1 or more

[Odie]

Is it better to have a companion for a garter?

[adamanteus]

It isn't necessary to keep Garters in pairs or groups. They aren't social animals. There's no harm in keeping more than one though. The choice is yours.

[Cazador]

Garters aren't gregarious or communal animals (except for during mating/brumation). Sometimes they'll be found together in prime habitat, but it's not due to any sort of "herd" mentality. Therefore, it's certainly not NECESSARY to have more than one garter... The problem is that they're just so stinkin' cool that it's hard to limit yourself to just one. More power to you, but it would take more will power than I have :D.

Rick

P.S. Welcome aboard, Odie.

[abcat1993]

So, who among us DOES keep garters together (adults-babies)?

[rwgsnakes]

i have two ribbons together and i had two garters but i seperated them because i got another tank.

the ribbons are doing great still....calvin my red sided garter was getting to agro to stay with checkers my albino checkered garter.

[Cazador]

I keep snakes of the same size/age class together, but not adults and babies or snakes of very different sizes.

[Sid]

My young Easterns are housed 5 females to a 10 gal. tank and 5 young males the same. All adults are housed seperate, mainly because I have enough space and enclosures.

Sid

[adamanteus]

Rick (Cazador) made a really good point there....You should only really house individuals of similar size together. Accidents can happen, particularly at feeding time! Apparently, certain species (vagrans?) have a reputation for cannibalism....I can't really comment on that, as I've never kept vagrans. ssssnakeluvr could probably enlighten us!

[drache]

I keep same size Garters together
even though they're not communal in the true sense, the girls seem to like hanging out together - the boys less so.

[adamanteus]

Do you mix species Rhea? I never do.

[drache]

I do - not genders though

[adamanteus]

Right. I never mix species. Don't really know why, there's no logic behind it...I just don't.

[KITKAT]

Rick (Cazador) made a really good point there....You should only really house individuals of similar size together. Accidents can happen, particularly at feeding time! Apparently, certain species (vagrans?) have a reputation for cannibalism....I can't really comment on that, as I've never kept vagrans. ssssnakeluvr could probably enlighten us!

I once had a robust female eastern who ingested half of her mate before I discovered he was in trouble!:eek: :eek: :eek:

I grabbed him in one hand and her in the other, and put enough "pull" on them to prevent him from going down any further, without actually pulling him out.

After a few tense moments, she began to expell him, and I was able to draw him out without harming her. And... he also seemed shaken and a bit abraded, but otherwise OK.

He shed completely after this (when his shed was due) and continued to live with me for a long time!

PHEW!

[Cazador]

Wow! That's hair-raising. I've read that holding the female under cold, running water while gently pulling them apart can help her to "regurgitate" him, as well. Then a little bit of solitary confinement helps him recover.
Rick

[Snaky]

I keep breeding groups toghether, so there is a natural size difference between males and females. And because of stories like KITKAT's (I know someone who was to late) and because they always seem to like the piece that the other is eating, I always watch them when they're eating.

When I won't breed a year I plan on keeping males/females of different species, but with the same length together.

[drache]

I always watch them eat.
The ones that need privacy to eat, I separate.

[Stefan-A]

Fear of feeding accidents is one reason I have now separated mine.

[KITKAT]

Wow! That's hair-raising. I've read that holding the female under cold, running water while gently pulling them apart can help her to "regurgitate" him, as well. Then a little bit of solitary confinement helps him recover.
Rick

The amazing part is how fast it happened. I turned my back for maybe 2 minutes while giving food to another group in the same room.:(