i finally found a baby garter!! story+pics

[FitnessFreak]

hey guys i finally found 1!
i was thinking theyd be out mid may to early june so i decided yesterday that today i would go looking for them. well today it was freezing cold out so i was bummed because i knew(or thought i did!) that they wouldn't be out today.

so i went with a friend to my scrt garter spot and we find nothing.. about to pack up and go home my fgriend saw something moving under a blanket thing that covers some rocks there

we lift it up and whoah! a 3 ft garter is there i caught it just for fun to hold it for a while when something caught my eye-a little 18 incher that i thought was a baby from last year.

i picked it up and a piece of its tale was missing but i was thinking of keeping it because it was still a baby only from last year, well it musked me so i went to wash my hands off in the river and told my friend to keep looking for them.

couple mins later hes like "MIKE GET OVER HERE!" and i come running up and look- i saw nothing, but sure enough there was the tinniest garter i have ever seen!

i named him Nano, because i'm a badminton fan and i have a Nanospeed 7700 racket =p

i uploaded the pics to my computer now i need to figure out how to post them!

im so happy!!!!

[FitnessFreak]

ok i uploaded them
the last 2 pics are of its enclosure! it went straight into the little rock hide when i put him in there!

[WBR]

Mike,
That is a sweet looking little baby - give him/her a year or two and it will be wolfing down small dogs and little old ladies !!!
Of course you now need a mate for it, and then there will be no stopping you as you establish a dynasty that generates dozens every breeding season !!
Bask in your success and have a great evening !
Cheers,
Brian.
P.S. Where abouts in Canada are you, my daughter (and soon to be grand-child) are in Medicine Hat ?

[adamanteus]

I uploaded the pics to my computer now I need to figure out how to post them!

Try this thread, it should help you to load pics straight into your posts.:)


http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/site-feedback-suggestions-questions/181-posting-pictures.html?highlight=Posting+pics

[FitnessFreak]

Mike,
That is a sweet looking little baby - give him/her a year or two and it will be wolfing down small dogs and little old ladies !!!
Of course you now need a mate for it, and then there will be no stopping you as you establish a dynasty that generates dozens every breeding season !!
Bask in your success and have a great evening !
Cheers,
Brian.
P.S. Where abouts in Canada are you, my daughter (and soon to be grand-child) are in Medicine Hat ?
thanks, i am in calgary-alberta as well :P

i have a question guys, as you can see he's really skinny so i tried to feed him but it's like he doesn't even notice the food.

and he keeps going up against the glass trying to get out even though he's been in there for 8-10 hours already, well i'm not sure if he's been doing it the whole time it looks like he is settling down alot so far so thats good.


i have a question though-


tomorrow i am leaving to my cabin and won't be home till monday and no1 can look after nano is it ok if i fill his water bowl up that day and leave him till monday? would he starve to death???

[ssssnakeluvr]

Nope...takes snakes a long time to starve. That looks like a juvenile wandering garter. It usually takes them a week or 2 to get accustomed to captivity. He will be fine. You can start with small worms and rosies or feeder guppies next week.

[duh duh duh]

Garter Snake Care - gartersnake.info (http://www.gartersnake.info/care/)

this website is the best site for an "all in" garter care site that I have seen. He has tips for feeding young snakes on there as well.

Give the little guy some time and he'll adjust. I remember as a kid we had to try a whole wack of stuff with 2 wild caught we had for the summer (out by Turner Valley, and returned them further down the river in late August). No fish, no mice, no crickets (which I have never actually seen a garter eat so I think it is a wive's tale) but finally they got into the earthworms. It was like they were gorging on spaghetti when we finally found something they would eat.

Wait for a bit for him to calm down, and be prepared to try a few things out. Whatever he gets going on you can handle with supplements or treating the food if necessary.

Good luck and keep us informed!

[Odie]

Way cool man :cool:

[FitnessFreak]

ok thanks guys, so on tuesday i will try feeding him a worm!

should i feed it after that 1 worm every 2 days?

[Snaky]

A nice catch, good luck with it. Like others said, give him some time and he'll eat. It's no problem to leave him a few days alone, but give him water for those days.

I feed my little one's every 3 days, but it all depends on how much and what kind of food you give hime. Try to switch to fish or pinkies, they contain more nutrients. Worms are fine sometimes to get him eat and to give him some variety, but they don't contain much calcium if I remember well. Also, don't give him red earthworms, they are poisonous.

