Looking for suggestions for my first garter :)

[thamneil]

Snakes can be sexed at any age. If you have intentions to breed later down the line, buy a pair of neonates. They will grow with you, teaching you about these lovely animals.

From what I have heard, blue striped garters have a tendency to stay on the smaller end. I have been told that the pugets have the potential to get quite large. I would plan to have a 20 gallon tank minimum for one snake, increasing in size with more.

[AngelOtter]

Thanks for the information, I would prefer young snakes if they can be sexed.

That's what I thought, about a 20g for one adult, can males and females be kept together? Or should it be same sex?

[Steveo]

Unless you want to breed them, adults need to be separated. If you're doing 2 pair, you'll have to separate - either by gender or by sub/species. Youngin's can stay together but 4 will outgrow a 20g in <6 months anyway.

[guidofatherof5]

Ask if the pair you are buying are unrelated.
This is very important if you are going to breed.

[Greg'sGarters]

I personally, would recommend a Plains Garter (Thamnophis radix). I think that Steve can back me up on this one. They are very calm and usually take to feeding quite easily. As long as you order from a reputable breeder, I would say that shipping is ok, but I personally choose not to have anything shipped during the winter, due to a bad experience I had with shipping during low temps. If you're still nervous about shipping, I would just leave a payment on the snake and ask them to ship it in March/April.

[guidofatherof5]

T.radix are an awesome Thamnophis.

[chris-uk]

T.radix are an awesome Thamnophis.

I'm shocked to hear this from you Steve.

[AngelOtter]

I wouldn't get anything shipped now, it's too cold here, I would have to wait until it warmed up.
I wouldn't keep all 4 together, even as babies, I don't like crowding tanks. I think I will do separate tanks for each for now, just so they all have their own space, then introduce them when I want to breed.

[Selkielass]

Some snakes seem more relaxed with a buddy.
Abby, my eastern, was a shy eater until I got her a cagemate.
I believe t. Butlerii do best in group housing- they seem to take cues from each other regarding danger and what is good to eat.
Sexing babies is tricky. Lots of stories about that all over this forum.

[AngelOtter]

I would like to have them in m/f pairs in two larger tanks, but I don't want to stress them out, or have something happen to one of them. So should I house them together or separately? As in a m/f of one species in one tank, and a m/f of the other species in another tank.