Cuddles!

[EasternGirl]

Garters are pretty tough...as long as he doesn't have to stay in temps like that for an extended period of time...or as long as it's not like 95 in the tank...he should be okay. See if you can talk to your family about not moving stuff around in your room..or try to tell them it's important to stay away from his tank and not mess with it. My family knows not to go anywhere near my snake tanks or face my wrath. I'm glad he's okay. My snakes go through periods where they want to spend lots of time on the warm side or lots of time on the cool side. If he is spending all of his time on the warm side though, it may be a sign that it is not warm enough for him in the tank. If I see my snakes spending all of their time on the warm side...I increase temps. If I see them spending all of their time on the cool side or hanging out in the water dish a lot, I lower temps.

[ConcinusMan]

That little scar a little ways up from the vent...has it always been there?

That's the "belly button". All snakes have it but it tends to fade away as they get older. It's where the yolk was attached.

[ConcinusMan]

Sounds like a new morph. :D
You mean a Northwestern (T.ordiniodes) with red speckles in it, right?


I want a speckled Northwestern now! I always want things that aren't easy to come by....

Actually they're very easy to come by. At least half the northwesterns I find have undersides like that. Especially if the stripe is orange or red. In the snakes that have the "speckles" the stripe is usually not solid colored. It's actually "speckled" with color too. Anyway, rusty or orange colored speckles below and above is very common. Not hard to come by.

Northwesterns don't really need a lot of heat. They function well at room temp to low 80's. In the wild they spend as much as 9 months brumating, sometimes emerging briefly on mild, sunny days even in winter. They can even survive brief freezing.


I've been searching to find a paper that supports the statement "up to 90% of reptiles carry salmonella" with a statistically significant sample.

Well this is true. Snakes a fairly clean though. Their skin usually doesn't carry enough salmonella to make you sick. Their feces on the other hand, are loaded with it. Always wash your hands after you've had them in the tank, and after handling them.

[acovert]

The temp was getting up towards ninety degrees. Our heating system is slightly difficult. If you turn it up an extra notch or two then it gets extremely hot throughout the house. I think the heating system is old. This house was built in the '50s or '60s, so some things are a bit outdated. Right now he's been spending 75% of his time in the warm side of the tank, but the temperature hasn't been down much lately. The gauge has had the same general temperature reading for a month now. It only deviates at night. He was in the cool side this morning when I was finally able to get back to my room. That's where the main hide is.

My family knows not to touch the tank, and typically they're not even allowed in the room without explicit permission. Today, though, my stepfather stayed home from church because the new mattresses were coming. Someone had to be here to show the people bringing them where to put them. I couldn't tell him not to go into the room because they were supposed to lay the new mattress down on my bed frame. Instead, they just blocked my doorway with them.

[ConcinusMan]

90 seems a bit excessive for a northwestern. Be careful. Not much warmer can be fatal. They really only need 78-82 on the warm side to thrive.

[acovert]

I never let it get much above 80 degrees. That's why I brought him out that night - I didn't want him getting too warm. Usually our heat doesn't get turned up that high, but I think my stepfather may have turned it up because he's been sick. Right now the temperature on the warm side is a stable 80 degrees. I keep an eye on it all day.

[katach]

Breeding NWs can be a very long process. Also the babies are very tricky to raise. Be sure you are very ready.

[kibakiba]

Kat and I know the troubles of breeding these little suckers... They are such a pain, with their pickiness and unwillingness to cooperate! :D
(off topic sort of, but Kat, Snakey ate... so no need to rush into coming here.. He's taking pinkies like they're going out of fashion ;))

[katach]

That's good. I'll call you soon to figure out when.

[acovert]

I've already raised one picky eater, though. I've had Cuddles since he was a month old and it's been one battle after another with him. Of course, more would be harder, but it'll at least a year before I even have everything I need to try to breed them. By then I should have steady populations of food sources and I might have better luck switching the babies to pinkies than I've had with Cuddles, who won't take anything unless it moves.

[kibakiba]

Trust me, there is worse than Cuddles. Angel made me sit there and suffer for 3 months... I offered her food every day that I could (it gets expensive eventually) and she still wouldn't eat to save her life. I didn't want to put her down because of that small little chance that she might just start eating. You'd have to remember the consequences of having these little bundles of happiness... You have to be able to live with knowing that their life rests in your hands, and whatever you choose to do with them, affects their life and development.

[acovert]

I was afraid Cuddles was going to die. From what I came to understand, he hadn't eaten much at the first place he was living in because all they were offering him was crickets. By the time I finally coaxed him into eating fish - it actually took quite a while for him to manage to catch one - I think four-five feeder fish had died because those things don't last long at all. By the time he ate one it may have been nearly two months without food. And when I first got him all he did was hide in the same spot for hours on end, never coming out. He didn't want to move unless he had to. Even if those first fish were minnows, I am so glad that he finally started taking them. At first it would take him days to catch one. I'd by five at a time because I knew half would die before he ate one. Those damn things die so fast. And then when I heard about the thiaminase I tried to switch him to worms and it took me quite a while to get him on those. I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to win no matter what I did. Then he took a worm and kept taking them. He took the slugs without any problems, thank god. Hopefully one day I can convince him to switch to pinkies and f/t silversides.

[acovert]

After the first part of the meal (a worm). You can barely tell there's anything in there. But it's a nice picture of his colors:

4195

Hanging out in the tree after the second part of the meal, a slug:
419641974198

[katach]

He's looking good! He's so pretty!

[guidofatherof5]

Such a nice looking Northwestern (T.ordiniodes)

[acovert]

So, I am having my wisdom teeth removed a week from Friday. I'll be pretty out of it for about 24 hours afterwards, and possibly for an extra day or two after, based on previous reactions to pain medication, which tends to make me dizzy and/or drowsy. But Cuddles should be fine for those few days as long as his water is changed, he's eaten recently, and the temperature in his tank is controlled, right?

[chris-uk]

I like the colours on him.
As far as looking after him while you're recovering from your wisdom tooth extraction. Feed him the day before, change his water as latest you can before the op, and spot clean anything you see when you change the water. If you're just out of it for 2 days he'll be absolutely fine. If you take longer to recover you'll need to think about the water. He doesn't have a lot of other essential needs. The heating is on a thermostat, right?

[kibakiba]

I was out of it for 2 weeks when I had my wisdom teeth removed (however there was a miscommunication between the intern and my mother that caused me to get a bad infection) I had my mom help me change the water after a week of not getting better. To be honest, my snakes were the last thing on my mind when I had my failing health to worry about. But, make sure he has clean water and gets fed before you go in, then he'll be fine.

[EasternGirl]

Yes...he should be fine as long as there are no spikes in temps like you had recently that caused the temp in the tank to go up. Try to check on him during that time to at least make sure his tank temp is good...you should be able to do that much. I like the pics!

[acovert]

I have a small temperature gauge in the tank. Nothing too fancy - I need money for that. But I'll have the window open, so the temperature should remain stable even while I'm down. At the very least I can get up and turn the heat lamp on or off, depending on what the tank needs. Provided that no one in the house turns the heat up so high again - if they do that after the surgery then I might very well explode; i can't sleep when it's too hot - then he should be fine temperature-wise. I'll talk to my mom about that (before the surgery). Since I'm going in super early in the morning I'll feed him the day before and change his water/spot clean the night before.

God, if I'm out of it for more than three days I'm going to be absolutely miserable. No one will want to be around me. It's bad enough people will hate me when I start panicking days before the surgery. If I'm stuck for a week or more, I'll flip out.

[EasternGirl]

Are your teeth impacted? After you start making some money at your new job you'll want to invest in a decent thermostat...especially with the temps fluctuating in your house so much. When you are ready to buy one, I can show you some decent ones.

[kibakiba]

Don't use anything that will push water into the holes made from the extraction... That was what the intern told me to do, and it gave me dry socket. Don't use a straw, no soda and swish (very very gently) with salt water. See, if the intern hadn't told me to use a syringe to rinse the holes out, I wouldn't had gotten dry socket.. and she said soda was okay.. and that straws were advised... My dentist said otherwise, after the fact. I'm prone to infections and other complications (not to mention I tend to get the less knowledgeable people telling me the stuff)... You'll be fine. :)

[acovert]

Thermostat is on my list of things that Cuddles needs once I start making money. Right now he's spending his time on the warm side of the tank, so I'm not too worried about temperature. I also keep my window open 24/7.

As for the surgery...I'd rather stay uninformed until afterward. I don't care what they do to my mouth, as long as I don't know the details. But really, I more afraid of the IV than of the surgery. But the doctor said they'll put a mask on my face with gas and that will knock me out and that when I wake up I'll have a bandaid on my arm where the IV was and that's about it. That was amazingly reassuring. Although, not being able to use a straw may be a problem. Then again, I'll probably completely reject food for a day or two because I'll probably feel too sick to eat it. When I had minor surgery on my mouth I lived off of scrambled eggs and bread for several days.

[RedSidedSPR]

Trust me you don't want to use a straw. Lol

[RedSidedSPR]

I've had like 10 teeth pulled I think... :/ it sucks.

