identity please

[PINJOHN]

hi this is kenzo she is a rescue snake, she was brought into a local pet shop with a large hole in her side about six years ago, the pet shop owner knowing my interest in garters ask if i would take her, he was doubtful of her chances [so was i ] but she pulled through, the hole in her side healed but a large depression remains, because the original wound was so deep it was necessary to make sure her food was kept to small pieces this is done by feeding her mostly cat food from sachets, the type i use is whiskas which has vitamins and minerals but also no artificial flavourings i am able to cut this up into pieces much smaller than she would ordinarily swallow to allow for the damage to her stomach she has grown a fair bit since she has been with me the cat food comes in many flavours and she loves them all even the none fish variates she is easily the most placid friendly snake i have ever owned . but i have never been totally sure what type she is. i hope the photographs are good enough to do the job

[kibakiba]

Ummm I don't think cat food is good for a garter snake. I can't remember the name but maybe someone will tell you, its on the tip of my tongue though
Perhaps you should feed her something more nutritious, like a cut up guppy or some cut up trout, or earthworms.

[Stefan-A]

T. radix.

[drache]

Thamnophis Radix - Plains Garter
Steve can tell you all about them
great job with the hole
you probably can switch her to real food now

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful T.radix.
Get her switched to real radix food. Start with night crawlers, fish fillet(salmon or tilapia), pinkies(mice)
You did a great job caring for her wound. It looks healed.
Check out the care sheet for more on food types:Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets
Thank you for taking the time to care for her.

[ssssnakeluvr]

definitely a plains garter. and definitely get her off cat food (she is not a cat )

[PINJOHN]

thanks everyone for your swift replies i thought she was radix with that beautiful orange stripe, it was the blue sides that gave me some hesitation, all though i know that radix can vary a fair bit. i noticed some worry from you all about her diet but i can assure you that the cat food that she receives contains whole pieces of fish i know using cat food is a controversial subject but i have been using it for very many years, long before the birth of the internet and before most of the books on garter snakes were written. what i mean by that is if i was just beginning with garters i would take the advice and avoid the cat food, in reality i have raised very many broods of very healthy garters with no problems at all, i do vary their diet of course with rodents but the cat food remains the staple. only kenzo has been fed cat food exclusively but after noting what you all had to say i will introduce pinkies to her diet [ chopped up to enable it to pass the narrowed part of her stomach caused by the scaring ] it was the worry of something sticking in the narrow part [bone and such] that has made me over cautious with kenzos diet < i dont think i have had such a great affection for any other snake in all my year of keeping them> i hope my mention of the many years i have kept garters does not paint me as some kind of know all its actually quit the opposite, since discovering the internet and thamnophis.com in particular i now know just how little i knew, and read the threads to pick up hints from other peoples observations and experiences. once again thanks for the help

[guidofatherof5]

My concern is the fact that cat food is a processed item. Specifically designed for a mammal. Garter snakes will eat many things that wouldn't be considered good for them but they will eat it anyway. They don't care, it's food. Even if it's bad for them. My suggestion is to slowly replace the cat food with other more natural foods.
Just my opinion.
There is no deigning you've done a great job with her.

[drui9201]

Stop feeding that crap to your animals. Even "name brand" cat foods, wet and dry, aren't even particularly healthy for your cats. They're processed and contain far too many things that are unhealthy, or are straight up indigestible.

Aside from this, cat and dog food contains far too much (processed)fat in it to be used as reptile food. Your snake looks like it's stuffed with fatty build up like a sausage. I'm specifically talking about the first image. From what I understand, considering her age and captivity, that she is not gravid. There's no reason for her lower end to look as stuffed as that.

Honestly, would you feed your children cheeseburgers from McDonald's every day and say "Well, they're not dead or in the hospital so obviously what I'm doing works."?

[PINJOHN]

drui9201 your reply seems somewhat aggressive are you perhaps out to impress us all with you indignation on behalf of my poor abused radix. the cat food used consists of whole pieces of fish, its true that it is surrounded by aspic jelly but this is easily removed, while i have always been satisfied that that my diet fed to my snakes was healthy, i am thinking that i should at least take into account what some experienced snake keepers are telling me. BUT JUST A THOUGHT. there have always been things accepted as fact, sometimes for generations only to be turned over at a later date. but perhaps i am being unfair, maybe you are a scientist with an extensive load of research in to transfats fattyacids and such and their affect on garter snakes OR PERHAPS YOU ARE JUST REPEATING WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD OTHER MEMBERS ALREADY SAY