Wild Garters in my area

[xStatic]

Cool thanks everyone! (: If I kept one it would be a loner anyway. All my other snakes are either very young or of a much different species lol

All of the garters I've picked up around here have been really awesome. I've never paid much attention to the different types but I'll assume most are probably the same species. They've never bitten or even musked me before. I think when spring arrives I will go out on a hunt for some snakes! I may keep one but I'm not sure if I really do need anymore.

Does anyone think it would be difficult to get a wild snake switched into mice? During the winter it's too cold to go digging for worms and I would rather not deal with guppies (I can do F/T fish tho!). All my other snakes are on mice. From the sounds of it wandering garters seem to eat most everything.. but does that transfer to captivity well?

@ I_heart_sneakie_snakes: Your snakes are awesome! (: Are they that brown in real life? I love that color. The ones around here are more black than that

[ConcinusMan]

Chances are there isn't any need for "switching". The snake probably has already been eating rodents when the opportunity arises. He'll probably take f/t pinkies just fine. Most wanderings do, wild caught or not.

[EasternGirl]

Both of my girls were wild caught and both eat frozen pinkies, store bought trout and salmon and worms. Just so you know, you can buy worms at marine stores...bait stores...just make sure they are nightcrawlers. If you have trouble getting the snake to take the pinkies at first, just sent the pinkies with worms or mix worms in with the pinkies. My snakes actually prefer fish and pinkies to worms at this point...and I'm pretty sure that they were used to eating a main diet of worms outside before I found them. It didn't take them long at all to switch over. And both of my girls are awesome too...they never bite or musk either...they can be very skiddish though.

[infernalis]

Is there a large difference between those subspecies? Do wandering garters make good pets? Are there any negative drawbacks to them like bad attitude, bad feeding response, etc.? They are fairly easy to find around here in the summer (:

I have two, and they are both awesome captives. Stefan already covered it...

[i_heart_sneakie_snakes]

@ I_heart_sneakie_snakes: Your snakes are awesome! (: Are they that brown in real life? I love that color. The ones around here are more black than that

That picture shows them both pretty true to real life. The little wandering (pumpkin) is very brown. I think she is very pretty though

[EasternGirl]

My easterns are very brown too...000_0003.jpg