My yard is ground zero...

[Dan72]

Doing all the reading of posts the last few days with different breeding topics in the air, possible new morphs, people working on breeding projects that have been in the works for years or will take years to see any fruit. The difference between WC snakes and CB snakes and how and when they should fit into the equation. It got me thinking about my albino. Using my backyard as ground zero being as that is where I found her, here are some questions. Assuming that my snake was born late last fall in what was probably one of the last groups born for the year. She makes it through a warm winter (for Iowa) with little to no snow, and then is found in April for what had been up to that point a highly warmer than usual spring. How far of a distance can or would that snake have traveled from its birth spot? Was she born in my backyard and never went any further? What sort of territory will a snake travel in a day searching for food/water, and do they upon hunting come back to the same spot every night to rest their heads? If her mother is somewhere close by, say within the next three to four yards in any given direction, could there have been other albinos in her group last fall? Could there be more from that mother this year? Given the number of snakes in my neighborhood, because every yard has them, is there one or several dens close by that these snakes use during brumation? If they go back to the same den every fall how far a distance will they venture out from it if that is where they go back to every year? Random thoughts.... just trying to wrap my head around these guys. Two other seperate things besides the threads that got all this train of thought going, 1) my son talking to a neighbor about 4 houses down from us, same side of street, says he is looking for "white" snakes and could I look in your yard? Neighbor asks, "white" snakes? Yes my dad has one. My neighbor says "well your in the right spot our alley is full of white snakes". Now I haven't spoken with the neighbor myself yet, this from my 7 year old son, but I got the impression that the site of an albino garter wasn't something foregin to this guy. 2) a reptile lover in town here that I met through someone here on the forum explains to me after I explain where I live in relation to the state fair grounds (they're close to my house), "oh yeah I know the area well, I herp over there". Again, random thoughts...not sure where I was going with this but maybe when someone else starts talking the conversation will get a little more focus..

[EasternGirl]

I don't know how to answer any of your questions in the beginning of your post as I am relatively new to herping myself. Perhaps some members with more herping experience can answer some of those questions. One thing I can tell you is that if I were you...I would get over to that alley "full of white snakes". I would definitely want to see what is there. I would also get together with that reptile lover and go herping!

[guidofatherof5]

Go herp the land of the white snakes, now.
Any overflow and I'll drive up to help.

[ConcinusMan]

They don't wander far at all. Perhaps a few hundred yards or less from den to summer feeding grounds and they stay in the same relatively small area their entire lives unless they are forced out by nature or man. Sounds like there's probably a heck of a lot of hets in the area and of course , a few more albinos. Definitely concentrate your search where the albino was found. maybe even set up hiding places for them. there are probably albino siblings, and both parents very close by. Even normals you find could be hets.

grab a few fat females from there. they should be gravid. keep them for a while. if albinos pop out, you have a winner. you have a het.

[d_virginiana]

Sounds like you're near the garter version of that albino deer herd in NY

If there is a good food supply (usually near creeks or wetland areas) I've found the same snakes in the same hides over a span of a couple years. Some were guesses, but some I recognized due to specific injuries. IMO, there's a decent chance the same snakes responsible for your baby albino are still around.

If you're trying to start a breeding project, you might want to pick up a random normal from the area. If there are a lot of albinos running around in the wild there's probably a good amount of normal het albinos as well.

[ConcinusMan]

Yup.