Very Tactile [Archive] - Garter Snake Forum

guidofatherof5

03-30-2010, 06:36 PM

I love to watch my garters eating. 99.9% of the time there's nothing subtle about it. Strike/grab, and swallow as fast as you can., right?
Well, I've also notice something else. These snake are very tactile when eating. Tonight for example, I was feeding a group of adult(large) females(radixes). It was like World War III in there. Fights and bites. I was grabbed and she attempted to drag my hand into the hide, but there was something else.
When I pulled the thawed fuzzies out of the water I also got a number of feet and tails that had broken off. I offered these to my girls. Did they grab my fingers along with the very small mouse part? No. They focused on the item and like a surgeon took it from me. Making sure not to bite me. When they knew it wasn't a large food item they were so delicate with their eating. I've even seen this kind of intricate eating when they were stealing from little ones. Taking very small bites causing the worm to break, making sure not to grab the little one.
These are such interesting creatures and I'm glad to be working with them.

jitami

03-30-2010, 06:42 PM

That is so interesting, Steve. I'd love to see this on video!

guidofatherof5

08-03-2010, 10:04 PM

I saw another incident tonight. I was feeding a group of awesome radix/parietalis young. I was using a small pair of hemostats to give out some pieces. Many of these young stopped eating at the dish and waited to be fed(spoiled little punks)
I had picked up a very small piece of worm and offered it to a T.s.parietalis(Red Sided Garter snake) She tried to take if but came in contact with the hemostats(it was a very small piece of food) I kept offering and she kept trying to take it but she stopped each time she felt the metal. I finally had to re-adjust the worm piece so she could take it. She was having none of that metal in her mouth.(Won't have to get braces for this one)
I love feeding and spending time with these groups. Never a dull moment.

mb90078

08-03-2010, 11:05 PM

Both of my garters, but one more than the other tend to like to attack the "prey" from above when I'm using tweezers to feed. The problem is, I grab the food item from the top, so that it will dangle down to grab their attention. The end result is the mouth-on-metal situation you described.

Kevinh583

08-04-2010, 12:54 PM

That is so interesting, Steve. I'd love to see this on video!

I second the request for some interesting feeding videos. Not all of us have groups of snakes so we don't have the same feeding excitement going on.

Both of my garters, but one more than the other tend to like to attack the "prey" from above when I'm using tweezers to feed. The problem is, I grab the food item from the top, so that it will dangle down to grab their attention. The end result is the mouth-on-metal situation you described.

My snake always tends move up past the dangling food too. I always thought she just wanted to attack my hand. Maybe, she's also more comfortable attacking from above, I'll have to adjust my feeding angle.

ConcinusMan

08-05-2010, 01:59 AM

I've noticed that too. Even my biggest concinnus girls will sometimes carefully assess the extent of the food, rubbing their noses against it, and my fingers. Once they are sure they want to eat it, and are sure of the dimensions of the food item, they carefully and skillfully begin to eat it.

Other times, especially if it's a night crawler feeding, better watch the fingers, and better break up tug-o-wars!

guidofatherof5

01-02-2011, 08:51 AM

This morning I notice my girl Shade doing something interesting.
She was dragging the tip of he tale on the bottom if her enclosure. She was applying so much pressure to the tip that the rest of her tail and part of her lower body was elevated off the floor.
I got into the enclosure to investigate. I found that the very tip of her tail had retained the last she.
It was amazing to me that she was so aware of her body that she knew that one scale had not been shed.
I helped her out and removed it.
How can people sit and watch fish when garter snakes are so much more interesting.:D

EasternGirl

01-02-2011, 10:41 AM

Selena likes to circle around her dish several times and come at her worms from different angles before eating them. She stalks them. She waits to make sure they aren't going to fight back...and then quickly grabs and eats them. I wouldn't call it a strike, though. I love watching her. She is so amazing.

Steve...do you have any videos of babies being born? That is something I would really like to see!

ConcinusMan

01-02-2011, 11:16 AM

Here's Steve's youtube channel: YouTube - thamnophis14's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/thamnophis14)

And here's one of his birthing videos:

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And here's a couple of mine:

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EasternGirl

01-02-2011, 03:32 PM

Thanks! That is so incredible to watch. My son watched it with me...we were both amazed. I am so into snakes now! It's official!

ConcinusMan

01-02-2011, 03:37 PM

Thanks! That is so incredible to watch. My son watched it with me...we were both amazed. I am so into snakes now! It's official!

