Wild T. radix Ranch Guest

[guidofatherof5]

While outside this morning I saw a young male radix enter a hole in the ground around one of my trees.
I've set up a water dish for him and will see if I can get him out for some food. He's picked a nice cool place when the heat of Summer gets here.
Hoping to get more photos of this continuing encounter.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild5.jpg

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome. You're lucky. Most of us have to look for snakes. You just walk out the door:rolleyes:

[guidofatherof5]

Awesome. You're lucky. Most of us have to look for snakes. You just walk out the door:rolleyes:

I don't consider myself lucky.
I'm blessed.;)

[kibakiba]

Before the pond was destroyed, you couldn't take a step without tons of babies fleeing. It was awesome, and I wish it was still that way. But then again, I'd want to keep them all.

[zooplan]

Do you have a pond in your garden?

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't consider myself lucky.
I'm blessed.;)

True dat.


Before the pond was destroyed, you couldn't take a step without tons of babies fleeing. It was awesome, and I wish it was still that way. But then again, I'd want to keep them all.

Awesome. We have a pond within walking distance, with TONS of frogs, you'd think there'd be lots of garter. but there's NONE.

[zooplan]

Awesome. We have a pond within walking distance, with TONS of frogs, you'd think there'd be lots of garter. but there's NONE.


....but I´ve seen none there ever since;)

To check out a place to be a good Garter Snake habitat, it has to meet with more than a nice prey buffet.

[guidofatherof5]

They're talking about temps in the 90's today.
I found this good size female out on the deck before the heat hits.
I walked over and picked her up. She looked at me like one of my girls in the basement. Calm and cool.
I took her in the house and gave her a drink at the sink, snapped a couple photos and set her back where I found her. Sweet snake.
Since I can't enter this months photo contest I thought I used our flag as a backdrop.:D
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/fem.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/fem11.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Photo on the right would have gotten my vote! It's perfectly composed.

[Spankenstyne]

Oh very jealous. Nothing wandering into my little yard, you are blessed. That female is beautiful, love the markings.

[Mommy2many]

Are you sure she isn't one of yours???

Very pretty girl.

[RedSidedSPR]

Blessed is the word, you "lucky" man.

[guidofatherof5]

Are you sure she isn't one of yours???

Very pretty girl.


They're all mine.

[Mommy2many]

yupper

[ConcinusMan]

They're all mine.

Oy vey:rolleyes:

[guidofatherof5]

Check out this beautiful little female I found under a railroad tie in my backyard.
I was out collecting slugs and earthworms.
This would be a late Summer 2011 birth.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/fall_2011.jpg

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome Steve. You make me jealous.

[katach]

AWWWWWW! So Cute!

[snakehill]

Beautiful!!! She would look great with my new girls! lol

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful!!! She would look great with my new girls! lol

And so it begins. You're hooked.
My radixes have done their job.:D

[RedSidedSPR]

You have been assimilated.

[Mommy2many]

I haven't found any snakes this year! :(

[RedSidedSPR]

I've hardly found ANY! I spend multiple hours a day looking. Couple green snakes, (awesome) water snake, and worm snakes. That's it.

[ConcinusMan]

Sucks where I'm at right now. (Just north of the San Bernadino National Forest) Can't really find any reptiles. It's just too barren here. Nothing but bare dirt, a few sage plants and Joshua trees, no water anywhere, etc. There just doesn't seem to be any snakes here although I did see a little gopher snake yesterday after it rained a little. There's just no place to look for them. No cover, no water, etc. It's funny, the only likely places to find any snakes is to start moving junk that people have left. Get out into the clean natural environment and the only life seems to be a few birds.

When this storm passes it's supposed to go back into the 80's again. When it does, I think I'll try a little road cruising at sundown and see if I can't spot something. Not much hope of finding anything besides rattlers or gopher snakes but at this point, I'd like to just find anything. I only caught a glimpse of the little gopher snake yesterday before he disappeared into a pile of wood/metal infested with black widows. I'm not even going to go digging around in there. Maybe I will after I go to the store and buy some good gloves. Don't want to get bit. There's some nasty bugs around here.

[RedSidedSPR]

Welcome to my world. Only my environment just looks like there should be hundreds.

At least I have five!!:D

[guidofatherof5]

The other day I was in the backyard and flipped a hide.
Under it I found this good looking dark phase male T.radix (Plains Garter Snake).
He's in opaque phase(shedding phase) and has a few minor injuries.
I took him into the house as I want to see what he looks like after the shed.
I won't treat any of the injuries until he sheds.