Especially when your parents can't afford any kind of nitrous or **** ><

[acovert]

I've had 10 teeth pulled already. This, however, is a little more complicated than just having a normal tooth pulled.
Thank god we have insurance o.o

[mikem]

i had to have all four of my wisdom teeth cut out. they were impacted.

[kibakiba]

Mine never used an IV... I got mine done at my dentist office. She's a dentist and an ortho person, but stays at the dentist office to help train all the interns. The newer ones seem kinda... Thick... They're the kind that went to college fresh out of highschool thinking dentistry was glamourous. They never listen to Alice, and act like they know everything there is to know. If you're extremely panicky, they might have you take a prescription sedative right before you go. That's what they do with me, any medical procedures require strong sedatives... Even simple things like endoscopies, sedative before and an IV while I'm there. IVs aren't too bad though, a little uncomfortable.. But it doesn't hurt or anything. I'm not trying to say anything before you go to scare you, but I was just trying to give you a little bit of info before you go, so you can heal up fast.

[acovert]

They would never get my wisdom teeth out without an IV. I would kill someone first.

My four teeth are labeled "partially bony impacted."
Whatever that means, I'm at low risk for any problems thanks to the positioning of the teeth. Now watch me run away before the appointment for the surgery even gets here.

[kibakiba]

You might end up regreting that later. Seriously, it's not that bad.

[katach]

I had mine out 6yrs ago. I only had local and gas. All 4 were completely sideways and impacted. I went to work the next day on only ibuprofen. I love my dentist! He even called me later that day to see how I was doing.

[EasternGirl]

Mine were impacted so bad they had to cut my entire mouth all the way around to get the dang things out...all I'm saying is an IV can be a beautiful thing. Go to sleep...wake up...don't have a clue what they did. That's the way I like my surgery. The pain after was not fun...because like Chantel...I used a friggin waterpik and shot water in the holes and gave myself dry sockets. There is no pain like dry sockets. Don't get dry sockets. The gas will make it so you won't know what's going on with the IV...you'll be fine Ashley. But...trust me when I tell you...do not take pain killers on an empty stomach. I didn't want to eat anything after I got home and I took the pain medicine without eating something first...big mistake. Made me sick as a dog. You need food in your stomach for pain meds...soup, ice cream....anything you can handle...just don't take them without putting something in your stomach first.

[acovert]

The pain meds they're giving me are stuff I've taken before. I know how it works. Food or no food, they can make me queasy. My mom and I have some sort of weakness when it comes to pain medication - I just don't have it as bad as her, since she can't take what I'm taking. I'll be careful afterwards. Dry socket sounds awful. I'll follow of the oral surgeon's instructions perfectly. It's not for a little over a week yet, though.

[mikem]

yea, i didn't want to get into the gory details, but mine were a nightmare! thankfully the pain meds they gave me pretty much kept me sleeping for the first 72 hours. i still had a lot of pain afterwards and eating was a chore. my face was swollen for a bit too. it was a good two weeks before i could eat regular food semi-comfortably. didn't get dry sockets.

[acovert]

Great news! I got a job today! All I have to do is pass a criminal background check and I'm in (since I've never even gotten a ticket, let alone been arrested, I should be fine). It offers $1500 in tuition assistance after working there for 2 months, which I really need. This means that I will be turning down the Pizza Hut job that I was offered on Sunday. I need the tuition assistance just as much as I need a job, and this job is a two-in-one deal for me.

Cuddles is doing quite well today. I'm going to offer him a worm on Friday this week and then hold him off until Thursday next week so that I can make sure that he is fed before I go into surgery. Right now his temp is lower and his humidity is up because my window is open and it's raining. I flipped his lamp on so that he has his warm side, since I will be gone for most of the day (Orientation at my new school). With the window open and the lamp on his temperature should remain at a good level.

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds like good news all around. Thanks for the update.

[EasternGirl]

Awesome news about the job Ashley! Sounds like a good plan for Cuddles.

[acovert]

I've been gone for almost two days straight. But Cuddles met one of my best friends from high school today and he seemed to like her, which makes me really happy. He also ate two tiny slugs today (about the size of a worm when put together). So now I'll hold him off until Thursday evening and make sure he gets as much food as he can that night. He seems to be doing well. When I had him out today I was showing my friend his belly markings and I used the time to check his skin. No flaky spots like there were in between his two sheds. And everything else on him looks fine. I think he is thriving on his new diet of slugs and worms. I also realized that he is getting plenty of calcium because, along with the slugs, the water conditioner (removes chlorine & ammonia from the water) adds electrolytes, including calcium, to the water. I've been using this stuff for years and I love it. Keeps me from worrying as much about what is in the city's water that might harm my snake.

I've taken a few photos of Cuddles recently. My friend got a couple of good ones on her phone today so she could share them with her dad. I'm glad she was able to get some! Here are my recent favorites:
42664267426842694270
His face is just so adorable. I can't help but take pictures of it!

[katach]

He is too cute!!

[mikem]

love the orange coloring on his face! handsome fella :)

[EasternGirl]

I like that second pic...he looks like he is trying to pose to give you the good side of his profile! The last one with the tongue flick is great too. Glad he is doing so well!

[ConcinusMan]

Don't use anything that will push water into the holes made from the extraction... That was what the intern told me to do, and it gave me dry socket. Don't use a straw, no soda and swish (very very gently) with salt water. See, if the intern hadn't told me to use a syringe to rinse the holes out, I wouldn't had gotten dry socket.. and she said soda was okay.. and that straws were advised... My dentist said otherwise, after the fact. I'm prone to infections and other complications (not to mention I tend to get the less knowledgeable people telling me the stuff)... You'll be fine. :)

Boy do I feel fortunate. Haven't had a single cavity as an adult and I have all my teeth. The enamel on my teeth is sooo thick. I don't even have to really take care of my teeth like one should. I still don't get any problems. No tartar buildup, no gum disease, no cavities. My teeth are indestructible.

My dad is the same way. He's never used floride toothpaste in his life. Just baking soda. He's 68 and just lost one of his baby teeth a year ago. All these years he kept a baby tooth and it lasted all that time. Amazing.

[kibakiba]

Honestly, I think flouride tooth past is a damn joke. Baking soda and peroxide is really good at cleaning teeth... Add a little bit of xylitol and you're golden.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, I rinse with peroxide almost daily. Tastes like **** but it works way better than any regular mouthwash. Keeps the stink away, gums healthy, teeth white.

[RedSidedSPR]

Lucky *******. xD

Flouride is literally useless.

[acovert]

Boy do I feel fortunate. Haven't had a single cavity as an adult and I have all my teeth. The enamel on my teeth is sooo thick. I don't even have to really take care of my teeth like one should. I still don't get any problems. No tartar buildup, no gum disease, no cavities. My teeth are indestructible.

My dad is the same way. He's never used floride toothpaste in his life. Just baking soda. He's 68 and just lost one of his baby teeth a year ago. All these years he kept a baby tooth and it lasted all that time. Amazing.

I'm not nearly that lucky. Because of what I went through when I was born, I have no enamel on some of my teeth. I have all of my teeth, of course, but I've had at least 10 cavities, no matter how well I take care of my teeth.

[EasternGirl]

I have nice looking teeth...and they cost me a lot of money...many crowns. I always took care of them...but crappy teeth run in my family.

[acovert]

Cuddles has finally taken the first step to becoming an escape artist. Albeit, he has a long way to go before getting very far - crawling across my floor right where I can see him is not a very good way to avoid getting caught - I am a little frustrated. Looks like it's time to find and block any spaces that I have missed so far.

Ungrateful little snake. He should be happy with the wonderful, safe, warm home that he has. My room can be a dangerous place.

[acovert]

For an update....I have secured the tank as good as possible and I am in the market for a new one. Hopefully I can find a good one, with a lid, at a Goodwill or similar thrift store.

[katach]

They love to escape! I had 8 babies try to escape all at once in the summer. I got our 20 long at petco for around $40 at our local pet store. It was 50% off though. They have sales like that every so often at petco. We got our 10g at walmart for $15, but Bill had to make the screen for it. If you go on craigslist you can find some good deals sometimes. Just be sure they send you pictures of every angle before you go look at it.

[acovert]

I'm watching him try to escape again xD

Unfortunately for him, I blocked the exit that he used before. So now he seems very confused.

I've been keeping an eye on Craigslist for some deals. Also gonna check out the local thrift stores.

[guidofatherof5]

"A garter snake never forgets"

[EasternGirl]

Oh Cuddles...don't you understand how good you have it? Lol...I try to tell this to my snakes...that they get wonderful meals...a nice warm place to live, loving attention...yet they try and try to find a way out half the time...little sneakie snakes!

[acovert]

I ended up blocking the hole. He was back up there twice trying to find a way out, with no luck! It was actually rather amusing. I told my mom that he had got out and she almost freaked, but I told her that I had seen him almost immediately. He was enjoying the carpet in my room. Maybe if I get him some carpet for his tank he'll be happy!

The tank is secure now. I did a thorough check and there are no more holes for him to escape through. The lid is also weighed down so that he can't push it open - though he's so small that pushing it open without the weights is impossible still.

