"Taming" a wild caught garter

[snakehill]

I have had my WC since August 8th and I still haven't been able to handle her! She freaks and tries to flee when I try to! I have tried the hand in the tank thing but it hasn't worked! She is a nut! maybe she is a HE!

[RedSidedSPR]

Hey!

Try hand feeding. That helped my WC adult more than anything. It took 7 months but now he's very calm and trusting. And big.

[snakehill]

She took a nightcrawler off the tongs twice then stopped. Since then I've had to put them in dish with dirt or just throw them in the tank!

[RedSidedSPR]

I would touch mine a few times without taking him out, he didn't really like it (at all) but it got him used to me touching him.

[snakehill]

Hey!

Try hand feeding. That helped my WC adult more than anything. It took 7 months but now he's very calm and trusting. And big.

7 months?? So by the spring when I plan to release her she will be tame??

[RedSidedSPR]

7 months to get to the way he is now, perfectly tame, but not that long to stop freaking out. But it took awhile.

[nekura]

Wow they're growing fast. I've got one who will come out, sit halfway on my hand for a bit before retreating back to her den.

I thought it was a bad idea to have them associate your hand with food? Or is that just with pythons?

I've also decided to name the youngest Selene. The oldest we called Snakey but now that we know gender maybe Scylla.

[kibakiba]

Its good when they associate you with food, because they will come to understand that you provide the food and shelter. It helps them to trust you.

[RedSidedSPR]

Yeah it's just for those big dumb clueless pythons.

No disrespect intended to pythons.

[kibakiba]

It's not their fault! I'm pretty sure they cant really tell the difference. Since garters can technically see us, they get to know your face... It seems that way, at least. Every time I cut my hair, try a new style, put a different kind of makeup on, they don't seem to recognize me.