Catching tips

[flickerfriend]

I have a spare tank and im looking to catch a small garter when i get back to oregon. do you have any tips on where to look and when?

[Snakers]

I'd look in a place where there are plenty of places to hide(boards,logs,tarps,etc.....)
And as for time I look in the heat of the day.

[kibakiba]

Richard told me the best time to find them is in the evening, I think around 7-8? Maybe Richard will post to confirm... I cant remember ;)

[flickerfriend]

Thanks for the advice. When and if i do catch one i'll be sure to post a piccy :D

[ConcinusMan]

True. Even on a cool day (low 70's but sunny) in my best spots for finding garters, you'll find none between 10am -6pm usually. When are you coming back Flickerfriend? If there's still time when you come back, I can take you and your mom out for little garter adventure not far from where Flicker (the snake) was found. It'll be fun. I don't want to reveal the location publicly. I don't want people descending on the place in droves as this is the location where blue anery concinnus can be found.

I do have some lovely CB oregon red-spotted garters and I could hold one for you but you probably want to go out and catch one. Can't blame you. It's fun!

[kibakiba]

It's very thrilling to catch your own snake ;). My two adults are ones I caught. My mom caught Runt. She couldn't tell if he was a piece of grass or a snake before he took off :D

[guidofatherof5]

I like Runt. How about a few more photos , if you don't mind. Please.

[kibakiba]

Sure, Steve! I wanted to start a bit of a picture thread of my snakes, but I'd like to get a few more pictures :D Runts a bit camera shy though so I can only take a few. I don't want to scare him to death. I get scared if I startle him since he's so small and weak, I wouldn't want it to literally scare him so bad he has a heart attack or something. Once when I picked him up he got scared when I reached in and he went limp for a minute :( I was so upset, I thought he was dead... But then he perked up and flicked his tongue at me like "oh, whats up? :D" Haha

[guidofatherof5]

Sure, Steve! I wanted to start a bit of a picture thread of my snakes, but I'd like to get a few more pictures :D Runts a bit camera shy though so I can only take a few. I don't want to scare him to death. I get scared if I startle him since he's so small and weak, I wouldn't want it to literally scare him so bad he has a heart attack or something. Once when I picked him up he got scared when I reached in and he went limp for a minute :( I was so upset, I thought he was dead... But then he perked up and flicked his tongue at me like "oh, whats up? :D" Haha

Maybe he's got a little Hognose in him:D

[kibakiba]

Maybe, maybe ;) Anyways, after my boyfriend and I play some video games I'll take some pictures of him :D

[ConcinusMan]

Once when I picked him up he got scared when I reached in and he went limp for a minute :( I was so upset, I thought he was dead... But then he perked up and flicked his tongue at me like "oh, whats up? :D" Haha

He was just sleeping. Snakes do that you know.;)

[kibakiba]

No, he got scared. When I was reaching in he darted then coiled up. I don't think he'd fall asleep within a few seconds. Nor would he stay asleep when a giant is "manhandling" him :P only time he's fallen asleep on me, or so it seemed, was the day he ate a whole night crawler and on one of the colder days while his heating pad was heating up.

[ConcinusMan]

It just sounded like a snake asleep, the way you described it the first time.

[kibakiba]

Well I guess I forgot to add that he got extremely startled when I reached in to get him. :P If it weren't for being sick I'd be holding him right now and allowing him to cuddle in my blanket with me :D Despite him being scared of me when I pick him up he quickly warms up to me holding him.

[flickerfriend]

True. Even on a cool day (low 70's but sunny) in my best spots for finding garters, you'll find none between 10am -6pm usually. When are you coming back Flickerfriend? If there's still time when you come back, I can take you and your mom out for little garter adventure not far from where Flicker (the snake) was found. It'll be fun. I don't want to reveal the location publicly. I don't want people descending on the place in droves as this is the location where blue anery concinnus can be found.

I do have some lovely CB oregon red-spotted garters and I could hold one for you but you probably want to go out and catch one. Can't blame you. It's fun!
I think im coming back april 31st.

[ConcinusMan]

That would be a neat trick.:rolleyes: but yeah, late April is absolutely the best time of the year for herping for garter snakes around here. That's just a few weeks after emerging from hibernation and right after mating time. High concentrations at that time. You can't even walk a couple of steps at my spot without seeing several red spots and/or dozens of northwesterns. April 20th, the ground was teeming with thousands of them. So many, it made a sound.

[flickerfriend]

Wait.... does that mean i'll miss it?:(

[Flicker]

She meant, she's coming back August 31st. ;)

April - August - what the heck, they both start with A. But one is in less than two weeks, the other is six + months away. The correct A answer... is August 31st. :D

[ConcinusMan]

OK, well I'll try to get some time to take you guys out to my spot after that. I don't know if we'll find anything but if the pond hasn't dried up, I'd say there will probably still be snakes around there if we go in the evening. That's when they all seem to come out and do their foraging. Go during the day and you'll find nothing but seems like they come out en masse right around 6pm. You can dang near set your watch to them coming out.