[mikem]

good deal :cool:

[acovert]

It got up to nearly ninety degrees...again!
I'm more than a little pissed this time. No wonder it started to feel so warm.
I immediately turning Cuddles' lamp off, opened the window, and misted the tank with some cool water. The temperature is already falling back down.

[RedSidedSPR]

I turn the lamp down, and I put ice cubes in the water when it gets excessively hot.

They all go and and chill in it. Problem solved.

[EasternGirl]

What is up with the heat in your house Ashley? Are your family members eskimos or something? Jeesh...I would be putting ice cubes on myself! If it gets up to 75 in here I'm complaining and turning the heat down.

[RedSidedSPR]

Happens here too.

[erinlovessnakes]

I think it is a boy also. He so cute to I wish I could have that kind of snake.:D:)

[kibakiba]

The garters are just looking for security issues... They get out of it so they can find you and tell you that there is a lack of security in their tank. :D

[acovert]

My mom and I do not like it when it goes over 70ish in the house, but my room always runs at least 5 degrees higher than the rest of the house. However, my mom's husband may be an Eskimo....he's the one who has been turning the heat up. His mother (lives down in Texas) will turn the heat in her house up to about 90 degrees IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER.
Summer in Texas is not cold. It is 100+ degrees.
I was sleeping with ice packs and frozen water bottles when we stayed there. I even threatened to sleep in the car. Clearly my stepfather takes after his mother.

The temp is down to 78-80 now.

[acovert]

Cuddles has escaped again. I don't know how, but I can't find him.

[katach]

Did you dig in the substrate? The baby NWs love to hide like that. Otherwise, set out a warm place with a water bowl for him, he'll find his way back.

[acovert]

I looked through all of the substrate. He's not there.

[katach]

Look under and behind your furniture, under your fridge and oven, and behind and under anything else he may have gotten to. Put out a heating pad or other warm thing for him to go to with a dish of water for him. Dehydration is a risk for an escaped snake, also respiratory issues if they into a dusty area.

[acovert]

I looked through everything in my room. I wouldn't even know where to start in the rest of the house...I checked the hallway, but I don't know where else he could be.

[acovert]

He's so small. So many bad things could have already happened to him...I didn't see him anywhere in my room. I have his water dish out and his heat lamp set up, along with his cave, but I'm afraid something bad might have already happened.

[EasternGirl]

Don't panic yet...I know it's hard not to...but he is probably in your room...they are very good at hiding. Take a big towel and stick it in the dryer to make it warm...then put it on a heap on your bedroom floor. Put his water dish near it. Turn your lights down and be very still and just wait and see if he comes out and goes to the warm towel.

[acovert]

i already panicked, so you're a little late in telling me that. Now I'm too tired to do much else.
I have the lights off, also sounds in my room are off, heat lamp is on over his hide, in case he wants to go there. His water dish is also out.

[EasternGirl]

I know this must be so hard. I'm keeping you in my thoughts right now. Please keep us posted. I will pray for Cuddles' safe return to you.

[acovert]

I keep seeing him falling down vents, getting stuck, or getting stepped on or grabbed by a baby. I can't lose him. I need him.

[kibakiba]

My baby pumpkin escaped and was gone for almost 2 weeks. He found a way to get away from the giant house spiders, cat and dog. I didn't think I'd ever find him, but one day he just slithered right out in front of me.

[katach]

He'll turn up. We've all had escapes before. I found Toothless in a potted plant once. Willow got out and we found her trying to play the xbox 360. The key is not to panic and to be patient.

[acovert]

I'm more worried because we have daycare kids....that like to put everything in their mouths. I got my mom to agree to keep the cat out, at least, and keep an eye open. She'll talk to her husband too. But I'm also worried because I have surgery Friday morning and I am the only one who can catch him.

[katach]

I will keep my fingers crossed you find him quickly.

[chris-uk]

Fingers crossed.

Keep giving him warm, inviting places to hide, the towel is a good idea. Have a good rummage under the bed and bottom of the wardrobe, all those sort of places where they will hide out. He'll show up.

[acovert]

I've looked all over through the house and I still haven't seen him. I even checked all of the drawers in my dresser. Nothing.

[kibakiba]

Honestly, I was told not to look... Because when you actually look for him, you wont find him... He'll pop out when you least expect it. Don't give up hope.

[acovert]

I've laid some "traps" - towels along walls, piles of laundry, warm pile of towels, etc. But I need to find him fast. He needs to be fed before my surgery and if someone finds him after I've had it, they will be too afraid to touch him, which means he'll just get away again. And we have five kids over tomorrow...two of which are exceedingly wild, one of which is a baby who grabs everything, and another baby (this one walks) who likes to try to grab and squeeze the snake. If one of them found him before I did....it would end badly for someone. And there are so many vents to fall down and places to get crushed....if he were a bigger snake I would worry less. But he's still just a baby, and he's so small...

[kibakiba]

It's not like he'll keel over and die just because he didn't get fed in time. Trust me, I've been through bouts of depression that lasted 2 weeks, and I've gotten quite a bit of **** for this, but I didn't feed any of my snakes for those 2 weeks. They were fine, just pretty hungry. Just... Try to stay positive. I know that's hard... but try.

[chris-uk]

Can you seal the vents in your room? Can he get out under the door of your room? If it's likely that he's still in your room, I'd seal up the vents you're worried about (and this is an occassion where I would carefully use tape). If you can at least contain him in one room it will save you worrying that he's around the rest of the house.
It's probably obvious, but check inside shoes, that's where I think our escapee was hiding before we found her.

If others are afraid to touch him, can you leave a box or tub somewhere obvious for them to use? Would they scoop him into a box, as they wouldn't have to touch him to do that?

[EasternGirl]

Update Ashley? It's Tuesday..so you still have a few days before the surgery. If you want to talk on instant message today, we can. I may have to leave for a while to take Cee Cee to the vet though. She is wheezing again.

[acovert]

Still no sign of him. No one has seen him. My vent is covered, but he could have easily gotten out under my door. In fact, if he was in my room last night, he probably left because it's now no more than 50 or 60 degrees in my room and the rest of the house is much warmer.

My mom will put something over him and let me know as soon as she finds him. Other than the kids, she's the only one here today, so I don't have to worry about my sister or my mom's husband until later today. I'll take another look around the house tonight, once the lights are off and everyone else has gone to bed.

We can talk on instant message if you want to, Marnie. I wouldn't mind.

[chris-uk]

There's the old trick of sieving some floor onto the flour around places he might slither, then you check the flour for tracks and it can help you to see where he's been (assuming he passes over the flour). I don't know if you've read about this, or if it's an option?

[acovert]

I did read about that last night. But our whole house is carpeted with white carpet and I feel as thought flour wouldn't show up well on that.

[chris-uk]

I did read about that last night. But our whole house is carpeted with white carpet and I feel as thought flour wouldn't show up well on that.

Gunpowder? :)

[acovert]

Haha if only we had some!

[acovert]

I give up. I can't move any more heavy objects and I don't know where else to look. If he shows up, that's great. Otherwise...there's nothing else I can do.

[chris-uk]

It sounds cliché, but he will turn up when you least expect it. I hope he turns up soon, or failing that hopefully you'll be one of these people that ends up finding their long lost snake weeks after it escaped.
Keep an eye on the cat, when we had our only escapee it was the cat that found her 3 days later, lucky I was there and heard him starting to play.

[acovert]

I am trying to make everyone keep the cat outside. Typically, he's lazy and won't even play, but I want to be safe. The dog just sleeps all day, so he shouldn't be a problem.

I just have a feeling that he's lost forever. It doesn't look too promising right now.

[kibakiba]

I know how you feel. When I lost Pumpkin, I thought he was gone forever... And I felt like I failed my snakes and wanted to give them better homes... But pumpkin showed up after a while. All hope is not lost.

[guidofatherof5]

I hope the wayward one returns soon.

[acovert]

I've moved so much around in the house that my allergies have acted up and I keep sneezing. On top of that, I'm not supposed to be moving heavy things right now. I'm supposed to be working on my posture for physical therapy and working my neck so that the muscles are right again. Lifting and moving heavy items are not on the list of things I'm supposed to do.

I just want him back. I miss him. I keep looking at the tank and expecting to see him. His tank looks like a tornado hit it because I have to keep compulsively looking through the substrate and the decorations, just in case I missed him the first 100 times I did that. Not one person in my house has seen him.

[kibakiba]

Just take it easy Ashley. Everything will work out fine. Don't hurt yourself trying to look for him. Besides, the more stuff you move around, the more he'll hide... All the movement may scare him and make him even harder to find. When he's brave enough, he'll venture out where you can find him.

[acovert]

I know. I'm just afraid my stepfather or a baby will find him first...hopefully he has enough sense to stay away from the screaming children. But I'm afraid the stepfather will just kill him.

[EasternGirl]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. I wish I could come and help you find him. I wish there were something I could do. I just keep praying for you that he shows up.

[acovert]

I'm hoping that he will get hungry and come out into the open as he looks for something to eat.

[EasternGirl]

I hope so Ashley.

[acovert]

I checked the boys' room just now, since it's currently the only undisturbed room in the house. I feel as though he isn't in my room anymore, if he's even in the house. Still no luck at all, even on the quiet end of the house. It's only been a day, but it's like he's completely disappeared. I feel so lost.

