How did u guys get started in garters?

[Starling96]

im curious about how all of you fell in love with garters :D

[snakehill]

They are the only snake that I have ever found in the wild!:)

[Starling96]

They are the only snake that I have ever found in the wild!:)

Wish that was my case ;)

[snakehill]

Where did you get your ribbons? I have a Northern ribbon not an eastern garter like I thought I had!:o

[infernalis]

I grew up surrounded by wild garter snakes, I'm third generation owner of the property, so they are a part of my life, captive or otherwise.

Possibly I put more effort into taking care of the wild ones, Never hired a landscaper for my captives yet, or launched a frog preservation plan to ensure they can eat.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Well i have been catching reptiles, bugs, and amphibians since i was 4 years old my mom said i would take her tupperware containers and fill them with all kinds of critters she use to be so scared that i would get bit by something dangerous. I always had a passion for snakes so i've kept about every kind from boas and pythons to lots of different colubrids but i was never satisfied so i started keeping venomous snakes and they were awesome but i still was not satisfied, i felt like i should work with some of the (underrated snakes) because i did it for passion instead of fortune and i always no matter how old i was loved to find garters so it just took off from there. They are great snakes and always fun to watch. I still love all reptiles and amphibians just not as much as garters.

[Starling96]

i caught mine.
i had never caught any garters or ribbons before then and i google ribbon snake care and i found out how awesome they are.
And then i found this site and now im addicted :D
And i love my ribbons!
Wouldnt trade them for any garter

[Didymus20X6]

I used to be an ophidiophobe. But I also was a big fan of Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Erwin. So even though I was terrified of snakes, I also developed a respect for them and a desire to understand them rationally.

Then, about 2 years ago, I had a stampede of garter snakes come through our yard. Although I had seen a few before, this was an inordinately large number of them. Although terrified of them, I didn't want to kill them.

Then I had a crazy neighbor lady who kept demanding that my landlady get rid of them. Of course, apart from pretty much killing everything in the entire neighborhood, there was no way apart from killing them individually, or capturing them. So I took it upon myself to capture them and take them to the woods.

Using a tall trash can, some gloves, and a Gopher, I started trying to catch them. I spotted a couple slithering through the yard, and I managed to snag one. You can read the details in my "Tom's Catch-and-Release Program (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/5393-toms-catch-relase-program.html)" thread.

Well, after capturing and safely releasing almost 20 of them, I decided to keep one. It was an awkward beginning, but I managed to put together a decent enclosure. After the one, I caught a couple more. I ended up releasing some of them - ones that didn't adapt to captivity well. But I still have two: Little Dude and Scarlett (https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/215528_10150220976049400_783884399_8317762_1757338 _n.jpg) (Little Dude is the big one - almost 31 inches now).

I think the reason I love them now is because I've come to realize I have no reason to fear something that once terrified me.

[guidofatherof5]

i had never caught any garters or ribbons before then and i google ribbon snake care and i found out how awesome they are.
And then i found this site and now im addicted :D
And i love my ribbons!
Wouldnt trade them for any garter

But your ribbons are garters/Thamnophis:confused::D

[Starling96]

But your ribbons are garters/Thamnophis:confused::D
haha i know
i was just saying i would trade them for any other prettier garter

[QUOTE/}Well i have been catching reptiles, bugs, and amphibians since i was 4 years old my mom said i would take her tupperware containers and fill them with all kinds of critters she use to be so scared that i would get bit by something dangerous. I always had a passion for snakes so i've kept about every kind from boas and pythons to lots of different colubrids but i was never satisfied so i started keeping venomous snakes and they were awesome but i still was not satisfied, i felt like i should work with some of the (underrated snakes) because i did it for passion instead of fortune and i always no matter how old i was loved to find garters so it just took off from there. They are great snakes and always fun to watch. I still love all reptiles and amphibians just not as much as garters[/QUOTE
i used to think ball pythons were cool i had one but hes sold because of my garters lol
and thats awsome what ind of venomous snakes have you had?

[RedSidedSPR]

My parents wouldn't let me keep snakes for one reason. Mice. Anything that ate mice was not welcome here. I'd argue that it was frozen and already dead but to no avail. Its my money what do you care?! I gave up.

Then I was reading a book on snakes from the library and I thought... not all snakes eat mice... hmmmm..

Garter snakes came to mind. But I had never found one, and wasn't very hopeful.

Next week we went up to Illinois. On the way back we stopped at a rest area. (Spoon River.)

While my family was stuffing themselves with chicken sandwiches, I was walking along the creek. There were stairs leading up through the woods. As I climbed something shot off the steps. Just a lizard.

I though a minute replaying that blur in my mind.. wait.. that was a garter snake!! Crap.

On the way back down the steps I came to that spot.... looked around. Shucks. Then I heard the leaves.. I walked through the posion ivy (has no effect on me) people freaking out at that, and looked down. Trying to hide his head under a leaf was a 2 foot redsided garter snake.

I have yet to have a snake bite me so many times.

He's now in a 20gal.
I then bought a baby anery redsided. along with 2 other babies I bought after that. All in a 10gal.

It started out as the only snake I could get away with, but now I know just how awesome garter snakes are.. active, fun little snakes.

Man I'm glad I didn't get that corn snake.

[Starling96]

My parents wouldn't let me keep snakes for one reason. Mice. Anything that ate mice was not welcome here. I'd argue that it was frozen and already dead but to no avail. Its my money what do you care?! I gave up.

Then I was reading a book on snakes from the library and I thought... not all snakes eat mice... hmmmm..

Garter snakes came to mind. But I had never found one, and wasn't very hopeful.

Next week we went up to Illinois. On the way back we stopped at a rest area. (Spoon River.)

While my family was stuffing themselves with chicken sandwiches, I was walking along the creek. There were stairs leading up through the woods. As I climbed something shot off the steps. Just a lizard.

I though a minute replaying that blur in my mind.. wait.. that was a garter snake!! Crap.

On the way back down the steps I came to that spot.... looked around. Shucks. Then I heard the leaves.. I walked through the posion ivy (has no effect on me) people freaking out at that, and looked down. Trying to hide his head under a leaf was a 2 foot garter snake.

I have yet to have a snake bite me so many times.

He's now in a 20gal, along with 3 babies I bought after that.

It started out as the only snake I could get away with, but now I know just how awesome garter snakes are.. active, fun little snakes.

Man I'm glad I didn't get that corn snake.
I wasted my money on a ball and a corn ;)

[Kantar]

I've always was facinated with garters. They are just so exciting to watch because they are so facinating. Unlike corn snakes you just end up having a staring contest because they don't move much.
I just went out and caught a couple babies and just kept on learning, the market for garters is pretty rare here in canada, but I do have 2 albino checkered I am hoping one is male and one is female so I can at least start a market.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

haha i know
i was just saying i would trade them for any other prettier garter

[QUOTE/}Well i have been catching reptiles, bugs, and amphibians since i was 4 years old my mom said i would take her tupperware containers and fill them with all kinds of critters she use to be so scared that i would get bit by something dangerous. I always had a passion for snakes so i've kept about every kind from boas and pythons to lots of different colubrids but i was never satisfied so i started keeping venomous snakes and they were awesome but i still was not satisfied, i felt like i should work with some of the (underrated snakes) because i did it for passion instead of fortune and i always no matter how old i was loved to find garters so it just took off from there. They are great snakes and always fun to watch. I still love all reptiles and amphibians just not as much as garters[/QUOTE
i used to think ball pythons were cool i had one but hes sold because of my garters lol
and thats awsome what ind of venomous snakes have you had?

Rattlesnakes,copperheads,cottonmouths,cobras,gaboo n vipers,lance heads,coral snakes,eyelash vipers,cantils,waglers vipers and im sure there is more that i can't think of right now. I've had lots of snakes through the years.

[Didymus20X6]

Hey Blue: do you still keep hot herps?

[snakehill]

Cobras are my favorite VENOMOUS snake lol ;)

[Starling96]

Thats prettty crazy
i cant imagine keeping those
how did u feed them?
and what was the most active and intelligent?

[guidofatherof5]

My Mom handed me a radix when I was young. They've been in my life ever since.

[Starling96]

did your mother keep snakes?
i wish my mom did so i could have more ;)

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Thats prettty crazy
i cant imagine keeping those
how did u feed them?
and what was the most active and intelligent?

I would have to say cobras.

[snakehill]

Oh great! Now I want one even more!!!!;)

[RedSidedSPR]

So do I. Cobras are awesome!!!

[BLUESIRTALIS]

I don't keep venomous anymore because i have a four year old son and i don't want to risk it. I do have a friend staying with me for a few weeks who just moved up from the beach and he has some venomous locked up in my snake room right now until he can find a better place. He has a uracoan rattlesnake, a cottonmouth, a yellow phase columbian lance head (very fast), 2 gaboons, some copperheads, and some cobras but they will be leaving real soon.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

So do I. Cobras are awesome!!!