He has since shed and most of his injuries are almost gone.
I had thought that he was a dark phase and now see he is a dark green phase.
This boy will be staying over the Winter with me. I've got a couple green females that might like his company.
I'll update this post with some new photo tomorrow.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/darkone.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//674/medium/injury1.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//674/medium/injury11.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//674/medium/injury2.jpg

[katach]

He's thinking, "You should see the other guy!"

[chris-uk]

He's thinking, "Warm. Comfortable. Free food. And women. Whoo hooooo!"

[guidofatherof5]

He's thinking, "You should see the other guy!"


He's thinking, "Warm. Comfortable. Free food. And women. Whoo hooooo!"

Yes, all of the above.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

Very cool looking snakes. I always love looking at snakes. Steve, when you go herping do you just sit a chair in your yard and wait for them to slither up to you?...lol

[guidofatherof5]

How did you know.:D

[zooplan]

I haven't found any snakes this year! :(
I haven´t found any wild Garter Snakes my whole live:D

[guidofatherof5]

I spotted this male on the deck this afternoon.
I'm guessing he'll be heading to the den very soon.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/deck_snake.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Today was a very warm(72°F/22°C) Thanksgiving day.
While out back my youngest daughter Hailee yelled "snake".
I found this good looking young male up along the foundation.
He seems a little lean to me but overall in good health.
We gave him a much need drink of water and a quick check over.
He had a small abrasion on the side of his cloaca. I don't think it's anything to worry about.
He was released back along the foundation. He immediately went under the deck.
This will probably be the last snake I'll find out this year.
Get some sleep little man. Breeding season will be here soon.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild61.jpg

[chris-uk]

When he comes out again he knows he's onto a good thing if he hangs around for a bit.

[EasternGirl]

Wow! Great looking fellow you all found...I went out looking today since it was warm here also...not so lucky here...no snakes around outside my house!

[ConcinusMan]

Today was a very warm(72°F/22°C) Thanksgiving day.


Wow. Windy and only upper 50's here today. But being SoCal and high desert, it could be 75 tomorrow for all I know.:rolleyes:

Garter snakes in late Nov. Pretty cool Steve.

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wild7.jpg

[EasternGirl]

Hmmm...could be...

[guidofatherof5]

My youngest daughter Hailee called me out front to see a wild T.radix which was under the front deck.
Her colors are awesome so I believe she must have shed recently.
This is a young gravid green phase radix.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wfr2.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wfr1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wfr3.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wfr.jpg

[Dan72]

Steve seeing as how she is gravid, and who knows what treasures await within...:eek:. Are you tempted to hang on to her and if the litter isn't all that thrilling you know where to release everybody??

[guidofatherof5]

I was tempted but will let nature happen.

[guidofatherof5]

I walked into the snake room this afternoon and saw a new snake on the floor. I introduced myself and was greeted by a thrashing, biting and pooping young female radix.
In photo #3 you can see she was still loaded and ready for action. Checkout the look on her face on photo #2.
I put her in a timeout enclosure and will see what her attitude is like tomorrow.:D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wildtr1.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wildtr3.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/wildtr2.jpg

[chris-uk]

Waiting to see what an overnight stay with the "radix whisperer" does for this young lady...

[Selkielass]

Well you know she's been eating well...
things are so dry here my clay -y garden soil is like concrete. Not many worms near the surface, tho the birds do seem to find them after our brief storms, so I guess other critters are also.
No wild snake sightings lately. Just signs, like cast skins under boards, telling me they're out there plugging along.

[guidofatherof5]

Waiting to see what an overnight stay with the "radix whisperer" does for this young lady...

She was much more calm today but appeared loaded and ready to shot, but didn't.:D

[katach]

She is beautiful!

[guidofatherof5]

She is beautiful!

Thanks. She's a pistol.:D

[Dan72]

Wow, good looking girl. She looks pretty close, (maybe dead on) to Goldie. If you look at the pics of Goldie in the Say hello to... thread. Pretty similiar. So other than very pretty radix;), how would you describe her Steve? Is this a common coloring and pattern for radix? I found another female in the yard yesterday, same very similiar coloring (gravid:eek:). That's another post, coming w/pics....

[guidofatherof5]

I would call her common if that word can or should be used with a radix.