[EasternGirl]

I wish I could tell you where to look. Just keep looking in dark places that look like good places for a small snake to hide...look in the warmest spots in your house because he will probably go to where the heat is. Look in places he could snuggle up and burrow...clothes, laundry piles, closets. Look behind and under things because he will try to get behind and under stuff.

[acovert]

Cuddles has returned to me safe and sound, just in time. I go into surgery tomorrow at 9am and I'll be out of it all day. Now I don't have to worry about something bad happening to him or my family trying to catch him.

[EasternGirl]

Okay...I am so totally excited for you! And now...I'm going to burst the excitement bubble...how are we going to keep Cuddles from escaping again??? Especially while you are on the mend....

[katach]

That is wonderful! I knew he would come back! Congrats!

[guidofatherof5]

Finally. I can get some sleep tonight.:D

[chris-uk]

Finally. I can get some sleep tonight.:D

Sleep is for wimps. I'm pulling an all-nighter (mainly because I've been lazy this week and now I've got to get a load of stuff ready to demo for 9:30am...).

Where did he turn up Ashley? Had he gone far? But more important than my idle curiosity, I'm really glad he showed up.

[acovert]

Well, when I searched it yesterday and the day before he wasn't there, but he poked his head up from among the cords that hang off my TV stand. I managed to grab him before he slipped away. I'm not entirely sure where he was at the three nights he was missing, but I am sure glad that he is home safe and sound. If he attempts a similar stunt in the future I may have to ground him. Silly little snake.

As for keeping him in, I glued down strips of cardboard around the top of the tank so that the lid fits tightly now. There appear to be no holes through which he can crawl, and I had my mother take a look at it just for a second opinion. As an added bonus, it is also weighed down with books so that he can't push it open.

After three rather sleepless nights, I will be able to rest tonight (or not, since I am absolutely terrified of my surgery tomorrow).

[EasternGirl]

I'm wondering if he thought the cords were other snakes and he was attempting to snuggle with them. :D

You will be fine with your surgery...just think happy thoughts of Cuddles and think of all of us here on the forum wishing you the best. Please let us know how you are doing when you are up to it. :)

[acovert]

Lol I had actually been checking around cords throughout the house because I thought he might blend in there. A few times I even thought a cord was a snake!

Cuddles is sleeping, tucked up nice and sound in his tank. No escape was made last night. In the meantime, I woke up at 6am (I had intended to wake up at 6, an hour before surgery) and I could not go back to sleep, which has given me two extra hours to sit and think about the surgery to the point where I have started to panic. The idea of people sticking needles into me and cutting me open - even if it's just a small area in my mouth - is absolutely terrifying. I'm not worried about how well I will be afterwards. I just don't want people cutting me up. I'm worried I might refuse to cooperate once I get to the clinic, which would mean I would have to go through all of this again.

In the meantime, some pictures of Cuddles after his escapade:
4357435843594360

[acovert]

I live! I can even type. It's starting to hurt a little, but mom is getting the pain meds, and some icecream. My friend is going to feed Cuddles for me tomorrow.

[EasternGirl]

Cuddles looks suprisingly unscathed after his little adventure. Tell Cuddles I said that I am glad he is okay but that I am a bit ticked off at him for scaring you and the rest of us so much! :)

So you survived the surgery! I have been thinking about you today. I said a prayer for you this morning. I saw your post just now and wondered...did she have the surgery? I'm glad you are doing well. Cuddles is safe and you survived the surgery, so I can rest a little easier now. Take it easy and get some rest. I'm glad your friend is going to help with Cuddles. Keep us posted when you can.

[GarterGuy17]

What was the surgery for to remove your tonsils ?

[acovert]

It was wisdom teeth. It hurts now and I'm sick of the taste of blood.

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...that part sucks. That will be gone soon.

[kibakiba]

There shouldn't be any more blood by tomorrow I don't think :)

[acovert]

Yeah, the bleeding has pretty much ceased now. The bottom right side of my jaw hurts more than the other three spots. It's annoying. Probably because I only took half a pain pill to start. And, four hours after my surgery my mouth is still numb.

BUT, the feeling I had as I went under was awesome. Not in a pleasant way so much as an interesting way. Two breaths and my eyes shut. Less than another breath later and I was out. And, on the plus side, I spent the entire surgery dreaming about garter snakes.

[kibakiba]

Ahhh, the life of a garter addict! :D

[EasternGirl]

Now that is definitely proof that you are one of us Ashley...I was having horrible nightmares last night that I was going to marry Glenn Close when she is dressed up as that man she played in that movie Albert Hobbs or something....ewwwww! Where in the love of burritos did that come from??

[chris-uk]

Yeah, the bleeding has pretty much ceased now. The bottom right side of my jaw hurts more than the other three spots. It's annoying. Probably because I only took half a pain pill to start. And, four hours after my surgery my mouth is still numb.

BUT, the feeling I had as I went under was awesome. Not in a pleasant way so much as an interesting way. Two breaths and my eyes shut. Less than another breath later and I was out. And, on the plus side, I spent the entire surgery dreaming about garter snakes.

Good to know you're on the recovery road. The only time I had a general anaesthetic they injected me, seconds later I was out, woke up in another room "some time later" in a lot of pain. I'd trade that for garter dreams, sounds like you got a good deal, and shows your true state of addiction. :)

[EasternGirl]

I hope that when I have my surgery in April, I have lots of garter dreams...I will make sure to think about garters right before they put me under!

[acovert]

Cuddles has suddenly decided that he likes his water and he has been soaking in it. It can't be that it's too warm for him - the temp is lower than normal in the tank. Perhaps when I feel less wobbly from pain meds I will set up something for him to swim in and see if he freaks out like last time or not.

I've seriously NEVER seen him do this before:
43684369

[EasternGirl]

Maybe when he was on his adventure he was somewhere where it was very warm...

[kibakiba]

Sometimes they just like to soak. Maybe he felt like sitting in his little "hot" tub ;)

[acovert]

lol well, i turned off his lamp just in case it was too warm for him. it could be that he was dehydrated after his little escapade. or perhaps he crawled through some dust and decided he needed a bath.

[EasternGirl]

Good call on the dehydration...I didn't even think of that...duh. Just make sure it doesn't get too cool in there without his lamp on...he may need to warm up after soaking for a while.

[chris-uk]

Some of ours like to soak for hours, the new parietalis in particular, and the Cuitzeos. The parietalis will just bath for hours, I think it's something of a security thing for her and she feels safer in water. As she's settling in she is spending less time in the bowl.

[ConcinusMan]

It was wisdom teeth. It hurts now and I'm sick of the taste of blood.

What's the matter? You don't like the taste of salty rusty nails? (salt and iron give blood it's taste) I can't imagine why not.:rolleyes:

[acovert]

What's the matter? You don't like the taste of salty rusty nails? (salt and iron give blood it's taste) I can't imagine why not.
Well, on it's own it's not that pleasant, but I have found that when mixed with strawberry jello it's not so bad ;)

Cuddles typically never ventures into the water dish, which is why I was surprised to see him soaking and figured that he might be dehydrated. Unless he found the dog's water dish, there's not much water available throughout the house and he was missing for three nights.

Last night, in between doses of pain meds. Cuddles was cheering me up when the last dose wore off and I was waiting for a good time to take the next one:
4373437543764377

I measured him last night. He's about 8.5-9 inches long now. You can't really tell in this picture, though xD
4374

[EasternGirl]

He's so cute with his little speckled face...and he looks so small in that last pic! I like the knot he has him self tied in in the first pic...Possum does that.

[acovert]

Cuddles loves to tie himself into knots like that. It's absolutely adorable. I think he tried to use his cuteness against me sometimes ;)

[EasternGirl]

That is definitely one of the ways that garters draw you in....;).

[acovert]

Cuddles has been relatively content since his escapade. There have been no more escape attempts and he was very well behaved when my friend Nik helped me feed him yesterday...though Nik needs to work on his speed when he is catching baby snakes. He had a nice meal and since then he has been sunning himself quite a bit. Everything seems fine. He even let me pick him up out of the tank today, without even trying to run away. I want to take him out more often to satisfy some of his curiosity for the outside world...maybe that will keep him from making future escape attempts!

Because he was so cooperative today, I got quite a few nice pictures of my little baby:
Cuddles pictures by R0STYN - Photobucket (http://s547.photobucket.com/albums/hh463/R0STYN/Cuddles/)

[guidofatherof5]

That is a fine looking Northwestern (T.ordinoides )

[EasternGirl]

He's so beautiful...I love his stripes...and his colors are just amazing. I love pics when his little tongue is out. He has little dots on the top of his head just like Seeley. Now, Cuddles..you behave yourself...no more escaping!

[katach]

Soooo cute! How are you feeling?

[mikem]

hope you're doing well after the surgery and glad you found cuddles! :)

[acovert]

I'm doing alright. Just sleeping a lot. The left side of my mouth is doing great, but for some reason the bottom right side is having a lot of trouble with pain. the painkillers control it, but I haven't been able to chew on that side just yet.

