Wild Caught Western Terrestrial

[kurtnagel]

It's a definite sign. The only other species with the stripe in those rows, are the two ribbon snakes and they don't resemble either radix or elegans. Then there's the general appearance.

I go by this application:
snakefinder

According to it, T. elegans should be found in the westernmost parts of the neighbouring states, but not in Colorado.

Interesting. Yes according to snakefinder it is not found in Colorado, but according to gartersnake.info the terrestrial can be found, along with the plains garter! Gartersnake.info uses (Baird and Girard 1853) as a reference. Admittedly an old reference, but...

It is not all that important as I will not ever attempt to breed her, but if there are any significant behavioral or care issues, that would be nice to know.

Kurt

[kurtnagel]

Okay,

I did find a site that indicates the Plains is abundant all throughout western Kansas, so could easily be in Colorado as well. Plus, the picture on the site is spot-on with what I have, so I am definitely leaning more towards the Plains.

I found a Colorado site that shows that both species are found in Boulder County, Colorado (Colorado herp society), but the description of the Plains is closer to what I have. Here is the description of the Elegans:

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans)
Description: Adults 24" to 42" in length. Color brown to gray; gray and light tan checkerboard pattern conspicuous in juveniles, darkens and becomes obscure with age. Light stripe down sides of body, becomes less prominent with age. Prominent light stripe down back on individuals from southeastern Colorado; stripe faint or absent elsewhere. Moderately slender body; keeled scales. Single anal plate. Elevation Range: Usually below 11,000', but has been found at 13,100' in San Miguel County, southwest Colorado. Subspecies in Colorado: Thamnophis elegans vagransand

Here is the Radix:

Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix)
Description: Adults to 42" in length. Color greenish gray, light olive, to brownish; prominent yellow to orange stripe on back, pale stripe on sides. Moderately slender body; keeled scales. Single anal plate. Elevation Range: Below 7500' in eastern Colorado. Subspecies in Colorado: Thamnophis radix haydenii
Kurt

here are the sites I found:
Plains Garter Snakes in KansasColorado Herpetological Society

[Loren]

Hi, and welcome. As already said, a 20 long will be easier to give a good temp gradiet,(plus the snake will enjoy the room) but I have gone a few routes with smaller tanks- either an undertank heater on one end (they are better off with a thermostat- some of them get really hot), or flexwatt heat tape (has to be thermostatically controlled) or by pointing a 40 watt heat lamp at the outside of one end of the tank. I do this on 5 gallon tanks for small desert snakes like shovelnose and ground snakes, it gives me a temp gradient of over 100 deg. f. down to room temp in a 16" long tank.
If using a heat lamp over a 10 g, be very careful to check temps.
Ge makes a 30 watt flood bulb in an r20 size that throws a pretty tight heat pattern(walmart has them). You could try one of them over one end of a 10 gal and see what temps you get.
Ultimately, you will be better off with a 20L though.

[Lori P]

Welcome Kurt! You have a beautiful snake there indeed. (And a very sweet daughter, too!!) I hope you enjoy it here! :-)

[reptileparadise]

Welcome to the forum!
It looks like most answers have been given.
Just make sure you're alowed to keep radix in your state!

[adamanteus]

Hi Kurt, and welcome to the forum.

[Brian Hubbs]

No offense Kurt, but the terrestrial looks NOTHING like a Plains. They are drab, with faint back stripes and mostly black heads. You have a Plains. End of story. Kaput. Fini. Enjoy your Plains. They really gobble down nightcrawlers. Easy to maintain without lights or any other garbage. Just give it a hiding box, shavings, a water bowl, and temps between 72 and 82 degrees. Mine does fine at room temperature in a plastic sweater box from Wal-mart that has no light because it's in a shelf unit.

[kurtnagel]

No offense Kurt, but the terrestrial looks NOTHING like a Plains. They are drab, with faint back stripes and mostly black heads. You have a Plains. End of story. Kaput. Fini. Enjoy your Plains. They really gobble down nightcrawlers. Easy to maintain without lights or any other garbage. Just give it a hiding box, shavings, a water bowl, and temps between 72 and 82 degrees. Mine does fine at room temperature in a plastic sweater box from Wal-mart that has no light because it's in a shelf unit.

Brian,

No offense taken! After all the great advice here and additional searches, I agree with your assessment. I was able to find good descriptions and a few definitive pictures, yes, she is a plains! Just to be safe, I looked up the Colorado Division of Wildlife Regulations, I'm legal

Here it was it says:
(Some text deleted to save space!)

ARTICLE I - GENERAL PROVISIONS #1000 - PROTECTED SPECIES A. Nongame species and subspecies, including threatened or endangered wildlife are protected and their harassment, taking or possession is prohibited except as follows: ...

6.Except as provided in #015.A. of these regulations, up to four individuals of each of the following species and/or subspecies of reptiles and amphibians may be taken annually and held in captivity, provided that no more than twelve in the aggregate may be possessed at any time: ... Western terrestrial garter snakeThamnophis elegans Plains garter snakeThamnophis radix























Thanks for the advice!

Kurt

[adamanteus]

T.radix are fantastic snakes, Kurt. I have 6 of them and they are my favourite Garter. Congratulations!

[kurtnagel]

Woo Hoo!

Thank you WalMart! She took a night-crawler today! Just dangled the thing in front of her nose and bam! She wouldn't take a second one, she seemed a bit freaked out, so I will wait a day or two and try again. How many should she eat at one meal?

Only thing I am worried about is my substrate. Aspen shavings stuck to the worm as she gulped it down. All scraped off by her lips as it passed, but I think there is a danger there. This might be a good reason to feed her out of her enclosure, yes?

I should probably switch substrates, but she really seems to enjoy the burrowing. Any suggestions?

Kurt