I Got One!

[Snakeknot]

I got a garter! A friend found a TINY baby checkered while moving his kiddie pool. Any advice as to how to transition this little one as easily as possible? How about its first meal??? So many more questions now! Pics to follow!

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

Get it in something with a hide, water and heat. Let it settle in a few day or so. As far as food goes I would start with earthworms or night crawlers depending on the size of your new friend.
Waters really important, make sure it has access to plenty of water as dehydration can be a big problem.
Can't wait to see the little scrub.

[Snakeknot]

Before anyone asks, yes it is being quarantined. I have it in the bathroom in a 5 gallon tank ( which the little dude is practically swimming in! ). It has a cheapie UTH and fluffy bedding it can easily burrow in with a paper towel roll tube hide which also is dwarfing it. The snaps on the lid work a little TOO well. I almost need a crowbar to unsnap them and get the lid off. I was just taking a shower and while I was steaming up the room the little scrub was all over the place. It hid the minute I stepped out. I guess its still kinda shy!

And I can just see Stefan's grim avatar shaking its finger at me about wild caught. Here in Pa. we are allowed to take one garter. JUST ONE! ONLY ONE! No showing up at a den and grabbing 50 to sell at pet shops, crap.

This is to be my ONLY wild caught. I still want an albino and I still want a blue. But I'll wait until the vet clears this little dude before all that. I gotta get him going first. Man! These guys are fast!

BTW I was at the Havre De Grace show this past weekend and there always seems to be one garter per show but they don't last long. They get snapped up rather quick. If the snake owning community looks down their noses at garters, why do they disappear so fast at shows?

Well, I did say that they were fast!

Devon

[ssssnakeluvr]

Nice!! give him a week or so before feeding...they need time to adjust to captivity. taking an occasional garter isn't bad, it's the idiots that hit the dens and grab a ton that screw things up. we are looking forward to pics. if the snake was found in our area, its an eastern garter, not checkered.... pretty much all garters have the checker pattern :D

[Snakeknot]

Well, once hubby comes home with the magic laptop, AND the connection is agreeable, (its been really fussy lately. I think my 'puter is colicky! ) you guys will get pics of my baby. Then you can teach me the Latin name for what I've got.

I'll also be able to show pics of my new "Smoothie".

Devon

[ssssnakeluvr]

eastern garter......thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis :D

[Snakeknot]

Here's pics of the new addition. Anyone wanna guesstimate the approximate age of said scrub??? Sorry about the size of the pics.

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

I'm guessing it was born last fall and wintered over. I would say no older than 6 months.
I don't think you've had enough Spring for it to be born this year.

[jitami]

Oh, what a tiny little scrub :) Sooooo cute! Congrats on your new baby!

[Snakeknot]

After my experiences with my lovely, favorite, sand boa Fran, I've decided all my future snakes will not have gender specific names. ( Fran has been I.D. by the vet to be a FRANCO!)

I ended up with 2 snakes this weekend. I bought a Saharan sand boa at the show and named him "Smoothie". This little scrub didn't cost me a cent so I'm naming her/him "Bogo".

I hope its able to survive the transition.

Devon

[Snakeknot]

OOOooo! So many questions! How much do I need to worry about parasites with something this young? And is it dangerous to sex something this tiny?

I've been slowly getting the scrub used to being handled, about 10 minutes once a day. Bogo has only musked me once. No big deal with something this size! This one makes my baby corn look HUGE! Bogo has been teaching me how to be VERY GENTLE.

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

OOOooo! So many questions! How much do I need to worry about parasites with something this young? And is it dangerous to sex something this tiny?

Devon

If you're talking about probing or popping, done by someone who knows what their doing, the risk is small.
Why not just post a photo of the under tail side and we'll help you with that. Here's a link that might help you in sexing it yourself or to at least give you an idea of what kind of photo to post.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5069&highlight=Sexing+Pics

[Snakeknot]

Does this help?

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

From what I can see I would say female. Appears to taper right after the cloaca.
Another photo showing the under side only of the tail would really nail it down.
Beautiful little scrub.

[Snakeknot]

Cool! I've been kinda leaning towards calling it a her. Thanks a lot Steve! I WILL try to get better pics but hubby was handling the camera and its 50/50 if he takes the pic I'm looking for. ( He was grumbling about taking pornographic pics of snakes! )

I'll take her to the vet eventually but I don't want to throw too many new experiences at her all at once. ( I need more FEMALES in this house!)

I did get a way cool pic of her posed in a ring box. Its in the gallery section.

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

This is your thread. Pull that picture out and let us have a look.

[Snakeknot]

I've had more computer issues lately AGAIN! After bitching at the phone co. AND the internet provider, I'm back on. So first questions, next pic because it will probably take 20 minutes to load and I can multi-task by walking the hound and feeding the horses while the pic loads.

