Twice I was wrong, this time I am right! and I have babies! :D

[Philminator]

Well I'm super excited one of my 4 gravid garters gave birth 2 hours ago. Twice I posted pics about different garters and me thinking they were gravid....well now let me tell you I know what a gravid garter looks like now lol, there's no mistake about this one. They are just common easter garters Tham sirtalis sirtalis but I love them and it's my very first litter of snakes ever! She gave birth to 22 babies and ALL are alive and well :)

[ScimitarX]

Aww, congrats. Thats alot of nice cute babies to deal with.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Congrats!!! Make sure you get to feeding that mom as soon as possible.

[guidofatherof5]

Congrats.
Nice looking little scrubs.

[Philminator]

Aww, congrats. Thats alot of nice cute babies to deal with.
thanks, this is an experience I've wanted to have my whole life and finally today is that day. Now the mother is wild caught from 5 minutes from my house and the babies I may put in the wild since it's illegal for me to even give them away free as pets :( I tried posting ad and it keeps getting deleted on kijiji. I don't want money for them. I just want them to either go to a good home or in the wild before it's too late . They are so cute I just want to keep them all lol

[Philminator]

Congrats!!! Make sure you get to feeding that mom as soon as possible.

thanks for reminding me I was just about to ask about that. She seems really restless and won't stop pacing around the tank constantly.

[katach]

Congrats!! They are great looking!

[Mrs N1ntndo]

CONGRATS on the babies

[PINJOHN]

congrats i had the same experience today myself, although its not the first experience of this kind for me but it's many years since i allow my garters to breed so it feels like the first time . the negative is that my kids have left school so it will not be so easy to find local kids to encourage to get into snakes but the positive is any i don't give away i can sell to the pet shop to affray expenses

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome!! Congratulations!

[Philminator]

congrats i had the same experience today myself, although its not the first experience of this kind for me but it's many years since i allow my garters to breed so it feels like the first time . the negative is that my kids have left school so it will not be so easy to find local kids to encourage to get into snakes but the positive is any i don't give away i can sell to the pet shop to affray expenses

oh nice congrats :) yeah since mine are native I can't legally sell them nor give them away, yet if I release it and you catch it that's legal. So I'm tempted to find a way to post an ad indicating where I will be to release them so some can come and get a lil friend for free. I feel so bad releasing them in the wild for some reason. They are from here yet I feel like I'm being a bad parent lol Only 30% make it to live to their second year :(

[jitami]

Awww, they're adorable! Congratulations!

[Philminator]

thanks everyone :) my second garter is giving birth now! I'm going to have almost 100 babies lol

[RedSidedSPR]

like, right now?!? JEEZ!! :D:D

[Philminator]

like, right now?!? JEEZ!! :D:D
yes lol this time 2nd one gave birth to 35 babies!! and one still born :( 56 new babies going back home in the wild soon it will be nice and sad to see them go :( I am only keeping the parents as pets. going to help repopulate the area near me where they are from

[guidofatherof5]

Be sure to keep those babies hydrated.;)

[Philminator]

Be sure to keep those babies hydrated.;)

they have a nice big shallow bowl of water to swim in, I still can't help but feel bad for letting them all go in the forest where their future is unsure and not so bright :(

[Bart]

Well, I'm against of catching gravid females. But I'm an orthodox. ;)

[Philminator]

Well, I'm against of catching gravid females. But I'm an orthodox. ;)
I can understand but I was desperate to see the birth :D and they are going back to the exact same spot / log I found them at. I only had these 2 gravid females for less than a week.

[Jeff B]

Good job! Congrats on a great litter!

[guidofatherof5]

they have a nice big shallow bowl of water to swim in, I still can't help but feel bad for letting them all go in the forest where their future is unsure and not so bright :(

It's what they were made for. Just imagine the ones that survive and have babies someday.;)

[Jeff B]

Just a thought but you might consider keeping a couple pairs of the babies and grow them up as pets and release the adults instead, they will have a better chance of surviving and making more babies, plus you will get to watch the little ones grow up. Returning the adults will do more for the population than two litters of babies that they would have had anyway and most will not make it to adulthood to reproduce.

[Philminator]

Just a thought but you might consider keeping a couple pairs of the babies and grow them up as pets and release the adults instead, they will have a better chance of surviving and making more babies, plus you will get to watch the little ones grow up. Returning the adults will do more for the population than two litters of babies that they would have had anyway and most will not make it to adulthood to reproduce.

very true and I brought the adults back that I had only had less than a week to the exact same log / rock I found them along with their babies. I kept a few females and a male to watch grow and reproduce again later someday. I also have checkered garters that are babies but these easterns are special as it was my first time ever seeing a snake give birth that I owned and then 30 minutes later my second garter gave birth too :D 50 some babies with their mommies back in their habitat far from people :)

[d_virginiana]

Congrats, that's a nice looking bunch of babies!

[ConcinusMan]

If you know the area where the mother was found, it wouldn't hurt anything to just release them there. Early morning or evening is best.

[kimbosaur]

I tried posting ad and it keeps getting deleted on kijiji. I don't want money for them. I just want them to either go to a good home or in the wild before it's too latel

Now I know why there aren't any postings on kijiji! I would so be willing to buy one from you if you were closer! (I'm in Toronto). I've been looking for a garter for quite a while. I've just found a checkered adult (after months of searching!), but would prefer to watch a baby grow. Any chance you'll be around here in the near future? :)

Ps. I created an account on this forum just to reply this thread. Lol.

[Philminator]

Now I know why there aren't any postings on kijiji! I would so be willing to buy one from you if you were closer! (I'm in Toronto). I've been looking for a garter for quite a while. I've just found a checkered adult (after months of searching!), but would prefer to watch a baby grow. Any chance you'll be around here in the near future? :)

Ps. I created an account on this forum just to reply this thread. Lol.
nice lol and welcome. I will be back in Toronto but not before they likely are older :( I've let close to 100 babies go in the last few days and I have one more litter on the way :D this time it's my orange phase eastern garter. I am likely going to keep a few of those babies and see if I get lucky and get a really really bright orange one. I'd just give you a few free if you were here in Ottawa. I expect the Mom to pop babies any day.

[kimbosaur]

Wow 100 babies! :eek: So close but so farrr. The pet store's selling the regular checkered for $59.99 and the albino for $69.99 (+tax!). I should just use that towards gas money to Ottawa. :cool:

[Mommy2many]

Congratulations!

[ConcinusMan]

The pet store's selling the regular checkered for $59.99 and the albino for $69.99

Ouch

[RedSidedSPR]

Yeah no kidding. Way too much. You can get a albino for $30

[ConcinusMan]

Even less if you're talking about babies directly from a breeder, especially during a season like this one. A lot of them were produced this year. Heck, the latest albino checkered I got was free. (with other purchase)

I could easily pick up a bunch of them wholesale and sell them locally for about $40 which I have done once before. Right now, I got somebody (locally, where they just aren't available) wanting to buy my free one for $30.:)

Still cheaper for them when you consider shipping costs.

[kimbosaur]

I WISH it was like that here! These two are literally the only ones I've found locally and I've been searching for a while. I would even pay the $70 for a baby from a breeder because at least I know where it's coming from. The reptile store's kind of sketch because when I asked (through email) whether they were adults or babies, they told me they were babies but were feeding on pinkies? Haven't gotten a chance to check them out. There's a National expo coming up in Sept so i might just wait for that :D