Just Joined From SC

[pitbulllady]

At the recommendation of ASnakeLovinBabe(Shannon), I checked out the site and decided to join up! I've only got one Thamnophis at the moment, a juvie Eastern Garter that the janitor found this past spring, right before the school year ended, crawling along the school's outer wall. I'm a Middle School teacher, you see-Science and Art(whichever one they put me in), and hardly a year goes by without me having to "rescue" the whole school from some "monster" snake. This year it just happened to be a six-inch-long checkered-phase Eastern Garter; last year it was a pencil-sized hatchling "greenish" Rat Snake(who has since grown to nearly three feet in my care). My real passion, insofar as snakes, is the genus Nerodia, though. I love 'em! My goal is to change the widely-held and inaccurate perception of Water Snakes as mean, nasty, untamable, stinky and ugly-a view held even by many long-term herpers. There are no real forums for us Water Snake aficionados, however, but this is close. These are, after all, close cousins to the Garters and Ribbons, and require a lot of the same in terms of care. I've currently got 1.1 adult N.erythrogasters(Red-Bellies; female is very gravid), 0.3 adult N. fasciatas (Bandeds),including a hypomelanistic gravid female(one of these might be an intergrade between N. erythrogastger & N. fasciata, though), 0.1 N. sipedon pleuralis(Midland, also hypomelanistic adult), and 1.0 N. taxispilota sub-adult. All are handleable, some very much so. I just got two of the Bandeds in, straight from the swamp, and can easily handle both without being musked or bitten. I've taken the hypo Banded girl to school presentations, where she's been held by many students, most of whom were afraid of snakes before meeting her; she is so calm and docile, and so beautifully-colored, that she makes converts with nearly everyone who sees her! I trust her not to bite or musk more than I trust any of my Corns, Kings or other snakes that are most-often recommended as a pet.

pitbulllady

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard. :)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

AHA!! there you are!!! I was wondering where you had gone off to since you had sent me all of those wonderful photos of your nerodia!! Guys, she has some killer nerodia. (Now you just need some killer garters to go along!) I actually have 1.1 hypo brown waters and 1.1 red phase greens coming to me tuesday!!!

I of course share your goal, I am going to take over the world with my Natricines.

.....Sort of. :cool:

[guidofatherof5]

Nice bio, Gathering friend for the little legless one. Very cool.
I believe I will be the owner of a couple water snakes in the near future. Shannon has sparked my interest in them and I'm seriously considering it.
Welcome to the forum.

[TwistidMutations]

Finaly another nerodia fan besides me and shannon! lol i have hypo/super hypo bandeds,albino bandeds,and albino diamondbacks! welcome to the forum

[gregmonsta]

Greetings :D

[Mommy2many]

Welcome to the forum! When do we get to see pictures?

[GarterGeek]

Welcome! We'd love to see some pictures of your watersnakes... I'm sure they're gorgeous. :D

I'd love to get a water snake, I just need to buy another aquarium - and then a new house to put it in. :rolleyes: :o

[pitbulllady]

AHA!! there you are!!! I was wondering where you had gone off to since you had sent me all of those wonderful photos of your nerodia!! Guys, she has some killer nerodia. (Now you just need some killer garters to go along!) I actually have 1.1 hypo brown waters and 1.1 red phase greens coming to me tuesday!!!

I of course share your goal, I am going to take over the world with my Natricines.

.....Sort of. :cool:

I'd love to see the hypo Browns, those must be some neat-looking snakes! I've seen red-phased Greens, but never do get tired of seeing more. I've got a large possibly-gravid Florida Green girl supposedly arriving tomorrow, my birthday present to myself, lol. With my allergies to rodent dander getting worse and worse, it looks like I might eventually have to switch to all Nerodia/Thamnophis before too long, as much as I'd hate to give up my Boas and Pythons.

pitbulllady

[adamanteus]

Hi Sharon, and welcome to the forum.:)

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, pitbulllady :)

[mustang]

Welcome!!!!!

[pitbulllady]

Thank y'all for the warm welcome; I just recently put some photos of my Water Snakes in the Garter Snake Lounge, in case anyone was interesting in seeing a bunch of "Garter Snakes on steroids", lol.

pitbulllady

[Quibble]

One more late welcome! :D

[Mommy2many]

Welcome from the North!