[guidofatherof5]

Gabby found this male T.radix on the deck sunning. Noticing some red in it she brought it inside.
He had a worm for breakfast and went back out on the deck this morning.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/deck_red.jpg

[-MARWOLAETH-]

You Americans are so lucky with you'r wild life.In Wales it's like "ooh look there's a snail that's slightly less boring than the other one we just saw"...

[guidofatherof5]

We have snails too.:D

[-MARWOLAETH-]

But that's pretty much all we have

[kibakiba]

Snails can be entertaining! Trust me, I get bored easily and watching snails entertains me. :D

[chris-uk]

My assassin snails are quite interesting when they are cleaning up the "problem" snails in my aquarium. :)

[guidofatherof5]

Snails can be entertaining! Trust me, I get bored easily and watching snails entertains me. :D

It's a lot more interesting then a lot of things.;)

[katach]

He's very pretty!

[-MARWOLAETH-]

When i think about it the most exiting animals I've seen in Wales was a couple of sheep sheltering from the rain in bus stop.

[guidofatherof5]

You are welcome to visit the T.radix Ranch when even you want. Inside or out we have a fine selection of snakes.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

No dought I'd love to see you'r lovely radixes and of course shyblue but...DAMN U ATLANTIC OCEAN WHY U SO BIG!*Sobs in corner*

[guidofatherof5]

Walking into the snake room to shut it down for the night I spot this visitor.
Nice female T.radix (Plains Garter) She was very thirsty and had a fresh rub on her back.
Otherwise seem in good health. I think the heat is driving them into the house now.
She'll stay for a short relax at the Ranch. When the heat breaks she'll go out the back door.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/new_found.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/new_found2.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/new_found1.jpg

[ProXimuS]

Pretty girl, what is that on her back? She rubbed it raw on something or something?

[guidofatherof5]

Not really sure Emily.
Must have been a tight squeeze where she can in.

[Invisible Snake]

Steve with the wild garters that visit your home do you quarantine them or put them in with your permanent residents?

[guidofatherof5]

I have a couple quarantine tanks setup in another room for these guests.
Many of them are housed together unless I see something obviously wrong.

[guidofatherof5]

As my daughter Molly headed out the front door to watch some fireworks she yelled "snake in the window" I ran outside and saw a young T.radix leaving the basement window well. It had been getting a drink at the water spigot that was dripping(smart snake).
I picked her up and found a great looking green head female. She was heading under the front steps where the not so secret entrance to the house is. I brought her in for the night and will get a better look at her in the morning and post a few photos.
She let me have a nice load of musk.:D

[guidofatherof5]

Here's this sweet female radix. She was so full of water that she threw some up during the handling. Poor girl must have been very thirsty.
This is one sharp snake. Crisp, clean lines. We get a break in the heat on Sat. and she'll be leaving.
It's nice to know there are so many beautiful radixes just outside the door.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/128.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/1a.jpg

[thamneil]

Its just raining radix over there! Your a very lucky man Steve!

[ProXimuS]

Yea, you are lucky! I wish that I had at least some garters around my house. All we have are little earthsnakes, but we barely even have those:rolleyes:

[mikem]

Nice radix! I'm sure she appreciated the water and shelter :)

[ConcinusMan]

Hey Steve, do you keep pans of water outside in the shade for the wild snakes/birds? I used to put out a metal garbage can lid of water, in the mountains of extreme NE California. Same time every morning, like clockwork, several yellow bellied racers, and occasionally a rattlesnake or two, would visit the watering hole, get their fill, and go on their way.:)

[guidofatherof5]

Yes. I run the sprinkler at dusk to give them a hunting area. Water dishes up by the house too.

[guidofatherof5]

This evening my Gabby(age12) came in the house with this little female. She said she found her under one of the hides in the shelter area out back.
She look very familiar as I think I found her under the same hide earlier in the week.
I've named her Autumn. I think I will be with us for a few days if not the Winter.
This is only the second baby I've seen all year.

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

[RedSidedSPR]

Purdy.

[ProXimuS]

How cute:) Do you still have the other baby you found this year?

[guidofatherof5]

How cute:) Do you still have the other baby you found this year?


Why yes I do. :D She's doing very well.

[Dan72]

Steve is that one showing red or am I seeing things???

[guidofatherof5]

Steve is that one showing red or am I seeing things???

No red that I can see but I can only hope.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

How have the wild scrubs been coping with the heatwave you lot had?