I took my new sand boa to the vet yesterday ( Smoothie passed BTW ) and asked some questions about garters. Vet said I could possibly have a BROWN snake NOT a garter as they look nearly identical. I have no idea what a brown snake looks like. Anyone have pics to clear this up? ( I will probably take Bogo to the vet next week to clear this up. )

Also, I'm trying to get Bogo to eat. Offered her some earthworms yesterday and she looked very interested but did not eat. Offered feeder guppies in her water bowl. No go. I even found a small salamander and it disappeared but I don't know if it climbed out or she ate it. I really want to get this little one started on earthworms because I have a HUGE supply of them on my property. My old manure pile from the horses is full of them. To all those breeders out there, what's the first meal you offer your newborns????

I hope it won't be three days before I can read your responses!

Devon

[Stefan-A]

Vet said I could possibly have a BROWN snake NOT a garter as they look nearly identical. I have no idea what a brown snake looks like. Anyone have pics to clear this up?
I don't recall you posting any pictures of brown snakes, but here are pictures:

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=storeria+dekayi&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

[Snakeknot]

Here's that pic I'm so proud of!

Devon

[Stefan-A]

That is definitely a garter.

[Snakeknot]

Bogo has accepted salamanders as a food source. I've given her 3 in the past 24 hours, 2 live and one I accidently squished moving the heavy tub it was hiding under. The dead one was still there but the live ones have disappeared. I pulled her and all her toys out of her tank and sifted through the bedding thoroughly. They're GONE! Problem is finding salamanders SMALLER than Bogo is a little challenging. Most around here are bigger than her. Today is kinda misty and foggy outside. I'll have to check by the barn and walk the woods in the paddock to find more. Damn! I like salamanders!

Stefan : Thanks for the I.D.! I take it the volcanic ash isn't hurting your connection?

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

It sounds like you're not the only one that likes them.:D
Work towards switching Bogo over to f/t pinkies, fish or night crawler.
You can still use the salamanders for scenting purposes if needed. Salamanders can carry many parasites.

[drache]

save the next squished salamander for scenting
congrats on getting her to eat

[Snakeknot]

Maybe if I buy her a hand raised buddy that already eats what I can easily get, the competition will urge her to eat other things?? Or will the buddy just scarf down all the bought food??? ( I dunno. Are garters like labradors???? )

Thanks for the tip. I will save a salamander for its smell. I don't plan on breeding salamanders! I also don't plan on exterminating all salamanders on my property for my pet! It just doesn't jive with the ethics my wildlife biologist father tried to teach me.

Besides, the orange striped ones are so purdy!

Devon

[infernalis]

Actually the snakes will fight over the food. Often with very bad results.

I have seen garter snakes eat cage mates during a food fight.

It's best to feed them separated.

[ConcinusMan]

Bogo has accepted salamanders as a food source. Damn!.... I like salamanders!
Devon

I know what you mean. I like frogs and salamanders too. Unfortunately, so do the snakes. I just bite my tongue and feed them frogs sometimes. I'm talking about WC snakes that have already been eating frogs from the wild. Not too concerned about parasites at that point.


Actually the snakes will fight over the food. Often with very bad results.

I have seen garter snakes eat cage mates during a food fight.

It's best to feed them separated.

Yes, normally I would agree. But just recently I had a couple of snakes that were losing weight and barely eating enough to stay alive. Feeding them with an enthusiastic eater can induce a feeding / competition response from the non-feeders and get them going again. The enthusiastic feeder grabs some food right away, then the trouble feeders get jealous I guess, and try to steal the food. You have to play interference so nobody get's hurt, that's for sure, but with some snakes, it can get them feeding again.

When it comes to babies, the opposite can happen. non-competitive feeders can start feeding once they are separated from the competitive ones.

And then there's steve's radixes. Seems that sometimes everybody gets along and are fed at the same time, in the same enclosure. I could never do that with concinnus babies. I'd end up with a tangled mess of snakes biting and even swallowing each other!

Still, sometimes a trouble feeder will get triggered into eating by watching a snake that eats enthusiastically. Just got to be careful and watch for fighting so nobody gets hurt or swallowed.

[Spankenstyne]

On a side note, if you can post a pic of that sand boa Fran's tail or feel free to PM one I can sex it for you as well. They're usually very easy to visually sex.

[Snakeknot]

Fran was probed by my wonderful herp vet as being a male. So that means that I have 3 sand boas that are all male! Two Kenyans and one Saharan. UGH! Fran is the one that gives me no problems. The wounded Achilles has just started eating again, ( as long as its LIVE ONLY! ) and the Saharan seems perfectly happy-----except for his lack of appetite. SIGH! I guess I HAD to get a problem feeder someday!

I wish they were all like Fran!

Devon

[Mommy2many]

I'm with Steve on age. I have some scrubs from last August that are that size still. I also have scrubs from same litter that are 3 times the size of their siblings.