Hello

[Joshchan]

Hi all,
Just wanted to write a little blurb to introduce myself to the community. My name is Josh Chandler. I live in El Granada, California (just south of San Francisco). I have one garter snake at the moment. It was caught by a friend at the nursery where I work. I grow orchids for a living and as a hobby. I mainly keep dart frogs, but the garter is very pretty:). I also am interested in almost any kind of plant. I hope to learn enough from more experienced garter keepers to take very good care of my little guy. I truly appreciate any advice or comments anyone has to offer.
Thanks,
Josh

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard. :)

[Cazador]

Hi Josh,

Thanks for the introduction, and welcome to the forum. Do you know what type of garter you have? I'd suggest starting by reading through the general care sheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet). They're still fairly small, but they're accurate and growing. Enjoy your new garter and the forum as well. Cheers,

Rick

[GarterGuy]

Welcome to the forum Josh. I also grow orchids as well as carnivorous plants. I primarily grow Phalaenopsis species and hybrids and have Venus flytraps, Cape sundews and a Nepenthes tropical pitcher plant. I've also worked with some other carnivores as well...mostly pitchers and sundews.
Roy

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Josh.
Got any pic's man :D

[adamanteus]

Hi Josh, and welcome to the forum.

[drache]

Hi Josh
welcome to this forum
and nice to meet you
and your new friend

[mikm]

Hey Josh ... welcome ... I believe you will find this to be a very nice forum :D

[Snaky]

Welcome and enjoy it here. Ask away if you have any questions :)

[Joshchan]

Thank you to all. I am not sure exactly what type of garter I have. I think it is a common garter snake, but I really don't know. It was captured in coastal northern california. I am sure it is not a San Francisco Garter :). It is very pretty though. The yellow dorsal stripe is very bright. I will try to get some pics in the near future. Thanks again to everyone.
Josh

[Joshchan]

Here is a pic of my garter.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//551/medium/IMG_0669_edited.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

looks like a western terrestrial to me....nice snake!

[Odie]

Yes, nice looking ;)

[Cazador]

Hey Josh,

Nice picture, and very pretty snake. You're lucky to have such an awesome variety of garters not far from you. Thanks for sharing the picture.

Rick

[drache]

lovely snake
do I spy a bit of red on the sides or is that just the colour tone of the photo?

[ssssnakeluvr]

Western terrestrials do have red phase...varies from a little maroon to bright red.

[adamanteus]

Really nice looking snake Josh. Is it a male?

[Joshchan]

I have no idea of the sex. I really don't know what to look for to know the difference. So far I have been happy to keep it alive :D. I keep calling it a she in my mind, but that really doesn't mean much. The sides are definitely kind of red. I have seen others with much more pronounced red and black, but not with such a pretty dorsal stripe. I am very privileged to live here and to get a chance to come into contact with many very neat native fauna. I have found many Rough Skinned Newts and Pacific Treefrogs in the greenhouses. We have fence lizards galore all over the property. It is a really neat place. The garters are the icing on the cake though.
Thanks,
Josh

[Thamnophis]

Hi Josh, welcome here.