Results 1 to 7 of 7

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    "First shed In Progress" krystalirelan@southslope.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Iowa
    Posts
    97
    Country: United States

    how friendly are they?

    Ok so I've had my Garters since Feburuay. We handle them bidaily (is that a word?) Oink, the male, will flaten out and try to bite(and suceed alot) every time. Tia the female just tries to get away. We have a red tail and 5 corns, they are down right cuddley, will my garters ever get that way?? We have had the corns since infant and the boa less than a year, he was VERY aggressive to start and within 1 month he is like a big kitty cat. I thought the garter would be the same...am i insane?
    Krystal

  2. #2
    Brother Snake GarterGuy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Lancaster,PA
    Posts
    1,351
    Country: United States

    Re: how friendly are they?

    Only time will really tell with your garters. Remember that garters are very active snakes, so they're not as apt to just kind of "hang out" like boas and cornsnakes. This sometimes means that they can be a bit more flighty and possibly nippy. My little Petra (female T.s.concinnus) is really great once you get her out of the tank. Doing that usually involves a lot of biting and a little blood (she's only about a foot long now). She's just an aggressive feeder and bites anything that moves in her tank. Once she knows it's not feeding time, she really mellows out and just kind of cruises around. Some garters can be really mellow and are a lot like your other snakes, then there are others that make mambas look down right cuddly! Just differs a lot from individual to individual and especially between captive bred and wild caught. Best thing, just enjoy your garters for their uniqueness and maybe with time they'll mellow out..............some.
    Roy
    Roy
    0.1 T.s.pallidulus

  3. #3
    Never shed
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    massachusetts
    Posts
    34
    Country: United States

    Re: how friendly are they?

    How warm do you keep them? My baby water snakes activity is almost directly correlated with how warm they are. At about 70 degrees they are calm and slither slowly through your hand when you hold them, and you put the temp up to 80 or so and they are quite spaztic sometimes. So maybe try handling the snake when its a bit cooler. This might not be the problem, its just a possibility.

  4. #4
    Ophiuchus rhea drache's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Eastern US
    Posts
    8,129
    Country: Germany

    Re: how friendly are they?

    A couple of my garters are much more skittish than the others
    but they have mellowed a lot over time
    They're all more lively than my other snakes, though.
    I can leave a king snake on the couch while I get something in another room - the garter I better take along
    rhea
    "you cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus" Mark Twain


  5. #5
    Brother Snake GarterGuy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Lancaster,PA
    Posts
    1,351
    Country: United States

    Re: how friendly are they?

    I keep my garters (only garter right now), at the mid 70's with a basking site at around the mid 80's. Yeh, snakes will be slower at lower temps. They pretty much run off of solar power, if you will, so the colder they are the slower they'll be. I wouldn't recomend keeping them cooler, just to make them easier to handle.....better to have a spastic healthy snake then a calm sick one.
    Roy

    PS....Too warm a temps. could lead to hyperactive behavior.....make sure your snakes are able to regulate what temp. they are. The whole tank shouldn't be heated. The snake should be able to go to warm or cool sections of the tank at will, and also should be able to cool off at night.
    Roy
    0.1 T.s.pallidulus

  6. #6
    Moderator adamanteus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cheshire. (Near Manchester).
    Posts
    10,633
    Country: United Kingdom

    Re: how friendly are they?

    Quote Originally Posted by GarterGuy View Post
    I wouldn't recomend keeping them cooler, just to make them easier to handle......
    Absolutely! The snake's well-being must come first. Maybe handle your snakes in the morning, before they are fully warmed up (presuming you allow the temperature in the viv to fall overnight).
    James.

  7. #7
    "First shed In Progress" RedSided's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    92
    Country: Wales

    Re: how friendly are they?

    My garter had always been like that until about two years ago she just mellowed out, shes still very head shy though, no raising hands near her head or ya get nipped.
    Does your water bowl look like a toilet, it does? Guess I will have to change it again

Similar Threads

  1. snake friendly lawn maintenance
    By infernalis in forum General Talk
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 08-29-2012, 06:40 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •