New!

[katach]

Hi all! I'm new to the forum. Our family has 5 snakes. Maria, Blade, Cotton, Toothless, and Willow. They are so much fun and a great learning experience for the kids. I could use some help with the subspecies though. From the looks of thing I think we will be having a litter soon!

[snakehill]

WOW! Beautiful bunch of snakes!!!!!!!!:D You've come to the right place!!

[katach]

Thank you!!

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
Good looking snakes.
I'm guessing 1 and 5 are Northwesterns(T. ordinoides)
# 4 might be a Red Spotted (T.s. concinnus)

I'm sure other more knowledgeable members can make a better I.D.

[ConcinusMan]

I believe they are all northwesterns. (Thamnophis ordinoides) #4 is unusual but I still say it's a northwestern. Besides the Willamette Valley of Oregon, true oregon red spotted garters are only found in the extreme SW part of WA (from Vancouver Lake Lowlands, west along the columbia river to the coast) and they don't look like that. There's always a good chance of finding unique individuals when it comes to northwesterns. That one's really cool looking. Love the red striped ones. I see your red striper is also laterally striped. Nice!

Here's my red stripe girl from NW Oregon. She's a sweetheart. She's going to a new home soon.
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/1581/coil002large.jpg

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg163/scaled.php?server=163&filename=misspiggy007large.jpg&res=medium

Late June to early July is the peak birthing season for northwesterns in western WA and OR.

[snakehill]

Wish it was my home!!!!!

[guidofatherof5]

Any chance we can get another photo of #4. Is there any red on that snake's sides.

That dorsal color looks like a few of the concinnuss I have. I have one that starts off black and doesn't show any red for the first 1/3rd of the body.

[ConcinusMan]

Wish it was my home!!!!!

Hope you like rain. Like 60 inches of it spread across 9 months of the year.

[katach]

That is Blade. She is my oldest step-son's. Her belly is really cool too. It looks like someone took a paintbrush covered in red paint and painted her belly.

[ConcinusMan]

This is blade too, (no movie pun intended) right?

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/welcome-lounge/2016d1309207679-new-2011-06-27-13.20.44.jpg

Looks a bit like some pugets (T. sirtalis pickeringii) but some northwesterns do look like pugets, especially near the puget sound.

[guidofatherof5]

Red on the belly. Sounds more like a Northwestern.
No red on the sides?
Thanks.
I'd still like to see another photo of Blade. Good looking snake.

[snakehill]

I meant where Miss Piggy is going!:o

[ConcinusMan]

If her new owner chooses to reveal that, then that's fine. Not my place to say who it is.

[snakehill]

I didn't ask! Sorry!:o

[ConcinusMan]

What area of WA do you live in katach? if you don't mind my asking. I already know it's western WA. That's the only part you'll find northwesterns. Just curious.

[katach]

This is her belly. She is soooooo pretty!

[katach]

I live in Kitsap County.

[kibakiba]

I love those snakes! We need many more people with northwesterns. They are such great snakes.

[ConcinusMan]

Should be able to find puget sound garters there, (Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii) in wet habitats. (near lakes, rivers, streams)

[guidofatherof5]

This is her belly. She is soooooo pretty!

She's beautiful. Thanks for posting the photo.

[guidofatherof5]

I love those snakes! We need many more people with northwesterns. They are such great snakes.

I agree. They are great smaller garters.

[kibakiba]

Not to mention their super personalities. Mine are all so sweet. :D Except for Squirt, but she was still a fun little snake.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Wow... #3 and #4 are weird looking!!!! Especially 4, looks a lot like it could be a concinnus lacking side bars. The lime green stripe is why I say thT. I am not entirely convinced it's a northwestern... But I'm not convinced it's a concinnus either! Can we see more pics of #4?

[ConcinusMan]

There's a lot of northwesterns in the puget sound area that will throw you for a loop but if I'm wrong, then it's a puget lacking lateral stripes. Look at the face again. Makes you wonder.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/welcome-lounge/2015d1309207620-new-2011-06-27-13.17.59.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Wow... #3 and #4 are weird looking!!!! Especially 4, looks a lot like it could be a concinnus lacking side bars. The lime green stripe is why I say thT. I am not entirely convinced it's a northwestern... But I'm not convinced it's a concinnus either! Can we see more pics of #4?