Cuddles seems quite happy to be back ^_^

[EasternGirl]

Might want to give the dentist a call and mention it...could be that they just did more work on that side, or you could be developing a dry socket for some reason...if so, there is medicine they can put in there that will make the pain stop.

[acovert]

I doubt it's dry socket. It's hurt more from the very start. I actually think the stitches are irritating that side of my mouth - they've been poking the gum and my cheek and that's irritated the swelling that's already there. The stitches on the other side have fallen out already, but these ones haven't. Once they do things should be better.

EDIT
Ungrateful little Cuddles is trying to escape again AND I have to leave in less than 20 minutes. I think I am going to take out all of his plants while I am gone, just to be on the safe side.

[acovert]

I really wanted to try a pinky mouse with Cuddles today. I have one left. Unfortunately, someone has neglected to notice that something has gone wrong with the freezer in the garage and in order to get to the pinky mouse it looks as though I will have to chip through several layers of ice.

The annoying thing is, I heard my stepfather telling my mom about the problem a good month ago....and clearly he did not put in the effort to fix it.

So, it looks as though Cuddles will be eating a worm today.

[EasternGirl]

Sorry to hear that Ashley. Maybe you can get out to get some pinkies sometime soon.

[chris-uk]

So, it looks as though Cuddles will be eating a worm today.

I think he will probably enjoy the worm, shame about the pinky - it reminds me of the mouse in the Ice Age films.

[acovert]

He probably will like the worm. Or a slug, though I'd have to go find a slug in the backyard, since all of mine died because I didn't take care of them while I was on painkillers xD He really loves slugs!

Once I get a steady guppy population in a few months, he'll have live fish for the diet. And they should be healthy, since I'll be raising them here at home and not getting them from a pet store.

[acovert]

Cuddles is about to shed for his third time. I just noticed the cloudy eyes when I put a new bulb in his lamp today.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks for coming on and giving us an update, Ashley. Hope all goes well with his shed. If you have some time, it would be nice to see some pics of him after his shed! :)

[acovert]

I should be able to get some pics up. His eyes are back to normal...my guess is that he will shed on Friday, and I actually have free time then, so I'll be taking photographs.

[chris-uk]

With this being the 3rd shed you will be starting to build up a picture of the time gaps between different shed phases. It's worth keeping a note for each shed of when you saw them go blue, when the eyes cleared, and when the shed happens. Then you can start to know when he's been too long and may need help with the shed.

[EasternGirl]

Good info Chris.

[acovert]

Cuddles shed on Thursday. I would have posted pics by now but my camera is dead and I haven't found the charger yet. Once I do I will snap some pictures and put them up.

[guidofatherof5]

Cuddles shed on Thursday. I would have posted pics by now but my camera is dead and I haven't found the charger yet. Once I do I will snap some pictures and put them up.

Looking forward to the photos.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks for the update, Ashley. Looking forward to seeing the pics. Hope you are doing well also! :)

[acovert]

It took me longer to find my charger than I would have liked. It was being guarded by a particularly nasty looking spider that took up residence in my closet. He seems to be gone now, and I have pictures at last.

I took 34 pictures of him and I couldn't figure out which 5 were my favorite, so this photo session has it's own album on my photobucket account.

http://photobucket.com/shed3

There are a lot of pictures of his head because he likes to stick his head up to the camera every time I try to take a picture.

[kibakiba]

I love picture 26. Cuddles is a fiiiine looking little snake.

[EasternGirl]

He's such a handsome little fellow. Love those speckles on his face. Like the pic with his tail curled too. He's too adorable!

[acovert]

Just a quick update on Cuddles...
He's been a pain in the butt lately and hasn't been eating quite as much. He's due for another feeding tomorrow or on Thursday, when I have less to take care of during the day. No signs of a fourth shed yet; I think it will be longer before he sheds this time since he isn't eating quite as much. I estimate that he is up to nine inches in length today. He's been a bit of a recluse, never coming out of his cave for anything. I've seen him out once, climbing in his tree and watching me. But he still likes to be held, when I manage to get him out.

I have a question concerning substrate. The local Petco is selling a substrate made out of cypress bark, and it says it is good for snakes. However, I remember reading somewhere that cypress may not be safe for garters, though I can't remember. Is it safe, or not? Also, would reptibark be a suitable substrate for a garter, or should I just stick with the aspen snake bedding that I've been using since I adopted him?

On another note, I saw my first wild garter of the year today. It looked small, fast, and thin so I am assuming that it was male, though I wasn't able to catch it so I can't be sure. He was a fine black snake, longer than Cuddles, with a nice yellow stripe down his back. I don't have a picture, but does anyone have an idea about what kind of garter it might have been? I don't know much, but I'm assuming most of the garters around here are northwestern like Cuddles.

[kibakiba]

Small, black and yellow in Oregon sounds like a northestern. But, red spotteds also have a yellow stripe sometimes. I know when Snap would slither really fast, you couldn't see her red spots.

[ConcinusMan]

I have a question concerning substrate. The local Petco is selling a substrate made out of cypress bark, and it says it is good for snakes. However, I remember reading somewhere that cypress may not be safe for garters, though I can't remember. Is it safe, or not? Also, would reptibark be a suitable substrate for a garter, or should I just stick with the aspen snake bedding that I've been using since I adopted him?

On another note, I saw my first wild garter of the year today. It looked small, fast, and thin so I am assuming that it was male, though I wasn't able to catch it so I can't be sure. He was a fine black snake, longer than Cuddles, with a nice yellow stripe down his back. I don't have a picture, but does anyone have an idea about what kind of garter it might have been? I don't know much, but I'm assuming most of the garters around here are northwestern like Cuddles.

cypress bark tends to be splintery. For snakes that like to root around in it, sometimes it can get caught under their "lips" and cause an infection. Also, if ingested, can be fatal.

Same with the reptibark. Ingested, it can be fatal so great care is needed to ensure that doesn't happen. I have used it though. It looks and smells great but its expensive. If you dont mind the expense, and want a natural look, a mixture of reptibark (douglas fir bark) and ecoearth (finely ground coconut fiber) is a good choice. petco's prices are ridiculous and if you can buy it online at say, Amazon, you'll save money, even after paying shipping.


If it were me, I'd stick with the aspen. (shavings, not shredded) If you have a walmart around, they sell it at about 1/4 the price petco charges.
The snake you saw was most likely another northwestern. I have to say, I see so many of them I hardly take notice, but if i saw one like cuddles, thats a keeper!

[acovert]

I might stick with the aspen, then. It seems safest. Petco's prices are pretty bad, but the amount of gas it takes to get to Walmart makes it just as expensive to buy it there. Cuddles doesn't go through bedding too fast, so I'm not so worried about the price. I did want a more natural look, but I would much rather have a safe snake than a pretty tank.

The snake I saw was a handsome fellow. I'm really glad I forced my boyfriend to go with me to the nature area down the street. I've been hoping to see a wild garter for a while...and if it weren't for some thorns I might have caught that one and got a closer look at him. But he sat still long enough for me to get a good look (my boyfriend wasn't quick enough, so all he saw was the grass moving xD). Pretty sure it was a northwestern. Didn't look like a spotted one to me. Around here we call them red or yellow racers based on their stripes, though I feel as though that is an inaccurate label. Cuddles would be a red racer, the one I saw today was a yellow racer, which is more typical in this area.

I'll definitely be making more trips to the nature area....and not just for the garters. There's nowhere else to see deer and rabbits in the middle of Portland, and I don't mind hearing the coyotes either.

[kibakiba]

They call them white, yellow, green, red and orange racers here too. I grew up with them being called (colour) racer garter snakes.

[EasternGirl]

Ashley...glad to hear that Cuddles is still around...no escaping anyway! The hiding is probably because he is getting ready to shed. Also, if you are busy and not around a lot...he may be responding to that. Try to take him out and spend time with him as much as you can...I know you are very busy right now and it's tough...but the more you take him out and handle him, the more social he will be. I have been using reptibark and I haven't had any problems with it...I do not feed my snakes on it, however. I take them out and feed them in a separate tank on paper towels. I have noticed that when I have to dig around in it, I get splinters. I have thought about switching back to aspen or carefresh for that reason. But if you don't feed Cuddles on it, it should be fine. If he likes to burrow however...be aware that he won't be able to burrow in it. You may want to try looking at Petco and places like that in the small animal bedding section...they have some nice beddings that work well for garters that aren't as expensive as Carefresh...Boxo is one. Look for beddings made out of paper shreds...with nothing added to them. Some of those work nicely for garters...they are safe and garters can burrow in them. They don't look natural like wood...but garters love to burrow in them and they are very safe in terms of splinters and things like that.

[ConcinusMan]

Around here we call them red or yellow racers based on their stripes, though I feel as though that is an inaccurate label. Cuddles would be a red racer, the one I saw today was a yellow racer, which is more typical in this area.

I'll definitely be making more trips to the nature area....and not just for the garters. There's nowhere else to see deer and rabbits in the middle of Portland, and I don't mind hearing the coyotes either.

Yeah, i run into that everywhere i go. i try to explain to people that they are all northwestern garters but they don't seem to understand the concept of polymorphism or the fact that true racers around here don't have stripes.

