, and got myself a couple.

The little one I think is a regular garter, and a male. Its really jumpy, I don't think its used to people..

The larger one has very unusual markings (to me anyway) but is incredibly tame. The dorsal stripe is black, with two bronzeish colored stripes on each side. ...does that sound like any type of garter?

I'm not very familiar with using forums, but I would like to get some pics up as soon as I figure out how. I've already learned so much from this forum I'm sure it wont take me long lol. :D

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard, Beth. :)

I'm afraid Petco may have sold you a Striped Keelback, Xenochrophis vittatus. The description is dead on. We have had several members who have been sold these snakes as anything from extant species of garters to no nonexistent, such as "Indonesian garter snake" or "Canadian garter snake". We even had a small e-mail campaign to make the company aware of the fact that they are labelling these snakes wrong. The long and short of it is that the Striped Keelbacks sold by Petco are usually wild-caught and parasite-infested and very short-lived because of it, rear-fanged and mildly venomous (presumed to be harmless) but also very mild-mannered.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/5044-indonesian-garters-petco.html

The pictures in your profile confirm it. The one you suspected wasn't a garter is indeed a Striped Keelback. The other one is definitely a garter. If you want to post them here, http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/site-feedback-suggestions-questions/1008-guide-posting-pictures.html

[adamanteus]

Hi Beth, and welcome to the forum.:)

[drache]

welcome to the forum, Beth

[Sid]

Welcome to a great forum, Beth.:)

[gregmonsta]

Greetings :D

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you with us, Beth.
Looks like the addiction has taken hold of you. There's no turning back now. Looking forward to seeing some pictures. You gotten sound advice already. If you can, it would be wise to find a good local Herp. Vet. for your Keelback. Have them do a fecal smear/float and treat for parasites. Even if you don't take the keelback in you should have a Herp. Vet located for possible future needs.
Glad you're with us and good luck with your friends.

[Quibble]

Thank you all for the greetings, glad to be here!

well after hearing this i decided to take the garter snake back to petco. My original intentions were to breed the two i got, hopefully possibly maybe. but seeing as how one is not a garter, i figured i would wait till it warms up around here and get some garters for free :D

are keelbacks easy to care for? are they similar enough to garter snakes to treat it as one? do they give birth to live young as well? should i be interested in breeding it? if i could do that it may be easier to sell babies to the small pet stores around town. maybe even raise awareness to the differences to garters and keelbacks.

i will keep a close eye on its health and if anything seems to be wrong ill seek out verteranary care.

in the mean time i must think of a name for my intriguing keelback. ;)

[Snake lover 3-25]

welcome to the forum:)

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Beth :)

[count dewclaw]

Welcome, welcome! :D

[Stefan-A]

Thank you all for the greetings, glad to be here!

well after hearing this i decided to take the garter snake back to petco.
Seems to me that you returned the wrong snake.


My original intentions were to breed the two i got, hopefully possibly maybe. but seeing as how one is not a garter, i figured i would wait till it warms up around here and get some garters for free :DI recommend that you get them from a breeder.


are keelbacks easy to care for? are they similar enough to garter snakes to treat it as one? do they give birth to live young as well? should i be interested in breeding it? if i could do that it may be easier to sell babies to the small pet stores around town. maybe even raise awareness to the differences to garters and keelbacks.They are supposedly easy to care for, although that's hard to say for sure considering that almost all of them die prematurely. Most people keep them like garters. The striped keelback lays eggs, unlike the garters.


i will keep a close eye on its health and if anything seems to be wrong ill seek out verteranary care.I would actually start out with having a vet look it over. They tend to hide the symptoms for as long as possible and we know that they're wildcaught.

[Quibble]

Seems to me that you returned the wrong snake.

I recommend that you get them from a breeder.

They are supposedly easy to care for, although that's hard to say for sure considering that almost all of them die prematurely. Most people keep them like garters. The striped keelback lays eggs, unlike the garters.

I would actually start out with having a vet look it over. They tend to hide the symptoms for as long as possible and we know that they're wildcaught.


well these keelbacks seem quite interesting to me. it seems that so much is unknown about them. im checking out vets in my area, i will have it looked over. im willing to invest money and time to learn about these snakes and in the end i hope to raise awareness about them. with this i can also help persuade petco not to mislabel them.

is there anyone here that breeds Xenocrophis? maybe ill take the one i have back to petco as well and start off with keelbacks with a good history.

as for garters, yes i suppose getting them from a breeder would be the best way to go. are they expencive though?

[Stefan-A]

To my knowledge, there are extremely few people who have bred their striped keelbacks. Some have, but it's not a snake I'd start with.

The price of an ordinary, common species of garter from a breeder is pretty low, especially compared to what it costs to house and feed any snake, not to mention the time you will be spending on it. In the long run, the acquisition price is practically negligible and in my opinion, it's the wrong place to save money.

[Sid]

Normal morphs of the more common species for Garters can be purchased from breeders for as little as $25 US.

[Quibble]

after hearing about the chances of survival for these keelbacks, i suppose the best thing to do is give this one the best quality of life i can possibly provide, it certanly wont be any better off if i return it to petco. i only thought about breeding them, i had high hopes for the future, but im lowering my expectations. im glad i joined this forum, there seems to be plenty of people with truly excelent advice and/or experience.

ill stay with the forum and learn as much as i can about garters before i jump into the responsibility of owning more than one snake. when my little Xenochrophis passes on ill be sure to sterilize tanks and get new supplies for the next addition to my hobby. XD

thank you for all the advice!

[jitami]

Welcome :)

[misskris]

Welcome :) Pictures are alway's appreciated. hint hint

[anji1971]

after hearing about the chances of survival for these keelbacks, i suppose the best thing to do is give this one the best quality of life i can possibly provide, it certanly wont be any better off if i return it to petco. i only thought about breeding them, i had high hopes for the future, but im lowering my expectations. im glad i joined this forum, there seems to be plenty of people with truly excelent advice and/or experience.

ill stay with the forum and learn as much as i can about garters before i jump into the responsibility of owning more than one snake. when my little Xenochrophis passes on ill be sure to sterilize tanks and get new supplies for the next addition to my hobby. XD

thank you for all the advice!

Hello, and welcome!:)
I like your outlook about this little Keelback. I hope that with a good vet, and better luck, you will be one of the successful ones. They haven't been known to do well in captivity, and those who wish to breed them are struggling, but if people who care keep trying, then we can still hope to see a captive-bred keelback population someday. Best wishes!