Biggest Garters

[Tyrel26]

I was recently reading an old thread about a guy that said he had a garter that could eat full grown rats and even still born rabbits. I was unable to find a pic but it got me to thinking of an idea for a thread.

Please add a pic or even just a few words on any encounter you may have had with an exceptionally large garter.

Biggest garter I have had could easily eat an 8" trout and it wouldn't cause an extreme bugle in her. (thats my hand in the pic, its about 8" in length)

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d15/cuzgoatsrkool/004.jpg

[Stefan-A]

My 3-year old vagrans could eat the 8" trout and that snake without it causing an extreme bulge. Although that would just be because of her diameter. I don't think I've ever been able to put an extreme bulge in her.

If I don't screw things up, she'll be a monster in a few years.

[ConcinusMan]

This girl isn't the biggest I've had, but she's well on her way:

3.2 foot (97.53 centimeters) Normal female, single stripe T.sirtalis concinnus:
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/2742/gedc1428.jpg

I had a female concinnus that died at age 21 a few years back. She was about 110 centimeters, or 3.6 feet.

[snakeman]

I have a huge concinnus also.She is at least 3.5 feet.She just had a whole 4 babies 2 days ago.lol

[Mommy2many]

Congratulations!

[infernalis]

My favorite Eastern gal..... She's rather big, and eats adult mice (F/T) if you just look how broad her face is you can see she's a big girl.

http://www.thamnophis.us/stump/tread2.jpg

[Laura]

I think I can speak for most when I say I LOVE FAT CHICKS

[ssssnakeluvr]

here's my melanistic eastern, taken a couple years ago when I got her (from Tom Dickinson). she was 43 inches at that time.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/woo_hoo_.jpg

[infernalis]

Big, black and beautiful.

[Laura]

Lol Wayne

[guidofatherof5]

My favorite Eastern gal..... She's rather big, and eats adult mice (F/T) if you just look how broad her face is you can see she's a big girl.

http://www.thamnophis.us/stump/tread2.jpg

Wayne, I love that snake. I'm glad she's with you.
She looks like she has a great attitude. She better or else someone could get hurt.

[infernalis]

She is a darling, the day I found her she bit me when I first picked her up, but I think she likes the free food, the belly heater and peaceful surroundings.

Has not ever tried to bite again since.

[guidofatherof5]

She is a darling, the day I found her she bit me when I first picked her up, but I think she likes the free food, the belly heater and peaceful surroundings.

Has not ever tried to bite again since.

It's called contentment.:D

[garterchick]

Well, here are my two biggest snakes, althought I had a really hard time capturing their real size. The flame is just over 3 ft long and the puget is just a smidge shorter than that.

[ConcinusMan]

Those are biguns.^^^ I can't get over how much that puget (at least I think it's a puget) looks like a big 'ol concinnus. Only the colors are different.


I have a huge concinnus also.She is at least 3.5 feet.She just had a whole 4 babies 2 days ago.lol

A few years before my big girl died, she popped out 54! Around 40 made it beyond a year old.;)

She had about 20 stillborns a few days before she died.:( But hey, she conceived at around 20 years old.:cool: Never did get a single slug from her all those years but only got a few litters in all that time.

I ended up taking those last 40 babies of hers and I released them right where I found their mother.:) To this day, the place is still loaded with lots of very big concinnus. My new big girl was found in the same place. Who knows, it's possible the new big girl is one of those babies!

[Atlas511]

any big radix out there>?

[ssssnakeluvr]

Scott's hybino.... she's over 40 inches long...

[Atlas511]

O O PICS PICS. Im like a kid in a candy store! thanks again Don for turning me on to these awesome snakes. how long would it take a radix to hit 30-40 inches? is that common?

[mustang]

probably was thamnophis gigas but untill recently i didnt know of anyone who kept em....(the rabbit eatn garter)

[ConcinusMan]

Funny though. I have found gigas populations and even got out and caught and released some. Never saw one as big as the concinnus and infernalis I have found in the wild.

[Spankenstyne]

My biggest garter atm. Female albino Checkered who is about 40" long at 2 years old. Naturally she has to be in shed because I wanted to take a pic hah, so she's quite muted in this shot *notice the dull eye*. I'll get better ones once she sheds:

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/spankenstyne/Thamnophis/ftm1ajuly12010.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Holy smokes! 2 years old? Yikes! I'd be really pushing it to get 30 inches from a concinnus the same age.