Where did you go? Forest Park? There's concinnus' there too but they tend to stay close to the water, or can be seen swimming on it.

Want to go herp Salmon Creek with me this week? (Clark county, wa) You'll spit a brick when you see the size of the snakes there. gianormous.

[acovert]

Powell Butte. It's just a block or two from my house. They have everything there...deer, rabbits, coyotes. And apparently garters!
They're doing a lot of construction around there right now, so I'm surprised I found a snake at all.

[ConcinusMan]

ahh. Seriously, you should check out Forest Park and Salmon Creek. Tualitin Hills nature park is awesome too. I see deer and tons of concinnus', northwesterns, turtles, amphibians, birds of prey, etc.

[acovert]

I've talked my boyfriend into Forest Park this weekend. I want to go to Smith & Bybee Lakes Wildlife Area. I'm not entire sure where Salmon Creek is. I've never heard of it. I'll have to take a look at Tualitin Hills nature park - I've never heard of that one, either, but I know that area a little. I'm gonna go up to my uncle's house in Woodland, WA at some point, too; he gets lots of nature there, and there are fish in the shallows of the river that might make good food for garters. I'll be going to some locations on the coast this summer, too. Powell Butte nature area is the closest to me. I can literally walk to it. Since we had to work yesterday, it was closest and the only one we could make it to. I also want to visit Sauvie Island and look around there for wildlife. I intend to get lots of pictures this summer!

[ConcinusMan]

Tualitin hills park is actually in Aloha. Worth the trip. Be sure to check out the grassy area at the eastern edge of the park, bordered by the forest. There's a seasonal pond there, not far from the MAX tracks. It's loaded with snakes in the AM. if its a sunny and very warm day, don't bother looking for snakes between noon and 5pm. They disappear during those hours, unless its cloudy and 60-70 F.

I found stripeless northwesterns there last year.

Salmon creek is where the north end of I-205 merges with I-5 in WA. concinnus' 3ft and larger are all over that place.

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/2742/gedc1428.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Tualitin hills park is actually in Aloha. Worth the trip. Be sure to check out the grassy area at the eastern edge of the park, bordered by the forest. There's a seasonal pond there, not far from the MAX tracks. It's loaded with snakes in the AM.

here it is:
http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg843/scaled.php?server=843&filename=gedc1511.jpg&res=landing

[Invisible Snake]

Hey does the average CB Concinnus grow 3ft or larger?

[ConcinusMan]

I think that's a matter of genetics and environment. I don't usually see them that big in most places but for some reason it's the norm at that Salmon creek location. I also found the biggest ordinoides I've ever seen, at that location. 2.5 feet. This one (photo by Don Belnap)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4VXrkZe4WmU/TNgByj0C4wI/AAAAAAAAKDs/imQGeinDLRc/s1600/northwestern+garter+snake+orange.jpg

[acovert]

I will definitely keep those places in mind. I love looking for snakes and I'm hoping to get good pictures. Those areas look promising.

[ConcinusMan]

I visit those places year after year. Never disappointing especially if you get there during the first warm month of the season. Like, now, while everything is still wet and green. Go in the morning while it's just starting to warm up. ;)

[acovert]

We're going this weekend to Forest Park. If I can get my boyfriend up early enough, then we will try to go in the morning. Otherwise we will just have to go whenever we can.

[ConcinusMan]

It's going to be a warm weekend. Best time would be 8:30-11am. By noon, they usually disappear. After 5pm works too.

[acovert]

We weren't able to get all the way to forest park. Apparently my boyfriend's car can't handle high elevations. We got close....but no garters. We'll have to plan things a little better next time around.

Cuddles had a tank cleaning today. I got a couple of pictures of him afterwards.

51745175

[guidofatherof5]

I like cuddles, good looking snake.

[kibakiba]

Cuddles is looking good! :)

[Invisible Snake]

Cute snake :)

[EasternGirl]

Thanks for posting some pics of Cuddles.

[acovert]

Right before work he decided to climb his plants and look cute. If I'd had more time I would have taken some pictures, but I had to leave.

[guidofatherof5]

Our loss.

[acovert]

It looks as though Cuddles may be preparing for his fourth shed. I believe I noticed some cloudiness in his eyes today when I checked him. I'm not sure if they're just starting to look cloudy or if they are just getting over being cloudy, so I'll be keeping an eye on him for the next few days to see if he sheds.

[acovert]

Fourth shed was a success. If I manage to get some good pictures I'll post them.

[chris-uk]

So Cuddles is doing well. Good luck with the photos.

[acovert]

So, I haven't managed to get any photos yet because my camera is broken and I apparently decided to hide it for that very reason...so my camera is missing. I will see if I can get my hands on another camera for the time being.

On a better note, Cuddles is now taking food directly from my hand. He surprised me today when he grabbed a slug from the feeding container before I had even set him down. He ate it while still sitting in my hand. Just for the hell of it, I decided to see if he would take a worm from my hand. The experiment was a success, so both Cuddles and I are quite happy at the moment.

[ProXimuS]

Awesome! Lucky you, I can't wait till mine will eat out of my hand:)

[guidofatherof5]

So, I haven't managed to get any photos yet because my camera is broken and I apparently decided to hide it for that very reason...so my camera is missing. I will see if I can get my hands on another camera for the time being.

On a better note, Cuddles is now taking food directly from my hand. He surprised me today when he grabbed a slug from the feeding container before I had even set him down. He ate it while still sitting in my hand. Just for the hell of it, I decided to see if he would take a worm from my hand. The experiment was a success, so both Cuddles and I are quite happy at the moment.

Good update. It always feels good when those trust barriers are broken down.

[acovert]

Finally got a few pictures of my baby.

Pre-shed
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Sitting on the humidity gauge
5660

Refusing to cooperate
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Trying to say hi to the camera
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His belly speckles after the shed
5663

[ProXimuS]

I really like the one of him on the humidity guage :p

[guidofatherof5]

Nice photos Ashley. Thanks for the update.

[EasternGirl]

Thanks for the update Ashley! Sorry I never got back to your last PM...I've been crazy busy. Send me another one and let me know what is new...promise I will respond this time! :D

[katach]

Wow! He is just fabulous! He is even more red than Blade is. Gorgeous!

[ConcinusMan]

Finally got a few pictures of my baby.

Pre-shed
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Sitting on the humidity gauge
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Refusing to cooperate
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Trying to say hi to the camera
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His belly speckles after the shed
5663

Wow! I love erythristic northwesterns. I just got a female a couple of days ago that looks very much like Cuddles! and also, a friend is giving me Flicker (a male red northwestern)

[acovert]

Hello. I am so sorry that I have not been on lately to update this thread with information about Cuddles. I have been busy taking care of my boyfriend, who has been off work for two weeks now due to severe knee pain. I've honestly had little time to spend with Cuddles...though he has been getting plenty of interaction this last week. Work has been rough for me, too, but my paychecks are steadily getting bigger as I stay at work longer, so Cuddles gets treats here and there. He needs a new decoration for his tank soon, and I'm glad I have the cash for that.

Cuddles now regularly takes food from my hands. He is on a mostly worm diet at this point, as all the slugs in our garden are getting to large to feed to him. On the occasion that I find a small one, it is usually so small that Cuddles won't take it. I am looking into supplements to put on the worms or in his water to make sure that he gets everything he needs. After each shed I have been buying a guppy for him to eat, even though a single guppy costs $2 and up. He deserves the treat here and there. I still have not convinced him to try f/t food. The little jerk just likes the live stuff. He hasn't shed since the last time I updated this, but I think there will be another shed soon. His color seems to be a little duller, as if he may be getting close...we'll see soon.

I haven't seen any wild garters yet, even though I've been out and about. Today I went shooting with my boyfriend and his family and while I was walking their dog I saw a snake slither away into the bushes. I only got a look at the tail end, but it appeared to be solid gray and rather wide at the tail. I am not sure if it was a garter or something else, but the dog scared it before I could get a closer look, and I didn't see anything else the rest of the day. I'm assuming snakes prefer to hide when guns are being fired.

Cuddles is doing quite well. He seems happy, and he even takes food from my boyfriend's hand. My boyfriend was so excited when that happened. And Cuddles doesn't seem to mind at all!

[guidofatherof5]

Good snake update. Hope everything else works out.

[acovert]

Cuddles is still doing well. He has a good appetite and is about to get fed today. Since he is on a worm diet at the moment, I feed him twice a week. I am using store-bought nightcrawlers again because I am never up early enough to find the good worms in the garden, though I do prefer to feed him those when I can. Since his diet is so limited - little monster still won't take frozen fish or pinkies - I bought a multivitamin for him yesterday. My local Petco doesn't have many options in the way of food and vitamins for reptiles - they don't even carry nightcrawlers, though they are supposed to. Yesterday I had to buy a bigger enclosure for my snails because they decided to reproduce. I counted around 75 eggs or so, which is far too many snails for the small container I had them in before. I ran across the vitamin when I was shopping for the snails, and since I needed some kind of calcium vitamin for the snails, I went ahead and bought this one for Cuddles. It has several B vitamins in it, as well as calcium and a few other vitamins. I am hoping that this will help improve Cuddles' growth.

