bites!

[snakems]

... I feel like such a pest asking all these questions that probably seem stupid to everyone lol... butttt....

has anyone ever had any experiences with eastern garters biting them?
I ONCE and ONLY Once caught one when I was a teenager, that if i put my finger to it's nose it would open up its mouth like it was barely nipping at me but nothing aggressive really. And even then this wasnt every time. Now I would THINK that wild caught garters would probably be MORE likely to bite or try to bite anyway when handled, but maybe Im wrong. Is this very UNCOMMON for garters to attempt biting or is it just that its coincidence that over time and all the garters Ive caught over the years just never tried to bite me? I guess Im just talking about eastern garters I think because as far as I KNOW (and I guess I wouldnt be the best person to try and take a stab at what kind of garter it was ANYWAY lol) that's all Ive ever caught as far as GARTER snakes go.

I dunno if anyone can really answer this question because it may not be specific enough =/ haha... but i dont know any other way to ask it.

[snakems]

my father says he has had encounters with garters that have bit him before but with me its just never happened lol
I guess this would be best answered by someone who maybe has or has had eastern garters.
I mean I know theyre not ferocious snakes but im curious.

[adamanteus]

It all depends on the individual Garter... some are biters, but I find that most aren't..... It's always been my experience that even the biters soon settle down and become non-biters. Of course, there are exceptions. And of course most of the Garters I deal with these days are captive bred.

[snakems]

It all depends on the individual Garter... some are biters, but I find that most aren't..... It's always been my experience that even the biters soon settle down and become non-biters. Of course, there are exceptions. And of course most of the Garters I deal with these days are captive bred.

thats interesting because Ive only dealt with wild ones and by comparison it would seem its possible wild garters are less likely to bite. haha though I wouldnt really draw that conclusion at all.
.... maybe its the eastern garters in my area that are just very docile.
The one I have now is adorable. she's never even attempted what I even THOUGHT was a bite (except for the weird thing she did through the glass today). LOL though Im sure Id think the biting was adorable too because Im just crazy like that.

[adamanteus]

At present I have around 40 Garters, only one is an occassional biter (young female Florida Blue sirtalis).

[dashnu]

90% of the wild cought up here in Maine bite the crap out of me at first. but will calm down to no bitting or musking after a minute or so.

I believe if you are calm snake is calm, may be a bit out there but I really think its true. It's all about the energy the dog whisperer approach!

[Loren]

I believe if you are calm snake is calm, may be a bit out there but I really think its true. It's all about the energy the dog whisperer approach!

well, there is something to that- in the way that it definitely makes a difference how you approach them and handle them. Making yourself appear to be a threat or not...

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol most are quite doscile i've found..... esp if you pick them up the right way...... i didn't get bit once this year and i caught 51!!!!!


Edit: (nope i lied lol i had 51 that i didn't have last year..... so wow i only actually caught 14 this year!!!! wow it feels like ALOT more than that..... )

[guidofatherof5]

The only biting Garters I've every had were wild caught. All of my babies that were captive breed have never attempted to bite other than striking at food. Never out of fear, defense or being startled. My wild caught that do bite, stop after only a few handlings.

[Snake lover 3-25]

... I feel like such a pest asking all these questions that probably seem stupid to everyone lol... butttt....

lol and don't feel like a pest lol you get everyone talking!!!! lol we've been quiet for the past few months..... i think bc it's winter lol when baby season comes we'll all start to chat lol