Opinions needed!

[jitami]

I love you guys

Anji, you have a great eye! I didn't even know that was there.... now I'm going to go look for it and see if I can get to it The school by the "creek" is .3 miles from here and it looks like the pond is about the same. I'm going to have to look at the map some more! There's an elementary school over there and a new housing development. Across the street from that they just built a new golf course & housing development maybe 2 years ago...sigh...

Ok, someone else dibbed her privately before all of you, but if I can handle her easily she's going to stay here... and Ella sounds like a lovely name Gertie

So, just how bad does a garter bite hurt? I know it's not supposed to hurt... and I agree with Kyle & Wayne when they say that animals know when you're nervous and react accordingly.... I see she's pooped so I'm going to have to at least move her around a bit anyway. I'm out of bleach but if she's going to stay I'll need to evict the babies from their 20L and switch them to her tank and vise versa. I'll do that in the next couple of days. She does seem rather settled. It makes me wonder if some of the younger local kids didn't drag her home from the creek and keep her captive for a while. She seems to be in great shape, though, so who knows.

Thanks again guys... gonna go zoom into that map and see about checking out that pond

[anji1971]

Tami,garter bites don't hurt too much. Deejay likes to gnaw on my fingers if I don't get the fish scent from her meals washed off completely before I transfer her from the feed bin back to her tank. It's a kind of tingly feeling, and the fact that she looks absolutely ridiculous hanging from my finger until she decides I don't taste good and spits me out is far worth the discomfort!

[jitami]

Thanks Anji. I just need to get over the jumping when they strike then! I had grabbed and dropped her when she struck at me out in the driveway and I did the same thing with the couchii in the river. Silly...

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol meadow bit me when i caught her..... she held on for 5 mins and had to be pryed off.... but after all of that all i had was a few tiny scratches and it didn't hurt a bit

[jitami]

Ok, and Meadow and Deejay are both good sized girls, right... so I should be ok... lol

[jitami]

Planning a drive by later, but we're actually thinking the pond is not in/under the new housing development... I want this house!!! Looks like it has a nice big shop for hubby, too I'm buying lotto tickets and starting to pack now...

[Garter_Gertie]

Man! You could be like Dekay then and have your own snake world right outside your back door! SWEET!

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol yup meadow is aprox. 31"

[jitami]

Man, I suck! Decided to just work around her, which isn't the easiest in a 10 gallon tank and still had her totally stressed out I feel horrible for stressing her so much when someone more experienced could have probably picked her up and had her settled down in an instant. I really felt sorry for her and am tearing up just thinking about it.

Good news is that she must have eaten the nightcrawler I put in with her last night.

Off to grandmas for the afternoon... take care everyone...

[anji1971]

Tami, see how she settles in for a few days. If she's eating for you, she may end up not being as stressed after a time. It's always hard at first, because they are nervous -- even the captive born ones get distressed by environmental changes. If you don't notice her calming down, or you find you aren't able to relax enough with her after a week or so, then you can think of alternatives. But for right now, if you're interested in keeping her, then wait it out for a bit and see how she fares.
By the way, Deejay is a good sized girl. She's 31" long. And sometimes I still jump when she strikes!