Garters.Social or selfish?

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I see a lot of pics of garters huddled up in a hide together ect i've been wondering .Are they in the same place simply because they want the same thing or is there any social interaction going on?

[d_virginiana]

I think there is some social interaction going on. Maybe not to the extent that Snake A really likes Snake B and would miss that specific snake if they were replaced with another garter, but I do think they prefer to be around others. Even in the wild, it's not uncommon to see garters (and in my experience, water snakes) hanging out with each other.
The only other time I've seen wild snakes routinely hang out together is during droughts, when I can usually find lots of small worm snakes flocking to the only cool, wet places left.

I think a lot of it is that most garters won't cannibalize, so they can feel safe around their own species. That being said, I don't think they really suffer from being alone either. Well, maybe with the exception of males in the springtime

[chris-uk]

There's no social interaction that we would recognise as social behaviour, it's just that if the hide has the correct conditions for one garter its good for others as well. Having said that, having other garters around them can make a garter more comfortable in its surroundings, I've seen individuals that eat best in company who don't eat as well when they are on their own - and I know others have seen the same. I don't think it's a social thing, I think it's a stress thing - something along the lines of "if there are two of us the predators might take you instead of me, so I'll take a few more risks because you even up the odds" (I know they don't think in human terms, but there's some intelligent thought and learning going on).

[guidofatherof5]

I think garters are social to some degree. It's always a debate as to how much is social and how much is a survival skill, safety in numbers thing.

I think some of my snakes are social with me. They seek out company with me and seem to request and like neck scratches and back rubs. I know this could be interpreted as something else but it sure makes me feel good when they accept me.

[d_virginiana]

I always think of my reptiles' behavior more in terms of trust than personally 'liking' me.

I've always been annoyed with the 'they just tolerate you' mentality some people apply to all reptiles. I think they legitimately do enjoy and benefit from the variety in experience they get from being held once they trust you enough that it isn't a stress for them.

[Stefan-A]

Indifferent.

[Light of Dae]

I definitely think they do better in groups then alone. When I had Babs with George they both calmed down, ate better and would consistently be seen like this....

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After Babs was gone George just hasn't seemed as 'happy'. He started hiding more, or he'd stay in one spot all day.. for two days or more till I'd feed or take him out.

[d_virginiana]

I can't wait for my youngest one to get big enough to house with my female. I've always wanted to see them interact for more than a few minutes at a time.

[MCwyo]

I've made an odd observation with my group of baby vagrans. Their tank is large enough for them to spread out and hide/burrow in many different places. Some hang out alone, some can be found bunched together. The group is made up of 10 babies from a single litter, and one baby that is a month or so older ("Ember"). One of the babies from the litter I had an extremely hard time getting started on food ("Tiny") He is VERY small compared to the rest, though he now takes food like a champ.

My odd observation is this: Tiny is almost always with Ember. They climb together, they swim together, they go into hides together. I think the only reason I notice is because they are so easy to pick out as individuals; they are very unique looking from the rest of the babies. I have no idea why these two snakes are together so often, in a group of so many. Obviously there's some kind of connection going on, social or otherwise. It makes me wonder if the rest of them have particular "buddies" that they spend most of their time with... impossible to tell at a glace though, because they all look very much alike.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

Very interesting,guys thanks. When my little one is big enough to go into her adult tank I'll get some more females so I can create a garter nunnery Hopefully I'll be seeing some interesting behavior.