Interesting article about which fish to give:
article (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Thiamin,)

[drache]

what a pretty snake you got yourself
congratulations

[FitnessFreak]

what a pretty snake you got yourself
congratulations
thanks guys, hes settling in and found his favorite hiding spot under plant leaves

somehow we managed to climb up to the top of it :eek:

should i leave a worm in his cage a fill his water bowl to the top b4 i leave?

[darcy]

I've got a wandering garter as well who was caught as a baby about the same size as yours..... I've had him for about a year and a half now and the ONLY thing I can get him to eat that is readily available is rosies.

I actually put them in his cage in his water bowl and then he can choose when he's hungry, just be sure to clean the fish poop out often.... The rosies generally keep for about a week without being fed. I've thought about trying to breed them myself as the local pet store always seems to be out.....luckily Noonie's a patient guy.

Take heart, when Noonie came into our lives he was so little and I had NO idea about garter snakes or any snakes at all, I worried constantly until he was eating. At first I was just going to keep him for a week and then turn him back out to the irrigated pasture he came from but then when I realized we could take care of him, that he seemed to enjoy our company I decided to keep him, plus he's just the sweetest, cutest little guy EVER.

I have had a hard time getting any information about garter snakes at the local pet stores, this forum is a great resource.

[Cazador]

Mike,

Congrats on your find. Nano does seem to be an appropriate name for your little snake... both from a badmitton and metric measurement point-of-view. Cheers, :).

Rick

[FitnessFreak]

I've got a wandering garter as well who was caught as a baby about the same size as yours..... I've had him for about a year and a half now and the ONLY thing I can get him to eat that is readily available is rosies.

I actually put them in his cage in his water bowl and then he can choose when he's hungry, just be sure to clean the fish poop out often.... The rosies generally keep for about a week without being fed. I've thought about trying to breed them myself as the local pet store always seems to be out.....luckily Noonie's a patient guy.

Take heart, when Noonie came into our lives he was so little and I had NO idea about garter snakes or any snakes at all, I worried constantly until he was eating. At first I was just going to keep him for a week and then turn him back out to the irrigated pasture he came from but then when I realized we could take care of him, that he seemed to enjoy our company I decided to keep him, plus he's just the sweetest, cutest little guy EVER.

I have had a hard time getting any information about garter snakes at the local pet stores, this forum is a great resource.

where can i find these rosies??

and thx saz =p

[salzar]

Hey now.. I found a wc garter like just over a month ago . he is doing fine and eats well on slugs and earth worms. seems to love slugs. your baby looks just like mine .
bye salzar

[darcy]

Mike, I get rosies at the local pet store...

Just be sure to specify that you are looking for feeder fish that are okay for snakes and that you DON'T want goldfish....

My Noonie is probably big enough to start trying out some pinky parts but my local store only seems to stock enough to feed his own snakes?.?.?.

I have been curious about trying some gelatinized trout so I would have a more reliable food source that would be easier to add supplements to.

I've been adding small amounts of reptivite from zoo med to his water but I have been worried it would burn his skin even though everyone tells me he'll be fine.

How is Nano this week?

[FitnessFreak]

just bought some feeder fish today, going to try feeding him them tomorrow.

he didnt eat the worm i put in for him yesterday kinda worried cuz its bin 6 days since ive had him and he hasnt eaten...and i dont know how long he went for in the wild without eating.... =\


Mike, I get rosies at the local pet store...

Just be sure to specify that you are looking for feeder fish that are okay for snakes and that you DON'T want goldfish....

My Noonie is probably big enough to start trying out some pinky parts but my local store only seems to stock enough to feed his own snakes?.?.?.

I have been curious about trying some gelatinized trout so I would have a more reliable food source that would be easier to add supplements to.

I've been adding small amounts of reptivite from zoo med to his water but I have been worried it would burn his skin even though everyone tells me he'll be fine.

How is Nano this week?

[ssssnakeluvr]

I go to Sam's Club and buy fresh trout. I cut them into chunks and freeze them. When it's time to feed, i thaw the fish, cut it into bite size pieces.

[darcy]

Mike, I went through the same worries with my Noonie when I brought him home.... He had zero interest in the crickets and worms I stupidly put in front of him but when the rosies showed up he got interested. He was found in a puddle of water right by a gated irrigation pipe and there were all sorts of little aquatic creatures there, so I think that's what he was used to.