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View Full Version : shaking tail?.. Oo


marusy
03-23-2010, 03:49 PM
What does that mean?
Today I was holding him, and he was shaking his tail a lot...He never did this before o.o
Also he seems like really really active, like hyperactive Oo (maybe because winter is over and it got warm?.. i didnt hybernate him tho...)
well mostly i'm really curious why he's shaking tail like this... he never did that before o.o i had him since september (he grew like twise in size since then...)
oh also i'm not sure if he's a he... may be a she o.o dunno how to tell them apart...
jitami
03-23-2010, 03:55 PM
Was he shaking his tail, as in flicking or whipping his tail? If so it's a defense type of mechanism and shows agitation.

OR, was it more of a vibration? That would point to sexual type behavior.

Both pretty normal, btw :)
marusy
03-23-2010, 04:07 PM
i see... its prolly the second one lol
i thought tho that they didnt get in that mood unless they were hibernated...
btw can i tell his gender from that?.. or do males and females both do that?
infernalis
03-23-2010, 04:22 PM
Sometimes they do this to scare off a predator. also quite normal.
drache
03-23-2010, 04:42 PM
if it's more of a vibrating, it's to scare of predators, but I've never seen any of my garters do that
the sexual thing is more like a twitching running along the body
jitami
03-23-2010, 04:54 PM
if it's more of a vibrating, it's to scare of predators, but I've never seen any of my garters do that
the sexual thing is more like a twitching running along the body

Hmmm... looks like I blew this one :o I defer to the others as they have much more experience than I!
marusy
03-23-2010, 05:07 PM
i doubt he'd be trying to scare anyone away... lol
he never did it before, he also never once hissed or bit me Oo
and it was like crazy shaking...O.O
so as i asked, can i tell the gender from that?.. (if its the sexual thing)
guidofatherof5
03-23-2010, 05:21 PM
Posting a photo of the underside of the tail, including the cloaca(snake butt) would allow us to help with the sex ID. Here's a link that will help you make an identification.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5069&highlight=Sexing+Pics
marusy
03-23-2010, 05:27 PM
ok thanks =D
i think its a male o.o
marusy
03-23-2010, 05:29 PM
oh also how long does it last?..
the tail shaking i mean... like all through spring?
guidofatherof5
03-23-2010, 05:40 PM
oh also how long does it last?..
the tail shaking i mean... like all through spring?

That sounds like more of an attitude thing. If he becomes more calm with you it might go away or he'll keep doing it as a way to tell you who the boss is.:D
marusy
03-23-2010, 05:52 PM
lol =P
maybe... lol =P
but he never did that until today tho lol
and anyway it doesnt mean he doesnt like me or anything right?..
cuz he does climb up on my hand by his own free will o.o
guidofatherof5
03-23-2010, 08:10 PM
Lil =P
maybe... lol =P
but he never did that until today tho lol
and anyway it doesn't mean he doesn't like me or anything right?..
CZ he does climb up on my hand by his own free will o.o

Absolutely not. I have a female that I have had since birth and she strikes me with a closed mouth almost every time I pick her up. Once she gets that out of her system she's fine. She's just trying to keep me in-line. I like that individualism in a snake. Granted, I don't want everyone of them doing that but to have a few that flex their muscle every once in awhile is nice.
The individual personalities in the garters is on of the things that draw me to them. Not a lot of cookie cutter snakes.
aSnakeLovinBabe
03-23-2010, 08:22 PM
Tail shaking is something garter snakes do to display that they are either annoyed or overly excited. I see my garters do it a lot when they are feeding, and then especially if another snake gets close. The moment a snake gets close... tail is slapping everywhere! Also, female garter snakes will do this if a male is courting her and she does not wish to mate. She usually proceeds to zip away from him after the tail slapping.
mustang
03-24-2010, 11:20 AM
Tail shaking is something garter snakes do to display that they are either annoyed or overly excited. I see my garters do it a lot when they are feeding, and then especially if another snake gets close. The moment a snake gets close... tail is slapping everywhere! Also, female garter snakes will do this if a male is courting her and she does not wish to mate. She usually proceeds to zip away from him after the tail slapping.
maybe its reacting like shannons kingsnakes when she turns on the light :p