How did u guys get started in garters?

[Starling96]

im curious about how all of you fell in love with garters

[snakehill]

They are the only snake that I have ever found in the wild!

[Starling96]

They are the only snake that I have ever found in the wild!

Wish that was my case

[snakehill]

Where did you get your ribbons? I have a Northern ribbon not an eastern garter like I thought I had!

[snakehill]

Where did you get your ribbons? I have a Northern ribbon not an eastern garter like I thought I had!

Oops! Never mind!!

[infernalis]

I grew up surrounded by wild garter snakes, I'm third generation owner of the property, so they are a part of my life, captive or otherwise.

Possibly I put more effort into taking care of the wild ones, Never hired a landscaper for my captives yet, or launched a frog preservation plan to ensure they can eat.

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Well i have been catching reptiles, bugs, and amphibians since i was 4 years old my mom said i would take her tupperware containers and fill them with all kinds of critters she use to be so scared that i would get bit by something dangerous. I always had a passion for snakes so i've kept about every kind from boas and pythons to lots of different colubrids but i was never satisfied so i started keeping venomous snakes and they were awesome but i still was not satisfied, i felt like i should work with some of the (underrated snakes) because i did it for passion instead of fortune and i always no matter how old i was loved to find garters so it just took off from there. They are great snakes and always fun to watch. I still love all reptiles and amphibians just not as much as garters.

[Starling96]

i caught mine.
i had never caught any garters or ribbons before then and i google ribbon snake care and i found out how awesome they are.
And then i found this site and now im addicted
And i love my ribbons!
Wouldnt trade them for any garter

[Didymus20X6]

I used to be an ophidiophobe. But I also was a big fan of Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Erwin. So even though I was terrified of snakes, I also developed a respect for them and a desire to understand them rationally.

Then, about 2 years ago, I had a stampede of garter snakes come through our yard. Although I had seen a few before, this was an inordinately large number of them. Although terrified of them, I didn't want to kill them.

Then I had a crazy neighbor lady who kept demanding that my landlady get rid of them. Of course, apart from pretty much killing everything in the entire neighborhood, there was no way apart from killing them individually, or capturing them. So I took it upon myself to capture them and take them to the woods.

Using a tall trash can, some gloves, and a Gopher, I started trying to catch them. I spotted a couple slithering through the yard, and I managed to snag one. You can read the details in my "Tom's Catch-and-Release Program" thread.

Well, after capturing and safely releasing almost 20 of them, I decided to keep one. It was an awkward beginning, but I managed to put together a decent enclosure. After the one, I caught a couple more. I ended up releasing some of them - ones that didn't adapt to captivity well. But I still have two: Little Dude and Scarlett (Little Dude is the big one - almost 31 inches now).

I think the reason I love them now is because I've come to realize I have no reason to fear something that once terrified me.

[guidofatherof5]

i had never caught any garters or ribbons before then and i google ribbon snake care and i found out how awesome they are.
And then i found this site and now im addicted
And i love my ribbons!
Wouldnt trade them for any garter

But your ribbons are garters/Thamnophis