Hi from Holland

[GarField000]

Hello,
I'm Marc from Holland.
Yesterday I was in germany @ Hamm and someone asked me if I was a member .. I said probarbly but .... I was not.
So I joined :) ....

I started in the beginning of the year with garter snakes.
I now have a few ... not sure what names it is in english, but i have:

1.0 Thamnophis radix snow
1.0 Thamnophis radix axanthic
1.0 Thamnophis eques scotti
1.1 Thamnophis sirtalis parietals (male is high red)
2.0 Thamnophis marcianus albino
10.9 Thamnophis marcianus marcianus (born 02/07/2011)

Upcoming 1.1 Thamnophis eques scotti (2008, unrelated)

Want:
Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus unrelated couple.
Very hard to find the Eastern Black-Neck garter snake here in holland.

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

[katach]

Welcome!

[indigoman]

Welcome aboard!

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
That is a nice group of snakes you have listed there.
I'm sure I speak for the other forum members when I say "We want photos", please. Once you are settled in would be great.
Here's a link to the forum care sheet. It's always a good read.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

The great T.radix State of Iowa welcomes you.

[chris-uk]

Welcome. I admire your taste in T. Marcianus.

[PINJOHN]

Welcome from a dark breezy Liverpool. i think Steve was somewhat understated about your snakes :eek: for a newbie that collection is [to use an Americanism] totally awesome :D

[GarField000]

Nice to have you on the forum.
That is a nice group of snakes you have listed there.
I'm sure I speak for the other forum members when I say "We want photos", please. Once you are settled in would be great.
Here's a link to the forum care sheet. It's always a good read.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

The great T.radix State of Iowa welcomes you.

Thx for the link ....
I will be posting some foto's later on :) ...

@chris-uk: I got them from someone who didn't want them (born juli 02/07/2011) so I got them before something bad would happen with them. He said they are to agressive while feeding. Well ... you have to watch them but no accidents happened so far :). Now I split the group from 20 into 10/10 (male/female) the feeding goes much better.

@PINJOHN: Well, not all or for keeps. the T. marcianus are for sale, atleast 18 and an albino. A male and a female is for keeps.

@the others, thx for the welcome

[thamneil]

Welcome to the forum! Photos would be great :)

[guidofatherof5]

Hello,
It is wonderful having you on the forum and your collection of snake is awesome.
I've already posted a link to the Care Sheet and if you've had a chance to read it you will see corn cob listed under substrate as not safe to use.
In the photos you posted I saw that you are taking precautions to prevent them from ingesting it. I too used to use corn cob bedding. It was cheap and did a very good job of collecting feces for easy removal. I remember forum members warning me to the hazards of intestinal blockages caused by this substrate. I informed them that I was well aware of the dangers and was doing everything to keep it from being ingested.
Fast forward to me finding a few babies with impactions. One I was able to save and the others had to be put down. I felt terrible because I didn't heed the warnings. I felt I was in control and nothing bad could have happened.
Little did I know I wasn't in control. Snakes regurgitate sometimes hours after eating. They may try to eat it again or another snake may try to.
If a snake wipes its mouth on the substrate after eating another snake may come along and eat that substrate.
I wanted you to be aware of what I had to go through.
Corn cob is a very dangerous substrate.
I meant no offense by this post.

[GarField000]

Hi Steve,
No offense taken offcourse. How can i if you give a good explanation and only give advise.

I first didn't understand what you mean with corn cob, but reading the message I do know. I just started with this bedding and giving it a try. So i'm very pleased with your advice.
I first had reptibark what is used a lot here.
http://www.zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBImages/reptibarkalt.jpg
But I was scared they would eat it and can't poop it out so I was looking for something else.
They also use a lot off this (not sure how it is in english, google said beech)
http://www.graankorrel.nl/shop/images/beukensnippers.jpg
But it has the same problem ....

I took corn cob because I thought it would digest if they would eat it.
I do try to have them not eat it. I always stay with them while they eat (also to make sure they don't eat eachother :D), and as you can see I use a board to feed them on. This is not an excuse to keep using.
I thought that if they do eat it they can digest, but I do try that they don't eat it (you understand what I mean?

Newspaper, Paper Towels, Cage Carpet I don't like because off how it looks and that you have to clean it almost every day (I use paper towels now with the marcianus, the picture is from when they are all together. Now they are split in 2 groups with paper towels).
Aspen shaves .. well, you already explained it in the caresheet :)
Wood bark chips and reptile bark I don't like because I said above. To afraid they can eat it and then there is a problem.
Newspaper Pellet was used by a friend. I will ask what her experiences are with this.
Alfalfa meal ... don't know this so I have to look it up. I found some horse food so i't's probarbly something else *lol*
Carefresh I do not know. Never seen it so I can't say anything about this.

Other choices that are used here is f.i. Aspen Snake Bedding. (maybe you mean that with aspen shavings). I once saw a python snap at a rat but missed .. he had his mouth full off this stuff and it looked very unpleasant. I don't have pythons and I never feed my cornsnakes in their home, but the look off that python made me ignore this bedding for myself.

But I will take a look in a good sollution for this. I was under the impression that the corn cob would digest if it was eaten by mistake.

In total I will have around 8 snakehomes. (Don't know what else to calll it)
I am busy with them every day and I love it.
The adult snakes (over a year) I always feed outside their home. I have a few feeding containers where I feed them in.
I don't want any accidents happen while I feed them all at once in their home. So I take them out there home and feed them. After feeding I put them back. I do this home by home. With the cornsnakes also feed the little ones outside in a smaller feeding container.
I have them all in my living room so I can enjoy them everyday.

[GarField000]

I contacted the factory off the corbo cob I use.
They told me it's lightly digestible. It should not harm any snakes.

The wood shavings in homes with adults I have bad experience because they can eat it but will not digest.

[guidofatherof5]

By no means do I want to argue but corn cob isn't digestable and it will kill snakes. I know that first hand.

[guidofatherof5]

By no means do I want to argue but corn cob isn't digestible and it will kill snakes. I know that first hand.

After reading my post I see why you thought I might be mad at you.

I did not mean to come across that way. I was upset with the info. given to you by the corn cob company.
If a larger reptile eats some of it, it might pass right through without any trouble.
If a smaller reptile eats it, it may very well cause a blockage and kill that animal.
The simple fact is, corn cob isn't digestible(meaning it isn't broken down in the digestive tract)

I'm sorry that a came across angry. I just don't want to see anymore animals die because of this substrate.

[Mommy2many]

Welcome from Connecticut!

[GarField000]

Tuesday I will get a breedingcouple eques scotti's with 14 baby's.
Upcoming week I also will pick up a female eastern black neck garter from 2009, and a male from 2010. It was a big search but I succeeded ....
Now i'm done for now ......... or if I find a marcianus granite .... i can't let that one pass :) ......

[GarField000]

I found the carefresh .... it looked strange. Like cotton ...... hmmm. don't attract me much ..... most positive I am for the Aspen Snake Bedding. Will pick up some bags sunday and check it out.

[guidofatherof5]

Great news. Of course you're going to post photos as soon as you can, right?
Looking forward to seeing those scotti's

[GarField000]

I borrowed a camera to make some nice pictures from all my snakes. Offcourse I will post :)