Cuddles says hi!
6168 6169

[ConcinusMan]

I wouldn't count on it

[EasternGirl]

Cuddles looks good! He is so cute. Why are you worried about his growth? How old is he now and how big is he?

[kibakiba]

Northwesterns do not grow fast, ever. Derpy is 2 years olf and is still tiny. He's 9 inches now. Runt is 3 and she's 12 inches. There isn't anything wrong when it comes to northwesterns growing slower than other species. Vitamins aren't really going to do anything in that sense.

[ConcinusMan]

Northwesterns do not grow fast, ever.

Well, the albino sure did, but that's exceptional.

[kibakiba]

Pretty sure she was overfed, though. She seemed extremely fat. And, she looked bigger than Big Mama, who was overweight at one point.

[snake man]

Wow, thats amazing Lucy is only 2 1/2 months and she already 11 inches!

[kibakiba]

Northwesterns are one of the smallest garter snakes. Females get to about 2-2.5 feet and males are usually around 1.5 feet.

[ConcinusMan]

Indeed, the largest I've ever found in the wild (and I've been doing it for nearly 30 years) was exactly 2.5 feet. A female. She was very old, showing signs of advanced age. Due to their diet, there's no compelling reason to get big fast, unlike the situation with T. sirtalis subspecies. I've seen females as small as 12 inches give birth, so they do reach sexual maturity at a very small size.

Of the CB litters I've raised, no matter how much food, good nutrition, and good conditions I give them, they always grow extremely slowly. I can have a NW baby and any other garter be the same size starting out as babies. A year later, the northwestern is still a "baby" and the other snakes have doubled or tripled in size. This doesn't alarm me because it's normal for them.

[acovert]

I knew they stayed small, but I figured they grew a little faster than Cuddles is growing. I guess he's probably fine, since he sheds somewhat regularly.

Speaking of shedding, his eyes were clouded a few days ago so I am expecting a shed any day now.

[acovert]

I haven't checked in in quite a while, so I figured I would post a quick update on Cuddles now that I have time. Things have been a little crazy lately.

He shed not too long ago. Even after shedding, he's been pretty reclusive for the last month or so. He just started coming out more often. Part of it is probably due to the fact that I can rarely get his lamp out now. The cord for the lamp has to be plugged in inside my small, walk-in style closet, which is a problem right now because the door has to be closed 24/7. I have a mouse problem, which means there are traps in my room right now and there is poison in the closet where the entry point for the mice is. I have a cat living in my room with me now, so the door has to stay closed so that he can't get into the poison. I need to get rid of the mice because the closet is where I store food for my fish and hermit crabs, as well as for Cuddles. Hopefully the problem will be taken care of soon and Cuddles will have his lamp back. It's the only outlet near him, which is frustrating. This bedroom was designed by an idiot.

It stays plenty warm in my room for Cuddles without the lamp, and he gets sunlight from my window as well. It only just started getting cold and rainy here. Over the last couple of days the humidity in Cuddles' tank has shot up like crazy because of the massive amounts of rain we suddenly got.

Other than that I don't have much to say. Cuddles is about due for a tank cleaning and he will be getting fed today. He's still just eating worms. I gave up on frozen fish. He won't take it. If I can ever find feeder guppies somewhere then I will feed him those as well. But he seems to do just fine on the worms.

[acovert]

Cuddles gave me quite the scare today. I was about to leave for work when I noticed Cuddles was in the middle of a shed. When I peeked in to take a look, most of the shed was already off. But the last 1/4 of the shed was stuck, and he was struggling to get it off. Before I left I made sure his tank was nice and moist. There was nothing else I could do for the time being. When I came home six hours later there was no improvement.

Finally, after keeping him in a shed box for half and hour, soaking him in some warm water, and using a damp washcloth and some careful pulling on the dead skin, I managed to get the skin off nice and clean. It had been all the way up above his vent area. I'm very glad that I was able to get it off. Right now he is spending some extra time in the shed box to make sure that all of the little bits and pieces of the skin are off, and soon he will be back in his tank all nice and safe.some pictures

I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow since it is so late tonight. His color is nice and bright. To me it looks like it gets brighter every time.
The pictures might suck. All I have is my phone. We'll see tomorrow.

[snake man]

Good to hear everything turned out alright.

[guidofatherof5]

Good to hear everything turned out alright.

Indeed;)

[EasternGirl]

Glad to hear everything worked out, Ashley. Others might disagree with me on this...but when I see my snakes having trouble...I go ahead and assist in getting the shed off. I just gently work it off with my fingers in the normal direction that it would come off. Sometimes I put the snake in some warm water first if it is really stuck.

[acovert]

Here are a few photos of Cuddles that I finally managed to take:
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I noticed earlier that one of his eyes is looking a bit odd. Maybe it's just me, but does something look off about it to anyone else:
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[guidofatherof5]

Love that rusty head look.

[ConcinusMan]

Nice erythristic. I'm going to try to get more next summer. I'd like to start a breeding project and produce erythristics. Tried multiple times with Flicker as he is a very enthusiastic courter, but none of the girls would let him breed. Stuck up girls!

[ProXimuS]

Soo pretty! I love his little face:) Not sure about the eye....

[guidofatherof5]

Any chance this is some type of photo problem? Reflection from your hand?
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//821/sams_eye.jpg

[acovert]

I don't think it is a photo problem. We took that picture because we saw something odd about that eye while we were watching him. But maybe it is and I am just being paranoid.
I'll take him night after work and see if I can still see something off about that eye.

[guidofatherof5]

If it is something in the eye I would certainly want a Vet. to see it. I've never seen anything like that before.

[acovert]

I decided to take him out just now before I leave for work and his eye looks fine. Maybe it was just a trick of the light or something. I didn't really think too much of it until my boyfriend noticed it too. He described it as being very shiny and less black than normal. That was when I took that picture.

[guidofatherof5]

So the eye looks completely normal?

[acovert]

I'm not sure....
I took a couple more pictures, but he was really upset with me so he wouldn't hold still very long.
79527953

[adamanteus]

It certainly looks clearer in the latest picture. In the first one it looks like fluid behind the brille.

[acovert]

I'll keep an eye on it for a while and see if anything changes.

[acovert]

79547955795679577958

It's like there's something reflecting the light from the camera. I'm not sure if it's on or in the eye. I have a couple of pictures of the top of his head too.

Is it possible that a piece of the shed is still partially covering the eye?

I honestly don't know if I can afford a vet. I don't even know if there is a vet in my area that looks at snakes. Whatever the case, I'll have to make a decision after school today.

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a close up of that first photo. I think the camera is capturing a reflection, as the shape of the mystery area has change and looks suspiciously like a reflection of the finger nail.
Your eyes are going to have to make the final call. If this area disappears when he's in his enclosure then I wouldn't worry about it.
Cuddles is probably feeling special with all these photos being taken.:D

Just looked at the third photo. It's a reflection. An infection or physical problem with the eye wouldn't change shapes so quickly.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//821/sam_eye1.jpg

[Steveo]

Looks like a reflection to me since it changes position in different pictures to match where the finger is. It's very similar to what you'd see when looking at a convex mirror.

[acovert]

Alright then. It just seemed so odd because it wasn't happening with the other eye and it seemed so noticeable.

[Greg'sGarters]

Getting a picture of his vent area is so hard. All he does is squirm. But I think I have a few decent pictures.

3855385638573858

Cuddles, the non cuddling snake :D. He is beautiful though! Good luck!

[EasternGirl]

I have noticed something like that on some of my babies eyes before and wondered about a retained shed as well. I think it is just the way the coloring is on some garter eyes. Just keep an eye on it...if he starts acting like he is rubbing it trying to get skin off or having trouble seeing out of it...put him in a shed box or try gently running a slightly warm washcloth over the eye. He looks great otherwise! Nice to see him!

[acovert]

I haven't really had a chance to check on Cuddles' eye lately to see if it's doing the same thing. I caught some sort of stomach bug this weekend. The poor snake went about 48 hours with a daylight lamp on before I realized that it was still on. Then he went 24 hours in the dark before I realized that I never turned it back on again. I'll probably check on him tomorrow sometime, when I finally feel like standing up. My diet of toast, soup, and an apple has done very little to rejuvenate me so far and I still feel pretty weak. I will make sure that, at the very least, poor Cuddles gets his light shut off to tonight!

[guidofatherof5]

Had a 24 hour bug here awhile ago. Get well soon Ashley.

[ConcinusMan]

Had a 24 hour bug here awhile ago.

Not only is influenza "running rampant", but the norovirus genus is also giving human populations "a run for their money" this season too.;)

[acovert]

Yep. We had norovirus. First me, then my om 24 hours later, then Dustin and my sister last night. It's been a fun three or four days.
Cuddles seems to be fine though He was out and about yesterday, climbing the sides of the tank and going for a short dip in the water dish. I think his eye is fine, but I'll probably continue to check it out off and on to make sure that there isn't anything odd there. Dustin was very adamant in telling me that you are all wrong and it wasn't a reflection. Apparently the fact that he's never even owned a garter makes him an expert <_<

[ConcinusMan]

Why is there even any doubt? If you're holding the snake and you turn and move around, a reflection will move.