[Spankenstyne]

She's also mainly fed fish & dew worms. She's only had maybe half a dozen pinkies in her life.



...oh and gravy, lots of gravy ;)

This was her in Jan of 09 actually:
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/spankenstyne/Thamnophis/marcianus2ajan1509.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Well now that I think about it, at the rate amy is going, she'll probably be huge by 2 years old too.

[Spankenstyne]

This girl really took off in the second year, just blew up with no change in the feeding regimen.

[Atlas511]

WOW! she is a beast! and looks very calm. What fish is she fed on? I think albino checkards are next on my list!

[gartermorphs]

My biggest garter atm. Female albino Checkered who is about 40" long at 2 years old. Naturally she has to be in shed because I wanted to take a pic hah, so she's quite muted in this shot *notice the dull eye*. I'll get better ones once she sheds:

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/spankenstyne/Thamnophis/ftm1ajuly12010.jpg

what are ypou feeding your snake and how much of it i cant believe shes two years old!!!!

[mustang]

This girl really took off in the second year, just blew up with no change in the feeding regimen.
hope my male will do the same:D

[Spankenstyne]

Haha well my male who was actually bigger than her when I got them both, is substantially smaller now. He's fed the same stuff, was fed the same quantities when they were the same size, and is about the same age.

As for the fish it's only ever been trout & salmon. More often trout though. Just cut into bite sized pieces. I was using the Jell-o for some time but found I didn't need to as they would still eat the fish pieces sprinkled with vitamins as well. The gelatin suspensions are mainly just a way of ensuring supplementation.

Here's a quick comparison shot I took a minute ago. More bad lighting but works as a size comparison:
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/spankenstyne/Thamnophis/tmcomp2july22010.jpg

[garterchick]

OMG, does she sing? You know, with her being "the fat lady" and all.
Congratulations!!

[garterchick]

Just saw the last pic, GET HER OFF THAT BOY, SHE'S GOING TO CRUSH HIM!!!!!!

[ConcinusMan]

That is so freaky.

[Tyrel26]

beautiful snakes everyone! I love that Chunky Checker!!

Keep the big ones coming!

Thanks for reading,
Tyrel

[Spankenstyne]

Just saw the last pic, GET HER OFF THAT BOY, SHE'S GOING TO CRUSH HIM!!!!!!


:eek:
That's just how they were resting.

It's funny at feeding time when they try to take food from each other's mouths. He holds his own suprisingly well. :p



*** no snakes were harmed in the making of these posts ***

[ConcinusMan]

My concinnus try to intimidate each other into dropping the food by lunging at the others' face (with mouth closed) and bumping into it. When they do that to one of much smaller males, he whips them with his tail. He never does give in. So funny to watch.

[garterchick]

That's just how they were resting


I know, that was a (not so funny) joke.

[Atlas511]

I love the size difference. I never knew garters got that size

[infernalis]

Until one day when you find one less snake in the enclosure, and the big one is fatter than usual.

Trust me it happens.

[mustang]

how big is the male?

[Spankenstyne]

I know, that was a (not so funny) joke.


Haha my answer was too!

[Spankenstyne]

Until one day when you find one less snake in the enclosure, and the big one is fatter than usual.

Trust me it happens.

Yep. It's a possibility when group housing any snakes.

I feel the risk is lessened with well fed animals and the food cut into bite sized pieces. You get a lot less chance of two getting started enough on the same food item to have one accidently keep eating and devour a cagemate. This works for me, I wouldn't suggest others necessarily go about group feeding.

[Spankenstyne]

how big is the male?


The boy is just over 25"

[mustang]

The boy is just over 25"
jeez that female seems a lot bigger now!

[Spankenstyne]

Hehe yeah I know, he looks tiny in the pic but he's not really.

[mustang]

no kiddn

[ConcinusMan]

I love the size difference. I never knew garters got that size

Depending on species and sex, they can get up to 50 inches. (a little over 4 feet) I've seen a lot of very large checkereds.

[Tyrel26]

Record for Canadian red side is just under 4.5 feet i believe.

[ConcinusMan]

Puny little thing.:rolleyes:

[Spankenstyne]

Now today I look in, she's finished her shed (and a meal)...and he's crushing her.

http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj267/spankenstyne/Thamnophis/tm1ajuly52010.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

I can see she's all upset about it too.:rolleyes:

He's like, "this is my woman. Yeah, she's big, but she's mine!, right baby?" Mmmuuuuah!