Checkered garter?

[jamromhem]

I found this little fella in my pool today. I am new to snakes and wanted to make sure I properly identified him before I started trying to handle him.

http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj433/jamromhem/PIC-0114.jpg


The pic is a little blurry.. took it with my phone.. if it isn't good enough to properly identify let me know.

http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj433/jamromhem/PIC-0116.jpg

[adamanteus]

Yep. It's a Checkered Garter, T.marcianus.

[mustang]

I GOT ONE TOO ITS AMAZING...Watch out thell find a surface (like a bed or carpet) that they like and will cr@p on it whenever they get the chance

[Millinex]

Nice looking little guy good luck with him

[jamromhem]

Thanks for the verification. I know they eat aquatics, now as far as what to feed em I was told to put about half a dozen "guppies" was the term they used. I am assuming simple minnows or something to that nature. and let them hunt. should I try to find some variety to his diet other than those types of fish?

[adamanteus]

I have a small group of marcianus that feed on strips of trout (or salmon), pinkies and earthworms. I've never found this species to be fussy feeders.

[jamromhem]

Thank you :) he is a beauty. (assuming it is a he) I would guess he is about a foot and a half long. Trying to get better clarification on feeding. the local aquatics store I called stated that small fish would be the best diet, though I think there might need to be a bit more variety. I am not sure where to find small frogs. I might be able to get some lizards from the back yard. I always have a tone of geckos back there.

Any suggestions?

I also keep my house in the mid to high 70's not sure if that is adequate for him or if I should keep him warmer.

(I am learning so bear with me)

[adamanteus]

(I am learning so bear with me)[/quote]

No problem, James. Actually, at first glance it looks like a young female.;)
A few degrees more might be an advantage.

[mustang]

i think everyone is learning iv only had mine for a month or two

[jitami]

Beautiful little snake :) Don't worry too much about the feeding. Give it a few days to settle into it's new home first. If a local store has guppies try a couple of those in a dish of water with some frozen/thawed fish fillet cut about the width of the snake's head, maybe a tad smaller. Into the dish you could also put a frozen/thawed pinky mouse if you want. Often the snake will be attracted to the live fish and once you get a feeding response going it will eat just about anything it comes in contact with. If that doesn't work, try some nightcrawlers(either harvested from your pesticide/herbicide free yard or bought from the bait store/walmart). If it readily takes worms you can then use a worm to scent the fish fillet strips or pinky mice.

[GartersRock]

That's a good looking checkered!

[drache]

nice find
welcome to the forum

[k2l3d4]

I have a small group of marcianus that feed on strips of trout (or salmon), pinkies and earthworms. I've never found this species to be fussy feeders.


Oh man I so wish I had your eating habits in my snakes then... my two male checkereds (one normal, one albino) will eat fish only if it is live and loves then pinkies... turned there noses up at salmon, tilapia, earthwornms,. ect..

[guidofatherof5]

Nice looking little scrub.
Enjoy and get us some more pic. when you have a chance.

[jamromhem]

(she) as someone mentioned it might be is sitting in her new little 10 gal tank with a little swimming hole with 6 lil fish in it. I guess she'll get around to it when she feels like it. She handles well already. Just take it slow and you can hold her. She gets a little flighty when you open the lid to the cage, but other than that does well.
I am going to pick up some earthworms today and see if that is more to her liking.

I have a mini fridge to keep them in so the rest of the house doesn't get weird about worms in the fridge.

[jamromhem]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for telling if it is a male of female. Just so I know for future reference, should I decide to get company for him/her.

I am going to try some different food today. all 6 fish are still swimming in the little tank in the 10gal i got her. perhaps I'll lower the water some more or put them in a smaller dish. I am not sure it is best to have the travel tank in there due to her length and the size of the tank..

The bedding of the enclosure is a pine bedding.. a temporary inexpensive fix while I get the ability to put something better together.

[jamromhem]

ok heres an update.. either it fed well before I found it or it just doesn't want to eat for me.

I have dangled a pinkie in front of her and everything.. is there some time frame that I should start getting concerned?

not trying to spam everyone just trying to find out if I am being over concerned.

[Millinex]

(she) as someone mentioned it might be is sitting in her new little 10 gal tank with a little swimming hole with 6 lil fish in it. I guess she'll get around to it when she feels like it. She handles well already. Just take it slow and you can hold her. She gets a little flighty when you open the lid to the cage, but other than that does well.
I am going to pick up some earthworms today and see if that is more to her liking.

I have a mini fridge to keep them in so the rest of the house doesn't get weird about worms in the fridge.
My female was very flighty when I opened her cage as well, and shes in a 30 gallon bin that she can't see me coming from. However after her getting used to knowing what is opening the enclosure, she came to know food or handling was coming and not to worry.
If she takes to worms try rubbing them over a pinkie or a fish to get her to eat them, worms are full of water and aren't very filling and tend to water down the poop making it a mess to clean up ;)


I was wondering if anyone had any tips for telling if it is a male of female. Just so I know for future reference, should I decide to get company for him/her.