[guidofatherof5]

You guys are in the best position to judge this situation. First hand eye to eye is the best place to make the call. We are stating opinion on the photographic evidence. I hope it turns out to be nothing but a reflection.

[acovert]

The doubt comes from what we saw when looking at the snake, even when our hands weren't near his face. In the pictures it definitely looks like a reflection, but it was only happening with the one eye and not the other. It also looked different while we were watching him move around on the bed. But I don't think there's anything wrong with the eye itself. I think its just some anomaly being caused by something like light or a reflection. Or its just the coloration of his eye that's confusing us. He's so small, and that makes it that much harder to figure out what's going on.

We'll simply continue to keep an eye on it. At this point it doesn't appear to be anhthing serious. Cuddles isn't bothered by that eye. His vision seems fine. He reacts to movement. He doesn't act like it's irritating him, as if there were a piece of shed stuck there. He seems completely healthy.

[chris-uk]

Relax. In the photos all I saw was reflections. It may affect one eye more than the other for a variety of reasons - the way you hold him facing different ways, the pigmentation of the eyes could be different, the surface of one eyecap could be more reflective than the other... Just a few optical explanations for starters.
Do keep an eye on Cuddles' eyes, but don't worry too much.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

That is a reflection of your finger. If it isn't, I will eat my socks.

[guidofatherof5]

That is a reflection of your finger. If it isn't, I will eat my socks.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//821/2013-01-17_095207.png

[acovert]

I just took Cuddles out to visit with him before bed. He's been quite the active snake this last week, traveling all over his tank. He even came really close to going into his water dish, which was surprising. It's so funny to watch him poke his head out of the aspen and just sit there for hours. Every time I walk by he flinches and then quickly withdraws back into the substrate.

I took a look at his eye again. I am beginning to think that what I am seeing is a coloration difference in his eye that has a tendency to reflect a lot differently than plain old black, and that's why it keeps looking like something is there. When I get really close it just looks like a reddish tint to the black of the eye. So I don't think it's anything serious, as you guys have said. My boyfriend can insist all he wants. The most I will do is check it from time to time. I don't need to worry about it :)

I took him out tonight because I noticed him out of his substrate and moving around. When he saw me he froze and didn't move. It was like he was thinking, "Crap, she saw me. Maybe if I don't move she'll just go away." I took the chance and pulled him out without a fight. It's the first time he hasn't musked me in a while (the last few times I've taken him out he was grumpy because he was either shedding or I was taking a close look at his eye). Now he's perfectly content crawling around my legs as I type. The cat sniffed at him for a moment, then went about his own business, so I'm glad that I don't have to worry about having Cuddles out when the cat is around. Romeo doesn't seem to care about any of my pets. He just expects to be treated as king of the house and nothing more.

I'll see if I can get some pictures of Cuddles up this weekend. It's a bit of a hassle since I have to switch my mom's memory card into my camera and then take a picture without seeing what I'm taking a picture of. The screen on the digital camera is broken and my mom's digital camera is a piece of junk. So I just guess and check when I take pictures. A lot of them turn out bad, but I like how detailed and clear the pictures are on that camera compared to my mom's or my phone's. It really brings out the pretty red in Cuddles' scales :D

[chris-uk]

Nice update. Cuddles sounds like quite the personality.

Word of warning - don't get complacent around the cat. He has his instincts too and they aren't compatible with sharing space with a snake. Our Mortimer is lazy and slow most of the time but I know he'd move quickly if I ever dropped a snake in front of him. He's the reason we knew our parietalis had escaped last year, fortunately I was nearby and no lasting damage was done. I don't have Mortimer in the room when I'm handling the smaller snakes.

[guidofatherof5]

Nice update. Cuddles sounds like quite the personality.

Word of warning - don't get complacent around the cat. He has his instincts too and they aren't compatible with sharing space with a snake. Our Mortimer is lazy and slow most of the time but I know he'd move quickly if I ever dropped a snake in front of him. He's the reason we knew our parietalis had escaped last year, fortunately I was nearby and no lasting damage was done. I don't have Mortimer in the room when I'm handling the smaller snakes.

Very good advice on the cat situation Chris.

[acovert]

Definitely good advice on the cat. There are times when the cat can't leave my room so I'll just have to keep a close eye on him. He doesn't seem to care, but he is a brat.
I'm almost glad he's a bad hunter. There was a mouse running around in my room once and he just looked at it stupidly before he realized what it was and then finally made an attempt to catch it. Not that I wanted him to catch it. The mouse had been poisoned, so it was slow and disoriented. My boyfriend and I caught it and caged it until it died. Romeo didn't show even an ounce of interest after we caught it, and it was alive in my room all night. It's so hard to tell what the stupid cat will do sometimes.

I won't get complacent. I'm just glad the cat doesn't go into attack mode whenever he sees the snake. It makes it possible for me to hold Cuddles when he is nearby, at the very least, since I can't just kick the cat out of my room.

[ConcinusMan]

That is a reflection of your finger.

I think so too.

[acovert]

Cuddles had a exciting day yesterday. He went on a short road trip to his birth place and we visited the family that gave him to me over a year ago. His mother found a new home, and I was sad to learn that none of his siblings survived. By the time that the family had figured out what to feed the babies, they simply weren't eating and they all passed on.

The kids were excited to see him, though. They all remembered him - even their severely autistic son, though he showed little interest in what was going on. Cuddles took all of the excitement very well, and he didn't seem to mind the car ride in his old plastic tank that he lived in while we were in Montana.

Cuddles has been very active lately. He's been practicing his acrobatics inside of his tank, trying to find a way to get out of the lid at the top. I am so glad that I found a way to block the holes in the lid. Otherwise he would be finding ways to escape and I probably wouldn't have a snake anymore.

During the short time that Cuddles was in his traveling tank on my bed my cat laid down next to him and batted at the tank, then took a nap. He was pretty calm about the whole thing, and Cuddles was taunting him from inside of the cage. He seemed to think it was funny to stretch himself to the top of the cage on the side that the cat was on and then wiggle back and forth. It's the first time the cat has REALLY seen the snake, and that will be the only way he sees the snake. Ever.

Other than all of that, Cuddles seems to be doing great right now. He is active, eating well (he at a whole worm the other day, instead of about two thirds. I still had to cut it in half though), and he has definitely gotten bigger since I first go him. If I get some more pictures this weekend I will make an attempt to post them. His colors are coming out quite nicely.

[acovert]

So I was feeding Cuddles today and I noticed that he was a bit more aggressive than usual today. He struck at me several times, and at the stick I was using to move some things around in his tank while I was trying to catch him. In the year and a half or so that I have had him, I have never once had him try to bite me, so I was a little surprised. Does anyone have any theories as to why he might have this sudden urge to bite?

[guidofatherof5]

Having a bad day;)

[ProXimuS]

Maybe is he in blue phase, and possibly just scared because he can't see well?

[acovert]

No. I don't believe he is in the blue phase. He doesn't seem to be having any trouble seeing. And he's never been aggressive during that phase before.

[acovert]

Cuddles surprised me with a shed after work tonight! The shed itself looks perfect. I haven't had a chance to check him just yet because he won't let me catch him and I had to eat because work makes me hungry to the point where I shake. But I caught a glimpse of his colors and they look lovely, as usual. When I catch him I will try to get pictures, but that might wait until tomorrow because I am still going somewhere else tonight.

He has still bee aggressive, and eating more than usual. Two worms over the course of a few days is a lot for him. Usually he eats a third of a worm once or twice a week.

At the moment he is glaring at me from his dinosaur skull (a fishtank decoration....but he loves it!)> He is not happy that I tried to catch him.

[ConcinusMan]

Ah, well, blue or not, trouble seeing or not, they can still be a bit grouchy, defensive, or skittish if it's close to shedding time and apparently that was the case. If it's merely feeding aggression, then that should be no mystery or surprise. Sometimes they're just really hungry or sometimes certain foods will illicit an aggressive response. Some of my snakes attack viciously when fed rat pups but will take fish calmly. Happens visa-versa too with some snakes.

[EasternGirl]

Glad to hear that Cuddles is doing well...don't know what to tell you about the aggressive behavior. Cee Cee goes through phases where she acts like she has completely forgotten who I am, and she strikes at me and bites me if I try to get near her...then she goes back to herself and stops being aggressive. You may be able to chalk it up to him just being defensive during shed mode. Has there been anyone new around? Have you started wearing a new body lotion...painted your nails a color he has never seen...changed your hair color? Things that we don't even think about...little changes that seem insignificant to us, can throw a snake off and confuse them as to who we are. Cee Cee will bite the crap out of me if I wear red nail polish...and if I wear my hair a different way, my snakes will look at me like I am a stranger. Also...Richard is right about different foods eliciting different responses....pinks get my snakes all worked up.

[ConcinusMan]

He has still been aggressive, and eating more than usual. Two worms over the course of a few days is a lot for him. Usually he eats a third of a worm once or twice a week.

Maybe that's unusual for him but that's nothing really. I have snakes that would eat a full dozen large night crawlers every time I offer, if I let them. Maybe "aggressive" isn't the right word. "Enthusiastic" comes to mind.