First Garter of the Year!

[Didymus20X6]

Caught my first garter of the year!

I've noticed a bit of garter activity around the back fence lately. Well, a few days ago - on Good Friday, to be exact - I managed to catch this little guy.

I actually managed to catch her mere moments before the lawnmower guy showed up. I consider it my Earf Day good deed.

For now, the name's Scarlett.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/215674_10150220714284400_783884399_8313661_5750026 _n.jpg

Only about a foot and a half long, Scarlett has been very skittish. She has eaten a few nightcrawlers, and likes to spend her time bathing in the water enclosure.

Here she is hiding under some leaves.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/223450_10150220939854400_783884399_8317497_4141350 _n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/224159_10150220940179400_783884399_8317505_2887859 _n.jpg

Here she is with Little Dude. Little Dude is the big girl (the irony was unintentional).

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215528_10150220976049400_783884399_8317762_1757338 _n.jpg

I'm going to see how well she adapts to the enclosure, and then decide if I want to keep her or taker her off to the woods. Either way, I'm sure the neighbors won't mind me removing her.

[guidofatherof5]

Scarlett looks good.
Looks like she's going to be sheding soon.

[kibakiba]

It looks like the flash bouncing off of her eyes to me. Snakey's eyes do that when I take a picture of him when he's hiding. He almost looks like he'll shoot lasers out of his eyes sometimes. Haha.

Scarlett is pretty! I love the name.

[Didymus20X6]

I don't think so, Steve. Like Chantel said, it's just the flash glaring off the eyes. The eyes are still translucent, and she and Little Dude just had a couple of nice juicy toady frogs.

Thanks guys!

[drache]

beautiful - both
I forget - did you get Little Dude in the same place?

[Didymus20X6]

Rhea: yes. All the snakes I have caught have been in my back yard or in neighbor's yards.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Good looking snakes!

[kibakiba]

Here, my boyfriend corrected the laser eye looking picture. :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/LASAH_.jpg

[Didymus20X6]

"I am looking for Sarah Connor! I'll be back!" {/Ahnold}

[Didymus20X6]

Look what I just caught! My first thamnophis of 2012! A little bitty booger, probably less than a foot long.

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[katach]

Awww!! Congrats!

[kueluck]

Can't see real clearly, but the pattern looks awesome *sigh*

[Didymus20X6]

I can't be absolutely certain. But considering that the other two snakes had been hiding out in the water enclosure for most of the evening, leaving Tiny by himself in the land enclosure, and of the 9 slices of nightcrawler I left out, only 3 remain, I'm guessing that Tiny had a decent dinner tonight. I'll try to get a look at his belly tomorrow and see if it looks lumpy.

Also, Tiny is a lot smaller than the pic makes him out to be. If you look at the pics of Little Dude and Scarlett together, Tiny is about the same relative size to Scarlett, as Scarlett is to Little Dude in that pic. He's about the size of a typical drinking straw.

[Didymus20X6]

Here's a pic of Tiny, just chillin' out in the water enclosure. (More like "Warming up" - he was basking in the lamp light).

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(Sorry for the blurry, but I'm not a very steady camera hand, and I couldn't find my tripod.)

Here are some shots of a snake I just caught this morning by the back fence. I'd say he's slightly longer than Scarlett, but his head is much smaller. Again, sorry I couldn't get better shots.
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[Didymus20X6]

UH OH! Just saw the newcomer seems to be chasing Little Dude around the enclosure.

[kibakiba]

Yeah, that looks like a male. I imagine that would be why.

[Didymus20X6]

I do keep hearing this weird sound when I pass the snake room door. It sounds sort of like "bow chicka bow bow". It immediately stops when I open the door, though.

[ConcinusMan]

Look what I just caught! My first thamnophis of 2012! A little bitty booger, probably less than a foot long.

04539

Wow, nice stripeless pattern. I like it. :)

[Didymus20X6]

Sad news. Scarlett has gone on to a better place.

And by better place, I mean underneath a bridge about 10 miles west of here.

I took Casanova with her. That's the male snake I captured the other day. I figured, since he had already had his way with my Little Dude, his work was done, and I didn't want him defiling her any further.

I've still got Little Dude and Tiny. And Tiny looks like he's getting ready to shed soon.

[Didymus20X6]

Well Tiny seems to be settling in now. I just got back from a trip and the little booger ate an entire nightcrawler by himself - chopped up into bite-sized pieces, of course. At first, he was nervous and hid from me, but after devouring a couple of pieces, he started to act a little less shy. Maybe he's starting to get the idea that "giant pink monkey = giving me something to eat", and less of the idea that "giant pink monkey = trying to eat me."

[Didymus20X6]

Here's Little Dude and Tiny in their enclosure.

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Here's a close-up. Ain't they cute?

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[Invisible Snake]

Nice pics! Little Dude isn't so little anymore lol.

[Didymus20X6]

Thanks! At last measuring, almost 31 inches. But this shot does make her look kind of fat.