I am going to try some different food today. all 6 fish are still swimming in the little tank in the 10gal i got her. perhaps I'll lower the water some more or put them in a smaller dish. I am not sure it is best to have the travel tank in there due to her length and the size of the tank..

The bedding of the enclosure is a pine bedding.. a temporary inexpensive fix while I get the ability to put something better together.
The only way to really tell if its a male or a female is by probing, although a fairly accurate way is to look at the way the tail tapers off. I'd probably say you have a young female by the pictures.
She should eventually catch the fish, even after a year of experience mine still had a hard time catching them, and I would end up simply pulling them out and hand feeding, if she took great if she didn't I'd put them back until later.


ok heres an update.. either it fed well before I found it or it just doesn't want to eat for me.

I have dangled a pinkie in front of her and everything.. is there some time frame that I should start getting concerned?

not trying to spam everyone just trying to find out if I am being over concerned.
Snakes can go awhile without food don't worry a huge ammount, some take a bit of time (1-2 weeks) others will eat right off. My pair ate the first day I had them, within a few hours of capture, however last year mine took a few days until she was ready to eat.

[k2l3d4]

ok heres an update.. either it fed well before I found it or it just doesn't want to eat for me.

I have dangled a pinkie in front of her and everything.. is there some time frame that I should start getting concerned?

not trying to spam everyone just trying to find out if I am being over concerned.

Each snake will be different. My albino checkered refuses to hunt his food... I warm up the pinkie, place it ona plate, and let it sit for an hour or two....He eats on his own time. Now my green checkered liked to hunt when he was younger and would only take it if it was moving.... give it some time and you will figure each other out... Oh yeah, and both of them are secretive eaters.... neither one likes to be seen when they eat.

[mustang]

if shes little dont feed her a pinky my wild caught one eats live feeder fish...itll jump for em

[jamromhem]

finally got a good feed. 5 very small fish. fed her with a pair of tongs that she now instantly searches for food when it is waved in front of her :P I am going to try to keep it that way. She struck at them fast and swallowed them down. they were very small so she didn't have to put much effort to swallow them while my wife held her.

She is very relaxed with us now after that feeding and lets us move about without getting jumpy.

[mustang]

i put a sock over my hand and she jumps for fish and also plays a split second yug of war

[jamromhem]

I'll try to get more pics for everyone today. She is doing well. After we got through the feeding strike she is happy and active in her cage and enjoys lounging with us. She is taming very well actually. she enjoys the sun lamp and the hollowed tree branch in her enclosure.

Every time you look at her she is at a different spot in her cage.

The warm side is sitting about 80 degrees about. I'll have to get another thermometer for the other side.

The lid has a 25W UV light on one side and a 15W normal bulb on the other side over the water.

I'll get some pics and see if anyone has any suggestions.

[drache]

sounds like you're doing a good job with her
congrats on her feeding off tongs

[jitami]

Great job getting her to eat. Sounds like she's doing well. With just a 10 gallon tank I wouldn't worry about another thermometer. Just make sure it doesn't get too hot on the warm side(anything over 90) and you'll be ok. The smaller the tank is the quicker it warms up and you won't see a huge gradient with just a 10 gallon tank.... which is ok, just don't let it overheat :)

[jamromhem]

Ok got a bunch of minnows today. some a little large but most are a good size. I did learn one thing.

Leave the snake alone after feeding..

Didn't get bit. she puked up 2 fish on me :P..

out of everything I have waved in front of her. She can't help herself with fish. I do now know that I can't just leave a few fish in a bowl to let her have when she wants.

She went on a feeding frenzy and downed 4 fish in a few minutes :P..

[jamromhem]

Just a note. (since I haven't figured out how to edit my posts yet)

A couple of the minnows I got died shortly after getting home. I am considering it due to throwing some 24 of them in a small travel carrier and them not having enough to breath with all of them there.

I put the ones that died in the freezer for later use.

Does this sound like a good idea?

Also reading around I see strips of salmon, talapia(*spelling) and such are good feeding foods. (if you make sure no protruding bones are there)

Any other suggestions for me?

I'll be hitting up the reptile store (on the other side of town) when I get the chance.
If you have ever been to san antonio you will understand why that is a trek to do.

I am going to try to convince her to eat a pinkie again soon. I have to try to make it smell like a fish, might wrap one of the small minnows I froze around it to entice her.