They are so smart it is scary how dangerous they are. You can be holding one with a snake hook and before you know they will climb up the hook to give you a lethal kiss.:eek: Sorry the thread got hijacked on the venomous thing didn't mean for that to happen.

[Starling96]

i know how 4 year olds are
My brother let out my ribbons once but found them shortly after

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Oh great! Now I want one even more!!!!;)


Before you ever think of getting a cobra you need to get a wildcaught black racer and see if you can handle it without getting bit or the snake getting loose because they act about the same when handled.:D

[PINJOHN]

im curious about how all of you fell in love with garters :D
being in the UK my start with garters was a little different from most, no wild ones to catch
i actually wrote a rhyme on this very subject some time ago, i will post it after brumation time, when the site is not as busy with garter problems and discussion:)

[infernalis]

Before you ever think of getting a cobra you need to get a wildcaught black racer and see if you can handle it without getting bit or the snake getting loose because they act about the same when handled.:D


I have a CB black racer, he's not a handler, heck he even strikes the glass when people get close to his cage...

[RedSidedSPR]

Man, now I want one again!:D

[Chondro788]

I had been keeping Pythons and Boas for about 15 years, and just got bored with them. I used to breed Carpets, Chondros, Bloods, Boas, Balls, Rainbow Boas, kingsnakes, milksnakes, cornsnakes, ect. Even kept some lizards, mostly geckos, for a short time. So eventually I went looking for a new and exciting snake, and I found garter snakes via Jeff Benfer's website. Before long Jeff sent me a nice little group and I have been hooked ever since. I really think garters are much more intelligent then most of the other animals I have worked with. And with all the cool species, as well as color morphs, they just keep me excited every day to see what comes next. :cool:

[Starling96]

Garters are my 3rd snake to keep so im a rookie compared to a lot of you ;)
and dont worry about high jacking
i was getting interested lol

[RedSidedSPR]

What's your first 2 favorites?

[Starling96]

first a corn then a ball

[RedSidedSPR]

Oh sorry, i thought you said "garters are your 3rd favorite" lol, oops!

[kibakiba]

I've always loved garter snakes, when my dad's workers were over, they'd catch a ton of garter snakes and hand them to me. I think we had a couple fitchii when it was less barren here... I remember one of the snakes most caught looked nothing like a NW. It had little bits of red below the stripe, black background and yellowy stripes. They're so beautiful. Anyways, 3 years ago, I was helping my mom move a really old ripped up recliner over to my dads burn pile and I saw something orange and black zip under it. I made my mom tip it over, and there was 2 year old little Snakey curled up and terrified. I loved him from day one.

[katach]

I've played with bugs, frogs, and snakes since I could walk. I kept lizards and fish as a kid. My mom couldn't do mice as food either. They have always had my heart!

[Starling96]

I've played with bugs, frogs, and snakes since I could walk. I kept lizards and fish as a kid. My mom couldn't do mice as food either. They have always had my heart!

Same here!
My first lizard was an iguana
He lived like 9 years :/
And i had a guppy tank and they multiplied... fast!
and keep an occasional skink lol

[Cfleming]

I used to catch them when I was a little kid. When I was able to keep snakes, I started with ball pythons. They bored me, so I moved on to many other species. Finally after many years of over looking garters, I was replying to a thread similar to this one and it brought back a lot of fond memories of playing with them. So I gota group of babies from Scott. Now garters make-up most of my collection. I also keep Amazon tree boas, massasauga rattles snakes, copperheads, and a red belly watersnake.

[Starling96]

Red belly water snake?
Where are they native to?
And i love amazon's!!!

[guidofatherof5]

I found this range map in my "Long Star Field Guide Snakes of North America(Eastern and Central Regions)"

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k501/guidofatherof5/redbelly.jpg

[Starling96]

i googled it and the belly sorta reminds me of a ringneck

[d_virginiana]

I got Houdini when I was 10, and my grandpa told me I could get a snake without my parents' permission. At under a week old, he escaped from the tank in the store, and I got a 'you find him and he's free' deal. Being 10, I lost interest in him fairly quickly and he just sat in the upstairs room for about 11 years.

