Greetings to the Thamnophis community!

I have collected some garters with my kids over the past few months, and have been a casual lurker since we caught our first one. I will give you my run down of what we have.....at least based on my identifications.....all were cause within the same small estuary location on Puget Sound in Washington State.

Feel free to point out any observed flaws in my husbandry techniques!

Thamnophis ordinoides:
1 adult female, 1 (I think) born in 2006, 1 born in 2007, 4 born in captivity 10 days ago. (4 live, 1 stillborn, finally witnessed them eating slugs today. We small worms and feeder guppies in water bowl, but they babies are housed with the yearling, so I am not sure if their big cousin was the only one eating) They share the 10 gal. tank with an Alligator lizard, caught in the same area. The lizard, I believe, as a smaller well feed insectivore poses no threat, only company.

Thamnophis elegans:

1 very gravid female, 'Lilly' our largest snake. I counted the 8 Upper labials.

T.s. pickeringii, or other subspecies: Maybe?

1 gravid adult female, 1 adult male, 1 two year old male.
The female has very blue markings.

The male is more pale and patterned, looks like the Blue Stripe pic in the Caresheets

The juvy looks like an Eastern Garter.

They all eat worms, guppies, tadpoles and slugs.

We plan on releasing the most babies back to repopulate the wild.

I will post some pics soon

Andrew