Other Reptiles/Amphibians

[reptile3]

this is why I love this forum... you all are so kind & helpful!!!

[GarterNovice]

I just had the same problem. That was my second attempt to buy a garter. The first ended up being a ribbon. But he's been very good so far. Though you might want to quarantine it from any other snakes for a few months if you can to make sure it's healthy. I'm still working on getting mine to eat pinkies.

[SnakeBabe1454]

I have a Striped Keelback (Xenochrophis Vittatus). I heard sombody say they are "rear fanged" and are venoumous, yet others say they are not. Ah which is it?

Also sold as "Asian Garters" or "Indonesian Garters"

Here is a good pic of one: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...050507_RwG.jpg

P.S. IF he is venoumous, how bad would this be? I am highly allerigic to EVERYTHING and I heard the "rear fanged" ones could be the same as a bee sting (yes, I am allergic to bees to). Haha thanks

[GarterNovice]

I haven't read anything thing that says they are. Mine doesn't seem to be.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I do believe they are rear fanged....meaning enlarged teeth in the back, generally grooved, to direct saliva into the wounds....some rear fanged snakes are harmless, hardly any reaction to bites, whereas some can deliver pretty bad, possibly fatal bites. I haven't heard of these snakes biting, are very mellow.

[Charlet_2007]

this dont help this is what i found... which ever one it is?

Wildlife Singapore

Snakes of Southeast Asia : Spotted Keelback - Xenochrophis maculatus

Snakes of Southeast Asia : Triangle Keelback - Xenochrophis trianguligerus

Snakes of Southeast Asia : Striped Keelback - Xenochrophis vittatus

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

P.S. IF he is venoumous, how bad would this be? I am highly allerigic to EVERYTHING and I heard the "rear fanged" ones could be the same as a bee sting (yes, I am allergic to bees to). Haha thanks

To be perfectly honest and very blunt, yes this snake is venomous and is rear fanged. Those that are saying they are not, are actually meaning to say that the snake is "considered harmless". That never changes the fact that they do carry rear fangs in that mouth of theirs. No it does not mean that this snake's bite is comparable to that of a rattlesnake or a mamba, but by the books, this is a venomous animal. They are considered harmless snakes, but hey, so were the red-necked keelback and the lyre snake, until they up and killed someone, and seriously wounded a few others. Lyre snakes are now outlawed as pets in a state or two ( forget which) because ONE person, a small boy, got bit, had a serious reaction, and died. Before that it was commonplace to pick them up, play with them, keep them as a first pet like so many of us did with garters as kids. The tiger keelback was also once considered harmless but that's not so much the case anymore. Rear fangs are enlarged, grooved, fixed teeth in the back of their mouth meant to aid the "chewing" of toxins into the skin of predator or prey. It's a terrible delivery system, but nonetheless it's still there. They are not hollow and do not "inject" venom like most front fangs would, which for some reason seems to scare and intimidate people a lot more, but that does not necessarily make it any less dangerous, considering some of the deadliest species of snake are rear fanged. Hognoses are rear fanged/venomous, garters are rear fanged/venomous, and even with those "totally harmless" species, some people do have negative reactions. I've not taken a hognose bite but I hear that it puffs a bit and itches a lot. To most, the striped keelback's effect have been noted as practically harmless, but in all seriousness, if you really are that volatile when it comes to allergic reactions, I would strongly consider not keeping this snake anymore. Very little is actually known about the full effects and complexity of the toxins that these snakes secrete. Even though they are not prone to biting at all, should an accident happen, and you do have a reaction, there is nothing that they can give you at the hopsital to reverse the process. I really, really do not get why pet stores are getting these snakes to sell. Very little is known about them overall, they are a delicate, exotic snake from overseas and they are being misrepresented! They are definitely not your run of the mill pet snake like the ball pythons, corn snakes and kingsnakes you see being sold alongside them. I am not trying to be mean or deter you from keeping your pet.... just trying to help you out!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Doesn't Shannon has this animal?

I no longer have this species - for now...

apparantly, my attempts to treat for parasites was not enough... They ate great and all, but they always just wither away and die off. It's heartbreaking to someone trying so hard to establish something and start some real captive breeding!!

[ssssnakeluvr]

the boomslang is an example of a deadly rear fanged snake....

Boomslang - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

tiger keelbacks have caused one death I have read about years ago.....

[prattypus]

Yep, Petco had an Indo Garter for sale as a ribbon. 15.99. There was even a pic of a ribbon on the price tag, and they couldn't have easily been mistaken for each other.