Praise for the Northwestern Garter Snake

[guidofatherof5]

For many years I've owned a copy of what I like to call "The Garter Snake Bible" I'm talking about "The Garter Snakes-Evolution and Ecology" by Rossman, Ford and Seigel.
Thousands of times I've picked it and used it but never really paid much attention to the cover.
Yes, I've looked at it but only now realized how special it is.
Think about it. They could have used a bright shinning T. s. tetrataenia(San Francisco Garter Snake) or maybe an awesome T.radix(Plains Garter Snake).
Instead they blessed the book cover with a beautiful T.ordinoides (Northwestern Garter Snake)
I would love to know the story behind that decision.
What's kind of funny is the fact that the Northwestern garter snake is probably the most unappreciated of all the garter species but yet it's on the cover of the premiere garter snake book.
I keep Northwesterns and find them to be awesome snakes. I did have trouble with my first group of babies but still think they are well worth the effort.
They are smaller then most other garters but make up for that with an awesome attitude.
I guess the reason for this thread was to shine a little light on a snake that doesn't get much of it, even among us keepers.

This is for all those Northwestern garters out there.

[katach]

Here, here! I LOVE them! They are so sweet, and snugly!

[kibakiba]

Looks like a Snakey snake!
Snakey is really cuddly.


I think one thing people don't like about them, other than being small, is that they seem to like cooler temperatures. I find mine more active when the basking lamps are off, at night when its in the low 60s. Mine start crowding the cool side and water dishes in high 70s to mid 80s.

[katach]

Yes they do. Mine are much more active with the lamps off also.

[d_virginiana]

Maybe it's the smaller size.. For some reason a lot of people seem to think that the smaller a snake is the more flighty and jumpy it will be.

[kibakiba]

Mine aren't flighty or jumpy at all, well with the exception on my partially blind Runt and New guy Hades. Everyone else is perfectly calm, even when you bug the heck out of them

[guidofatherof5]

Maybe it's the smaller size.. For some reason a lot of people seem to think that the smaller a snake is the more flighty and jumpy it will be.

Might be but that would not be the case as far as I know.
The Northwesterns I keep are calm/docile and interactive.
I wish more people would give them a try. They are a special snake.

[kibakiba]

I have said it a lot, but Snakey and Mama are my best friends. They both let me bring them into my room and lay with them if I'm not feeling too hot... They just lay with me. Mama lays under my blanket and likes her neck rubbed, and Snakey likes to sit on my face with his belly draped over my eyes...

[chris-uk]

....and Snakey likes to sit on my face with his belly draped over my eyes...

Perfect facemask if you have a migrane.

[kibakiba]

Indeed! His belly is nice and soft, so of course its nice to have him lay on my face when I have a headache/migraine. He has yet to poop on me, even with casual handling. He's only musked once, and that was when I "musked" him......