California red-sided

[lokai99]

I was on Scott Felzer's website looking at his amazing snakes. Does anyone have a neon blue california red sided from him? I wanted to see some more pics of this crazy colored snake...I mean wow that combo of colors how cool.

[ConcinusMan]

You know, it's funny. Most of the CA red-sides I ever saw in the wild (early to mid 1980's) were "neon blue" and somehow everyone gets the impression that they are some fantastic new morph. I assure you, they are not.

All that aside, I don't have any of those currently. Just thought I would mention, they are found in the wild. Doesn't make them any less awesome though! At first, I thought they were SF garters since it wasn't far from the bay area where I found them. They are beautiful. Just as beautiful as SF garters IMHO.

[lokai99]

Oh I don't think any less of an animal if their natural form is that pretty. I was under the idea that it was a specific morph. How about catching two more...one for me and one for you.

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry, that was then, this is now. I was a teen and living in CA. Now I'm almost 40 and living in the Portland, Oregon area.

Naturally, I fell in love with local T. s. concinnus when I arrived here (for the second time) in 1988. Before that, I lived here from 1977 to 1980. Found nothing but ordinoides then. Mom didn't want me near the creeks!

The few times when I disobeyed, I ended up in the emergency room with lacerations to my feet (from broken glass wading through creeks) or from illness due to microorganisms in the water. But mom! check out this bullfrog I caught! (holding up an enormous 3lb bullfrog)

I swear I'd run in front of a moving car for that ultimate garter snake.

Momma tried, but to this day, I'd still do it. You wouldn't believe the muck and yuck I go through to get a beautiful concinnus these days. People think I'm nuts because I enjoy every minute of it.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I have one of Scott's original females along with another female and a male. They are beautiful animals! No one is calling them a fantastic new morph... Not sure how you got that impression. That's just what we call this color phase. There are infernalis that do not have much blue and so there is a reason to differentiate!

[ConcinusMan]

Oh yeah, I know Shannon. What I was saying is that a lot of people seem to get that impression. I don't think many "newbies" realize that it is just a color phase; one that exists in the wild, so in that sense, they are "normal"

So how is their disposition? The only experience I've had with them is right after I snatched them up in the wild. Needless to say, none of them were happy about this, and they were quite the little fighters. I never kept any of them.

[infernalis]

Here is the pictures you requested...

[bkhuff1s]

wow... that's all i can say

[infernalis]

Thanks Brian, found a couple more pics..

[lokai99]

What a BEAUTIFUL animal!