Help Identifying These?

[DMilms]

Hello,
i had a few quick questions about my Garter snake. it is hopefully a she, and she is about 8 months old. she is a bit over a foot long, and weighs about 6g. lately she has been off feed for a month, but over the past two weeks ate a pinky each week. recently i have noticed that she has had a few dark spots on her belly, and a dark ring around her vent. i was wondering if somebody would be able to help me identify what those could be and what i should do to remedy it. I posted a few pictures to help you guys, and the final two are of her and of the tank. BTW, she lives with a dekays snake, and that snake seems fine and feeds on nightcrawlers, which the garter gets as a treat sometimes. also there is a hamster cage near it if that might be a problem.
Thank you for all your help in advance-David
Also if anybody could help me identify if male or female, and how to post pictures, not just links
Tail from top
IMG_20120129_150146.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
tail from side
IMG_20120129_150158.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
spot on belly
IMG_20120129_150225.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
side view of belly
IMG_20120129_150207.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
snake
IMG_20120129_150342.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
tank
IMG_20120129_150514.jpg picture by DMilms - Photobucket
btw, the garter got very mellow when it was 70 cold side, 82 hot spot, but when the entire tank goes from 75-82 with 88 hot spot, she is very active-wierd?
lastly, she has not shed in over two months

[chris-uk]

Nothing weird about being more active as the temp rises, they are more active at optimum temps.
Hard to tell the species from the photos... a checkered? Or radix?

Shed period... Don't worry about 2 months, our albino checkered shed last night for the first time in 104 days, the gap between their previous two sheds was just 23 days. She's about 9 months old as well. So that illustrates the variation in shed intervals.

The spot on the belly - does it have any texture? Is it raised? I'm not seeing anything that would concern me there, but like many things, it's something I'd keep an eye on.
The vent looks like something I'd ask questions about. Is there anything discharging from the vent? It looks like there's some yellowy stuff there? Does she musk a lot? Does she poo regularly after eating?

[guidofatherof5]

Female.

[guidofatherof5]

The vent does look a little crusty(minor crust) but should be monitored.
A good soaking in warm water followed by a light rubbing of the vent with a soft (cotton) cloth should clean it up.
Crusty vents can be a sign of dehydration so it is something to be watched.
It can also just be poor wiping habits.

[DMilms]

Thanks for all the help so far everybody. the snake is a checkered. the vent isnt hard, and i gave her a 5 minute warm bath, and then tried to clean it with a q-tip, gently. nothing happened, and then later when holding her she musked on me, which she does every once in a while. the black spots seem like the scales are splitting at them, and they seem pretty flush with the rest of her body. there was one, and recently another small one appeared, could it be mites? also the vent isnt discharging anything wierd, only musk, and sometimes urine or feces. she eats a pinky and poos normally. also, what would a poor whiping habit be?, i noticed she has very low huimidity due to having a space heater and open vent top, so got them them moos, and the base is repti bark. i spray heavily at least once a day, and they have a big water bowl, which she rarely ever swims in, and only a little bit more often drinks from. so anything else you could suggest?
Thanks-David
lastly, could there being a hamster tank moved nearby cause this?

[guidofatherof5]

I don't think that is a Checkered Garter Snake (T.marianus).

Where are you located?
Was this a wild caught snake or store bought?

[chris-uk]

Closeup photo of the side doesn't look very marcianus, which is why I thought maybe radix. The dorsal view photo is too blurry for me, you can see a checkered pattern but the dorsal stripe looks too wide for marcianus.

[EasternGirl]

To get my humidity up I spray a couple times a day...just make sure when you are spraying you are not making her substrate too moist. You don't want her lying in moist substrate because that can cause skin sores...I try to spray the plants and stay away from spraying the substrate. I also cover 3/4 of the top of the tank with a towel to keep the moisture in...this can help increase humidity...also adding another water dish can help. To check for mites...run a wet paper towel over her...if they are mites, you will see little black spots on the paper towels...you can usually see them moving.

Looks like she might be an eastern garter to me...can we get another close up pic of her whole body?

[guidofatherof5]

Not radix. T.radix has a lateral stripe location of row 3 and 4.

T.sirtalis has a lateral row location of scales 2 and 3. This snakes lateral location is 2 and 3.

More photos are needed but I'm leaning toward Eastern (T.sirtalis)

[EasternGirl]

Agreed...from the 5th picture, in which you can see the whole snake...she looks just like an eastern. More pics would be good.