OK, just wanted to make sure. You're addicted. We are all really just garter snake "pushers" here on the forum. We wanted to make sure you got hooked.:p

EasternGirl

01-02-2011, 10:43 PM

Mommy2many

01-03-2011, 07:52 PM

You could send her up to Connecticut....:D

EasternGirl

01-03-2011, 11:18 PM

Not my baby! Lol...

guidofatherof5

01-04-2011, 06:34 AM

Lol...well I think my family is ready for an intervention soon. I made them all listen to "the plan" if the wildlife people show up. In Delaware, it is illegal to own any kind of snake and if you are caught, you get a fine and then they kill the snake. So I have this whole "hide the snake" plan. Is that just here or is that all over the U.S.? If someone comes and tries to hurt Selena....*grumble, grumble, grumble*.

Best to be prepared in the event they try to execute a no-knock warrant looking for your garter snake.:D
With all that our DNR officers have to deal with I know that garter snakes are the least of their worries.
They spend a lot of their time dealing with drunks in the parks.

EasternGirl

01-04-2011, 08:10 AM

Yeah...my friend told me they only come to your house if a neighbor complains. I highly doubt that any of my neighbors are going to call Wildlife and complain that I have a tiny snake in my care. If I had a huge python or boa that kept escaping and trying to eat their family pets, then maybe there would be an issue...lol.

ConcinusMan

01-04-2011, 02:43 PM

Yes, a visit would only happen by complaint. They aren't going to bother with a warrant over keeping a pet garter snake generally, and with budget cuts in many states, they might not even respond to a garter snake complaint. I've dealt with them before (in WA) over snakes. They took my rubber boas but pretended not to see my garter snakes since I allowed them in without a warrant. They were pretty nice about it.

At the time, Rubber boas were on the state's threatened list. They couldn't care less about garter snakes around here.

EasternGirl

01-04-2011, 07:02 PM

Right...well the law around here used to be that you couldn't own a big snake. Now, they apparently changed it to all snakes. It would be really silly for them to come take Selena away as "a threat". Did they kill your boas? What I don't understand is if it is illegal to own a snake in DE...why do they sell them...boas and pythons too...in pet stores? They just got a reticulated (sp?) python in at the store near here. They are the biggest snakes in the world, from what I have heard, and can be very aggressive.

ConcinusMan

01-04-2011, 08:28 PM

Heck no they didn't kill the boas. They were on the states threatened species list at that time. I was told they would quarantine them, check them over for health issues/disease, etc. and if all is well, they would be released. I gave them the exact location where they were found and they said that if they were released, that's where they would go.

The garters I had were loved by the whole family and had been in captivity many years. They didn't see any point in taking them since they appeared to be well cared for. They could have taken them because technically it's illegal to keep native wildlife, and they were native.

Their main concern was for the boas. Rubber boas are native and like I said, at that time, they were considered by WA state, to be threatened. (declining in numbers and somewhat rare) That is no longer the case. They took them off the threatened list since then.

EasternGirl

01-04-2011, 09:17 PM

Phew...good to hear! I have no idea what the wildlife people around here are like. I don't know if they would be cool about it or not. I know that the police are cool around here. Someone complained several times about my dog barking (he was just a jerk...my dog was not being a nuisance at all) and the police had to come to my house a couple of times...they were really nice and just told me to try to ignore the neighbor. Most of my neighbors are really cool people though...most have kids, pets...I live on a college campus so, many hippie types. I can't see anyone around here having an issue with me having a snake...even if she were a big one.

guidofatherof5

01-12-2011, 09:45 PM

I was feeding my big girl Tourette. I had given her a large night crawler. She grabbed it and pulled it away from me.
As soon as she finished I offered her a very young night crawler. It wasn't even as big around as a pencil lead. My fingers were covered in worm slime but she took it with just her lips and never touch my finger.
I'm amazed at how tactile and aware they can be. Just not hogs, gulping down their food.
Now, don't take me wrong. I've seen and felt the flip side of this behavior.

ConcinusMan

01-12-2011, 09:52 PM

That's usually how my big bertha is. She nudges around and very carefully figures out what is worm, and what is fingers, and she's careful and calculating when she takes it.

Except for that one time. She was very hungry and I offered her a mouse, holding it by the tail. She struck and missed it, got thumb instead. I forgive her.

kibakiba

01-12-2011, 10:06 PM

Mama was like that at one point, now she's a big hungry monster ;) She can't control herself when she smells the pinkies, though. Even with the hemostats she still tries getting up by my fingers.