Accidental Cross Breeding

[Eddie]

They look like checkerds to me

[Rushthezeppelin]

They look like checkerds to me

Alot darker than my checkered, granted that doesn't meant a ton though.

[liveunderoath]

They are getting darker and turning brownish.

[ObsidianDragon]

Not only do the checks look a little...blurred, but the head spot also looks a little weird.

I wish I lived closer! I'd take a couple as pets, and er...well, I also have a kingsnake. But alas, I'm too far away.

[liveunderoath]

I found a guy around here and he took a couple. He said he used to keep garters and hated the idea of killing them. He also said he has a few friends who might take some in.

[liveunderoath]

Does anybody know what color the skin normally is between the scales of easterns? The babies skin is almost a teal, but the normal checkered's is white. I've tried taking pictures but it doesn't show up on camera.

[Tommytradix]

there is way too much variation in easterns to go by that lol

[Rushthezeppelin]

My checkered has teal skin.

[oman]

I absolutely agree with and understand not releasing them, and that if they change owners it should be known they are hybrids. But why should they not be bred at all? Does crossbreeding never happen in the wild where different garters exist? Would they even be able to breed? Is crossbreeding known to cause problems, or is it just a concern for muddying the gene pool?

Sorry for all the questions, but ever since I read a passing remark about hybrids in a thread here, I have been curious. This post roused that curiosity.

Reposting this because it got thrown in the middle.

[d_virginiana]

Reposting this because it got thrown in the middle.

Okay, yes garters VERY occasionally interbreed in the wild where ranges overlap. This rarely happens, however. There are reasons for differentiation between species; in this case the reasons are primarily geographical and temporal (meaning that slight differences in timing of mating season and brumation could come into play keeping them separate in the wild as well).

It is a concern within the hobby, but also because basically anywhere in the continental US as well as parts of Canada, garters are native. Any escaped or released animals can interbreed with the wild ones in that area (even if they aren't native to it) contaminated the wild gene pool. I'm an ecologist, and that's really serious business that can cause negative effects in wild populations.