This past year I was having a really rough time. I started handling him a lot more as a stress-reliever, and then I started wondering what I could do to make him more content, so I ended up here. This forum is really largely responsible for reigniting my interest in garters (and for Houdini getting a future girlfriend!). Haha, psychological therapy snakes. That's what they are, and that's why I enjoy keeping them :D lol

[kibakiba]

Snakey has been my best friend when life got so tough I couldn't even get out of bed. I'd just ask my mom to bring him to me, and having him slither around on my chest and eventually curling up on my neck with his head resting on my cheek was the best therapy I could have gotten at the time. It made me feel like I had a real friend for the first time in my life, someone who didn't care if I was fat, lazy, had emotional and mental problems, and never got mad at me for being ignorant or upset about a little thing. I don't think anything could replace the love I have for Snakey. I don't think I'd be able to choose between my boyfriend or Snakey if it came to something like that, Snakey is one of the most important friends that I have. I've had Snakey for almost as long as I've been with my boyfriend, and Snakey has never made a rude joke about my weight :rolleyes:

[RedSidedSPR]

I guess they would make good therapy...:D


i googled it and the belly sorta reminds me of a ringneck

I have found red belly water snakes, they're in NC. Really awesome snakes!

[Starling96]

sweet
How big do they get?
And i know how u guys feel about snake therapy
I got into to lots of trouble last year like more than a 14 year old coukld have ever imagined

[RedSidedSPR]

Big. Bigger than most other water snakes I've found.

When I'm on a computer I'll PM you some pics I have.

[jitami]

I'm loving these stories. I grew up loving everything about nature and was often the 'holder' for whatever the boys were busy catching. I was such a little tomboy and loved every second. When my own two sons were 8 and 10 some of the neighborhood kids had gone to our little greenbelt creek and brought home a yearling T. e. elegans. All of the boys were busy begging their parents to keep it, but were being met with resounding NO's. I went to take a look at the little guy and I felt so sorry about how he was being mishandled. I said, 'let me see it' and that was the end of that. It's so easy to fall in love with those big curious eyes. We've had Sly since 2002 and have added 4 other snakes (2 CB garter babies, another WC elegans from our suburban driveway, and most recently my little princess mountain king). I think it's funny that both of my wild caught snakes were virtually on my doorstep despite living in the middle of suburbia.

We also had a corn for about a year that was more of a rescue. He was cool, but when I found someone looking to add a pet corn to their family I let him go. I just got a nice update about him and he's still doing well, so we're all happy.

A rubber boa (Charina bottae) is next on my wish list as I have very fond memories of playing with them as a child. Living jewelry is pretty cool, even to a tomboy :cool:

[Starling96]

Sounds good Jesse
and i liked the story above
only if my parents were more like you ;)

[jitami]

Sounds good Jesse
and i liked the story above
only if my parents were more like you ;)

Well, my parents weren't much like me... and my grandma would have us dancing around on a picnic table until someone removed or killed any nearby snake... you get to change things for the next generation, though :)

[Starling96]

haha yea
i plan to breed garters
i bet once i have my own kids they will want there "own" snake lol

[katach]

i bet once i have my own kids they will want there "own" snake lol

That usually ends up you have another one. My step-kids each have their "own" snake, but I'm the one who feeds them and handles them. They like to look through the glass at them though.

[Starling96]

haha yea i know it goes ;D

[snakehill]

Where did you get your ribbons? I have a Northern ribbon not an eastern garter like I thought I had!:o
Oops! Never mind!!:o

[drache]

I got my first two garters right after I moved to New York a few decades back
I shared a dorm room with another misfit of a different sort, and she didn't mind
one of the snakes was quite at home on the human jungle gym, and she would slither up on top of my head and curl up there
I was very much into dance back then, and wore my hair in two braids rolled up behind the tops of my ears, so my head made a decent perch, and I could walk around with her on my head
when I got my first apartment, I also got cats, and I just hated how they freaked the snakes out, so short of any better solutions, I ended up giving the snakes to a friend
then I moved around too much to deal with bulky enclosures - lived like a bit of a nomad for years
now that I have them back in my life I can see how they anchor me
some days they're the only thing that keeps me from running away from home

[Starling96]

yea
its funny u say that because i llitterally thought about running away but couldnt cause of my snakes

[ConcinusMan]

Living in Southern California as a child I had seen snakes and have always been curious of them. My older brother caught an adult two-headed kingsnake and that sparked my fascination. But I never caught or even got close to a snake until I moved to WA and caught my first garter in 1977. Since they were so common, I caught many more, and got my first concinnus a year or two later. Since then, I've been back to CA (from 1983-88) and caught and kept all kinds of snakes but found that garters are my favorite. I moved back to WA in '88 and caught a pair of baby concinnus' and kept them. They lived a very long time. Around 20 years. They gave me over 150 offspring in that time. And I didn't know any better and fed them goldfish and other things I wouldn't do now:cool: Saddened by their death due to age, I didn't keep any snakes for a few years. I missed them alot and so started back up again when I joined the forum.

[Starling96]

cool story
annd a 2 headed snake?
awesome did u guys keep him?