Tail Waving

[guidofatherof5]

I've noticed an interesting behavior in some of my big radix females.
When they are eating and being pursued by other snakes they will stop moving and start waving their tail.
This causes the other snakes to stop, they then pay attention to the waving tail. This gives the snake with the food time to eat it.
This is not a tail rattling most often used to warn others but an actual waving of the tail.
Have any other members seen this kind of behavior?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Absolutely. I call it tail slapping. I find that any time garter snakes feel their food may be taken from them they will do this! Male or female, big or small... it almost seems that garter snakes KNOW that other garters will steal their food if possible and have developed this as a way to say NO and to distract the other snake. If the tail slap doesn't work then they will pull the full body thrash and flail their whole body around. I also love to watch them lift their head up high and carry their food as far as possible. often this leads to me angrily shouting at a snake as it is zooming across the carpet with a pinky in tow. Seeing as garters often live in close proximity in the wild, I don't find it strange that they would develop this behavior at all! I also find that a female garter snake that is being courted and is unwilling to mate will tail slap shortly before BOLTING to the opposite end of the enclosure.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I also have some garters that do what I refer to as "anger eating" The only ones I have ever had that will do it are similis and the florida blue easterns. They get really flippy when eating, and will often strike 8 or 9 times in rapid succession at food, biting it but not taking it. Then they try and flee. I find that snakes that do this, if I pick them up and grasp them firmly (but gently) and offer then the food, the will very angrily snatch it from me and eat it, almost with a vengeance-like attitude!

[ConcinusMan]

I also find that a female that is being courted and is unwilling to mate will tail slap shortly before BOLTING to the opposite end of the enclosure.

Yeah, I've had that happen before. Stings too.

[kibakiba]

Ember tail slaps anything that touches him for any reason. He does it more often when Snap is eating beside him... I think he just likes slapping his sister, though.

[RedSidedSPR]

Mine have never done that... I'll keep watching though.

I do agree with Shannon, they have protect-your-food instinct. Probably because garters are together in the wild, and know that they steal.
That instinct is stronger in my concinnus than my others, probably because concinnus steal from each other more. He's even curled up, and hidden his mouth ful of food under his body! Holds food really high and leans against the glass, like Shannon said.

[Kantar]

My 2 radixes Serpent and Slider before I seperated them (male and female), when they were younger I'd give them both a pinky at the same time and they would have it in their mouths and race around the enclosure at warp speed trying to get away from eachother. Serpent would always finish first and start wandering around, but if it was too close to slider all the sudden SLAP!, he was pretty good at it too

[jitami]

Yep, add Frick & Frack to the list of tail slappers. What's odd is that I've never seen my big guys do this. If Ella is eating Sly keeps his distance until she's finished. They almost never actually eat at the same time or in close proximity to each other, despite being caged together and fed at the same time. (I think Sly's just a weenie, but don't tell him that <gg>)

[d_virginiana]

Houdini does it occasionally when he's got food and my arm or hand moves little inside the cage and isn't sure quite what it is (he gets fed after Harley, so my hands usually smell like her when I give him food). He also tail-slaps sometimes when someone new goes into the cage and he wants to be left alone. It's way different than when he rattles his tail, which he only does if he's frightened. This is more of an annoyed thing.

[ConcinusMan]

I've noticed an interesting behavior in some of my big radix females.
When they are eating and being pursued by other snakes they will stop moving and start waving their tail.
This causes the other snakes to stop, they then pay attention to the waving tail. This gives the snake with the food time to eat it.
This is not a tail rattling most often used to warn others but an actual waving of the tail.
Have any other members seen this kind of behavior?

Of course, but most of the time, the tail waiving is directed at me. And yes, it most definitely is a show of annoyance.