doctor i got a problem

[guidofatherof5]

This thread can be very helpful. Scroll through the photos and guess, then look at the answer. Sexing garters is easy until it's not.

[chris-uk]

these were taken with a sony cybershot DSC-W120 with the Carl Zeiss and i can't get it to take good close ups if you know how to use it and get a good close up with it let me know please lol

The Sony website says that your camera is capable of macro shots as close as 4cm when fully zoomed out (unfortunately it's 50cm fully zoomed in). I've not gone as far as downloading the manuals (big pdf files are a PITA on the phone) but at a guess there will be a button on the phone that puts the camera into macro mode, it's going to have a flower icon (looks like a tulip usually). In macro mode the camera will throw in some electronic trickery which allows it to focus much closer. You will want to use good ambient light and disable the flash, built-in flash and macro photography doesn't work.

[jwolfe152]

ok i will go download the manual and see what all i can do with it. i don't know why i didn't think to go do it in the first place oh and i happened to see a DNR (department of natural resources) officer at the post office across the street and i can collect garters anywhere except state property, and if i do decide to breed and sell all i need is a permit. now all i must do is see how much the permit is to see if its even worth it on a small scale.

[jwolfe152]

5 days now for the big one with the vent area clipped and i was holding him for a bit and i put him back in the tank watched him for a few minutes and he lifted the vent area like when they evacuate. well it didn't last long and i did not see or feel traces of urates or feces, but, he has yet to eat either. also a few minutes after that i cleaned the water dish and as soon as i sat it down he headed for it and started soaking. now he is very dull like Ekoh was before his shed(Ekoh also soaked the same way for a few days before he went blue), i am guessing it could be that he is soaking for his shed, or maybe, could it be where he tried to evacuate feces and that area is dry and hurts and is trying to soften the scab/dried muscle tissue?

[EasternGirl]

He is definitely a beauty...and I know what you mean about males and size...I also thought that any large garter I found around here must be female because I had never seen any large males...they were always significantly smaller than the females. But I have a large eastern that was brought to me last year...and I am almost positive it is male...he is almost as big as my large female. Your guy is definitely male...but if it makes you feel better, I am pretty bad at sexing snakes too.

Have you seen him actually defecate at all? The wound looks like it is healing, but if he is having trouble defecating, I would be concerned about an internal injury.

[guidofatherof5]

Not sure what substrate you are using but putting the snake on paper towels will allow to see any feces passed.

[jwolfe152]

no i have not seen him defecate at all but its only been 5 days and there is no way for me to know when he even ate last ya know. but when i first picked him up her urinated on me and then the next day he musked me pretty good, but, thats all liquid. what i am thinking of doing is going and getting some small fish because only one of 4 have ate since i have had them. i know it can take awhile for them to adjust but i want to do what i can to get them to eat asap.

[jwolfe152]

right now i got a thin layer of aspen shavings its pretty easy for me to see the feces in the other tanks but the paper towel would probably be better in case he is burrowing and going on the bottom underneath the aspen

[jwolfe152]

i got 4 pics of this blue eyed girl (im pretty sure its female, probably 90%, she has way more girth and shorter than Ekoh or the one with the clipped vent) what do you guys think








and here are just a few pics i snapped real quick

[guidofatherof5]

#1- female
#2- female
#3- female
#4- female
#5- female