I think garter snakes use smell as a major identifier even in a captive situation. I think at times we take that for granted when we are dealing with them. Changes in our smell can confuse and increase their stress levels. Something as mundane as petting a dog or cat and then handling a garter can certainly change the snakes reaction to us. Things like changing deodorants, body wash, shampoo, perfume can effect the way our snakes react to us. I think our snakes get used to our smell. They certainly have proven to me they watch our appearance.
Thanks to Steve Schmidt for our phone discussion on this issue.
Any thoughts on this matter would be great.