[guidofatherof5]

I think this was a weeding out year. The weak/young and aged probably didn't fair to well. I didn't see near the number of snakes this year that I usually see.
Those that are out there are survivors.

[guidofatherof5]

While walking back from the shed last night I saw that my kids had set a grain shovel up against a tree and it had fallen down. It was laying in the tall grass and would have made a great hide so I turned it over. 5 radixes scattered quickly into the grass. Nice to see that large a group after the year we've had here.

[snake man]

Thats amazes me, this year I have seen 5 in total.

[guidofatherof5]

While out looking for slugs I found these little 2012 scrubs. I brought them in, got a photo and returned them to their wild hide.
Nice to find some new blood out there.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/oct2112.jpg

[Invisible Snake]

Hey at this time of year shouldn't they be in or around their brumation dens? Maybe they plan on brumating in your basement :p

[guidofatherof5]

I'm hoping they have a place picked out. We were at 80° today and will have a mild week before it turns cold for the weekend.
I've never seen any first year snakes at my den or in my basement.
Since my old girl Ally(dog) passed away there are plenty of mole burrows to use for brumation.

[ConcinusMan]

Hey at this time of year shouldn't they be in or around their brumation dens? Maybe they plan on brumating in your basement :p

I don't know about radixes but with many, if not all subspecies of T. sirtalis, first year offspring are absent from the dens where the adults stay. It's still a mystery as to where they go. Now, as far as T. s. concinnus' go, there really is no main centralized den. The geography where they live just doesn't provide that. They stay in small groups in various protected (from the elements) hides usually inside or under rotting stumps, logs, etc. across a usually heavily wooded area where they can up to 3 feet underground while staying above the groundwater line.

[guidofatherof5]

Went out to do some spring yard work and spotted this male T.radix warming up along the house foundation. This is the first snake sighted in 2013.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/2013_first_snake.jpg

[rickymar81]

That's a good looking male!

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks. He seems to be waiting for something:rolleyes::D
I should take him down to the snake room and put him in with my largest group of adult females. He'd think he died and went to Thamnophis heaven.:D

[rickymar81]

Thanks. He seems to be waiting for something:rolleyes::D
I should take him down to the snake room and put him in with my largest group of adult females. He'd think he died and went to Thamnophis heaven.:D

LOL Oh he would love that......:D

[guidofatherof5]

We are expecting rain and some snow in the next few days so I got the mower out and did my first cut of the year on the front and back yard. As I walked in from the shed I passed an old feed shovel that had been propped up against a tree but then had fallen. Last Spring I remember finding a few baby radixes under it but I decided to head into the house without checking under it. With every step I took away from the shovel I could hear a small voice saying "help me, help me" At first I figured I was having med. problems again:D so I continued walking. Then I heard it again, that small tiny radix like voice "help me, help me" I quickly went to the shovel and turned it over.
To my surprise I found a very nice looking male red radix under it. He was in need of help as he has some kind of swollen area just down from his head. Looks like a bite to me. I took him in the house and gave him some water in a container. He was glad to have the drink and a place to poop. :D I'll keep him for awhile to see what can be done about this swollen area.
Sorry the photos weren't any better but I lost my good lighting(sun). I'll take a few more when the weather turns sunnier.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//675/medium/2013_Spring_wild_radix.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//675/medium/2013_Spring_wild_radix1.jpg

[Steveo]

A looker! Steve, are you secretly seeding the area with red squiggles?

[guidofatherof5]

A looker! Steve, are you secretly seeding the area with red squiggles?

No comment.:D

[Selkielass]

He is gorgeous!
Looks like it might be a bite or access that has drained, crusted over, and then become infected/inflamed around the edges. When the butlers I take in have wounds swollen like this, infection often appears as a whitish pimple like area at the apex of the swelling. Keeping the area moist w ointment seems to encourage the infection to come up to where it can drain. (The silvadine ointment you gave me is great for this.)

I hope he conquors this- he's abeautiful snappy looking guy.

[Dan72]

Very nice Steve. Is the swollen area anything that could be a threat to the snakes life? My reason for asking is that if the answer were yes, could you breed him with a female that was ready to make use of his wild genes? Is he ready for breeding? Would his infection or swollen area be any danger to other snakes? All of this is keeping in mind you would be skipping a quarantine period which I don't think your a fan of. Nice red radix, a keeper ;) for sure.

[guidofatherof5]

No exceptions to QUARANTINE, you know me well.;)

I think he's ready for any ladies.