[mustang]

dont feed her dead feeder fish and feed 1 fish every 2 days and dont handle her after feeding also put a sock over your hand so she dosnt associate youur hand with food. o get some b1(talk to ur vet)

[jamromhem]

ahh ok good call. I'll get rid of the frozen feeder fish I put up. I am still looking for a good vet for reptiles. I'll have to find an alternative for feeding minows, With hope I will have a tank set up with a breather, so the fish will live longer :P

[drache]

one of my snakes that refused to eat anything but live minnows and nightcrawlers, switched to those frozen SF Bay silversides that pet stores carry as food for large fish
she never went for salmon strips, or trout, or fish jelly
needs the extra fishy smell perhaps?
it was a bit hesitant at first, but now she reliably recognizes them as food
I really like it when I can give them something I can keep in the freezer, aside from some of the other issues with feeding live prey

[jamromhem]

I will keep that in mind. I was considering buying some talapia fillets from the local grocery store seeing as they are so low in cost for the amount of food it would provide. I will giv ethem another look later. I still have to make a trip over to the local reptile store it is about a 30 minute drive in good trafic.

I'll be getting her in to the local reptile doctor when she gets back in country on the 20th. she was refered from a couple other vets in the area that do not have specialized doctors for reptiles. I am hoping her knowledge is as good as these other vets proclaim.

[jamromhem]

Oh, and as a note. It would seem that these snakes are harder to catch in the wild than I had to put in effort. I am reading many articals about the area and the last one seem in the wild by people looking for them was about 2 years ago. Though this may just be due to lack of documentation.

[jamromhem]

Just a little update on this lil girl.. She is spoiled already. The past two days she sat covered up in the pine bedding hiding in her hollow. She even made me bring the food to her to eat rather than come out to get it. she poked her head out long enough to grab it, swallow and hide again.

I am working on a good way to get some better pics. I'll have to use something other than my phone :P

[jamromhem]

http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj433/jamromhem/Picture189.jpg

Here is a newer pic of her. I have a couple more I will put up later. these are still a little grainy.. I am going to see if I can size them right to make em look better :P...

She successfully ate a strip of trout.. had to make her think it attacked her though :P she bit it and then ignored it then I accidentally dropped it on her and she went crazy LOL

[jitami]

Nice job with the trout :D I'm a big fan of "whatever works" and it worked <gg>

She looks great!

[MichaelSmith]

ahh ok good call. I'll get rid of the frozen feeder fish I put up. I am still looking for a good vet for reptiles. I'll have to find an alternative for feeding minows, With hope I will have a tank set up with a breather, so the fish will live longer :P

Hi - looks like you're doing great with the little checkered. In San Antonio you are lucky to have a great reptile vet - Dr. Cord Offerman.

For what it's worth, I have not typically taken mine to the vet unless there is an apparent need. It's true that wild garters can carry a parasite load, but if kept well and not overstressed they seem to do OK without showing ill effects.

I just came back a couple of months ago from a trip to south Texas and brought a couple of checkered garters with me (they were very common on the roads at night). Both now take pinkies after the first one or two feedings were frog-scented. Just put the pinkie in after rinsing it and sliming it with a little minnow. Offer it on tongs and I bet she/he will take it. that's assuming the garter is big enough and/or the pinkie small enough (about as big around as the snake, roughly).

[jamromhem]

Yeah she is a decent size around. thickest part non fed is about a dime's width. her head is about half the width of a penny. but I have seen her take fish the size of the pinkies I have. it might just take more convincing.

[mustang]

nice tease feeding i had to do that with my old flat head and sometimes to my checkered

[jamromhem]

She is going through her first shed here at the house.

Probably related to the injuries she received (mentioned in another post)

Eyes grayed out yesterday. Never been through a shed so I don't know how long that takes :P.. I do know that with her recent injuries I need to monitor the shed to make sure she doesn't get stuck in her old skin... So that is my task the next couple days to watch her like a hawk (she hates that phrase) and make sure the shed goes well :P.

[jamromhem]

well shed complete. a small injury on her side was confermed with the shed as the scab from it came off with the shed.

since the shed I have been keeping her on a diet of earthworms with the occasional calcium powder. While not the healthiest diet it was for the purpose of convincing her to venture onto other foods.

After about two weeks on this bland diet I put a pinky in her enclosure last night and it was gone within an hour.

So she is eating pinkies now. I am going to continue to keep her on a similar bland diet to allow further attempts to convince her to eat fillet.

[guidofatherof5]

After about two weeks on this bland diet I put a pinky in her enclosure last night and it was gone within an hour.

So she is eating pinkies now. I am going to continue to keep her on a similar bland diet to allow further attempts to convince her to eat fillet.

So, did your snakes tell you this was a bland diet.:D
Here, worms are the main course for the wild ones. I don't think a garter looks at worms as bland:D

Sounds like you've got her on the right track. Eating pinkies is a good sign.

[drache]

funny thing about dead fish
I can convince my two "more selective" babies to take f/t silversides, but not f/t salmon fillet - have not tried trout yet

[jamromhem]

yeah the filets are trout so it is a task.. she will let them sit after being thawed and then it will just dry out. I'll have to start putting it in a shallow dish with small amounts of water.