Check out Post #16 for that photo. I thought the same thing as you. That dorsal is what made me curious.

[ConcinusMan]

Post #16 is the belly of a red stripe northwestern. :confused: As odd as the snake in question looks, I'm still thinking it's a northwestern. At any rate, there are no concinnus' in kitsap county.

[guidofatherof5]

Post #16 is the belly of a red stripe northwestern. :confused: As odd as the snake in question looks, I'm still thinking it's a northwestern.

I asked if she could post another photo of #4 and this was the next photo she posted.

[guidofatherof5]

That #4 still says concinnus to me but I'm not near as experienced in their identification as others.
Would love to see a face and full body shot.;)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

The problem Richard, is that the face of that snake looks to be a sirtalis... I really don't think it's an ordinoes now that I zoomed in on the face. The face says sirtalis! And yes it could be a puget lacking laterals. I didn't catch where the OP was from. But I have seen concinnus with blue marked necks and black heads like that... But if the locality calls for puget, it Probably is!

[ConcinusMan]

I would have to see more pics but puget is a definite possibility.

[katach]

A few more pic of Cotton and Toothless

[Hornets23]

Nice looking snakes you have!

[ConcinusMan]

Now that I see more of those two, I'm inclined to say that they are puget sound garters. Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii. The other snakes you have are northwesterns. T. ordinoides.

CalPhotos (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?stat=BROWSE&query_src=photos_fauna_com-Reptile&where-lifeform=Reptile&where-namesoup=Puget+Sound+Garter+Snake&rel-namesoup=matchphrase&title_tag=Puget+Sound+Garter+Snake)


You probably found them in the wetlands area?

[katach]

We found those two at the top of a hiking trail near the puget sound. They were sunning in a clearing. The others we found at a dog park next to a little pond.

[drache]

welcome to the forum
and your lovely snakes too

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Welcome to the forums! Very nice looking snakes you have.
You tell that little puget that he is not a santa cruz garter.

[PINJOHN]

Welcome from a breezy but sunny liverpool, your question highlights part of what makes this site such a great one, i have enjoyed the energy shown by my fellow members in getting to the bottom of just what garters you are keeping, you just cant hold these people back. if there is a site anywhere on the net which comes close in, help, friendliness, and sheer enthusiasm then i'd like to know about it.

[RedSidedSPR]

Beautiful snakes. Welcome

[Mix]

Welcome to the forums! Very nice looking snakes you have.
You tell that little puget that he is not a santa cruz garter.

I was about to post that, whatever he/she actually is, he/she looks just like an atratus! ;)

They are all lovely looking snakes.

[ConcinusMan]

I was about to post that, whatever he/she actually is, he/she looks just like an atratus! ;)

I thought he looked a little bit like one too. I've found northwesterns before that looked just like atratus' too, but I'm pretty darn sure these two are pugets, being how they were found in kitsap county WA and definitely have that blue/green tint and sirtalis head. The face really gives them away as pugets. (T. sirtalis pickeringii)

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/attachments/welcome-lounge/2020d1309226681-new-dsc01973.jpg

[d_virginiana]

Great looking snakes! Welcome to the forum :)

[katach]

Thank you all for the wonderful and warm welcome. Thanks also for the great info on helping us subspieces our little ones!

[flickerfriend]

Beautiful bunch of snakes!

[RedSidedSPR]

Beautful snakes

[katach]

I know this is an older thread, but I got some cute pics of Willow I wanted to share.

[RedSidedSPR]

Hey, it's your thread.

Awesome pics. Willows a good lookin' snake

[katach]

Thank you! She is so sweet, from the moment we caught her. She a snuggle bug! :)

[RedSidedSPR]

She looks like one. Beautiful snake

[guidofatherof5]

Love that first photo. You've got a keeper there.;)

[kibakiba]

That first picture is the cutest thing ever! Snakey does the head tilt thing any time you stick him in the tank after cleaning it. It's adorable. He also does it if you lift him up to a mirror. I love these snakes. :D

[katach]

Thanks guys!! I really do love that little girl!