Mike's Garters

[ConcinusMan]

I got a contact on facebook that is catching some really nice blue/green garters in Florida but I think they're FL blue's, not similis' since he's in So FL. He's been bugging me to buy some (cheap). I'm tempted.

You're right about perhaps learning how to dose for worms, and getting some meds to have on hand, if you're going to be buying WC snakes. Most sellers don't bother and then you get all kinds of problems. The symptoms you're describing sounds like a heavy parasite load. Combine that with the stress of being captured and perhaps not kept under the best of conditions, and you will likely have problems, even if the snake didn't have any real health problems from the parasites when it was still in the wild. It's having that parasite load and then combining it with the stress / captivity, then the heavy load starts causing problems.


This is why WC gets a bad rap. Some people flat refuse to buy them, but what they don't realize is, if you properly quarantine and observe for health problems for a few weeks, and deworm them right, they really end up being just as good, if not better (better genes, better hardiness) than CB snakes. I don't know what kind of bad experience these people have had with buying WC snakes, but in my experience, once they are screened and dewormed, I have few problems with them. Now CB in my experience, can come with plenty of problems too. They are no less likely to have issues than WC , in my opinion. In fact, many CB lines seem inferior to me in many ways.

[Steveo]

This is why WC gets a bad rap. Some people flat refuse to buy them, but what they don't realize is, if you properly quarantine and observe for health problems for a few weeks, and deworm them right, they really end up being just as good, if not better (better genes, better hardiness) than CB snakes. I don't know what kind of bad experience these people have had with buying WC snakes, but in my experience, once they are screened and dewormed, I have few problems with them. Now CB in my experience, can come with plenty of problems too. They are no less likely to have issues than WC , in my opinion. In fact, many CB lines seem inferior to me in many ways.

I think the biggest problem is when you have both. On the one hand, you have CB snakes that are healthy but perhaps weak genetically. Certainly we raise some snakes which wouldn't have survived in the wild, and we do it in a relatively sterile environment with few immunological challenges. Then a WC snake carrying who-knows-what enters the picture. Proper use of aseptic technique can virtually eliminate cross-contamination, but proper aseptic technique can eat up a lot of time and energy; I've been doing it with my WC vagrans and her two remaining offspring, but since I ordered a bunch of scrubs it's getting tiring and rather than risk losing everyone I'm going to release them. I'm sure the vagrans would live long and healthy lives in captivity, but I don't know that my CB snakes could stand up to their parasite load and I don't really care to find out.

[ConcinusMan]

I think the biggest problem is when you have both. On the one hand, you have CB snakes that are healthy but perhaps weak genetically. Certainly we raise some snakes which wouldn't have survived in the wild, and we do it in a relatively sterile environment with few immunological challenges. Then a WC snake carrying who-knows-what enters the picture. Proper use of aseptic technique can virtually eliminate cross-contamination, but proper aseptic technique can eat up a lot of time and energy; I've been doing it with my WC vagrans and her two remaining offspring, but since I ordered a bunch of scrubs it's getting tiring and rather than risk losing everyone I'm going to release them. I'm sure the vagrans would live long and healthy lives in captivity, but I don't know that my CB snakes could stand up to their parasite load and I don't really care to find out.

WC snakes have been living with parasites for many generations. In the wild, they act more as a health enforcer than a health problem. They generally don't kill their host, but if the snake has other issues...

[Steveo]

Sorry for your loss, Mike.

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to hear you lost the male.

[guidofatherof5]

Nope, just hooking more cars up.

[EasternGirl]

So sorry to hear about that male, Mike. Please keep us posted on the female. I hope she is okay.

[mikem]

Found a little surprise this morning... 10 baby pugets!

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Mom looks like a deflated tire.

2012-08-06_13-52-20_993.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful little scrubs.
How's mom doing?

[EasternGirl]

So adorable! Congrats! You could put those babies in with Ari...then she will have company! So excited for you...but I don't think I will be taking the puget baby I asked for...not now anyway. Too many snakes and too much snake drama right now! Lol...