Newbie from VT.

[Majorica]

I am mostly a fish keeper who has had several tanks running on and off for years. I've had fish most of my life, sometimes I got down to two tanks.
Last year I started keeping herps again, for the first time since childhood. I kept herps rather briefly as a child, I still considered myself a newbie. Mostly I caught a wild herp, would keep for a day or so and release. I had no way of buying insects that are available now in shops etc.

I went on herping trip this spring and our guide showed us how to handle wild snakes.
So I held this wild garter snake for the first time in many years. I was amazed at how calm this wild snake was in my hands. I'm thinking, this wild snake is more calm then my tame geckos. Hmmm...maybe I do want one of these cuties afterall?. So I'm pondering this over long after I leave the herping trip behind.

About now I should mention that my stance on snakes has been, no thanks because they eat rodents. Yeah, I'm one of those people. I have a history of keeping rats and mice as pets. Recently I've been thinking that maybe I will compromise on the mouse feeding issue ( because I like rats better then mice) and consider a smaller snake, either a garter or a corn.

I put together a herp wishlist. Most of my wishlist consists of native herps. Which has lead to much disappointment when it comes to keeping amphibians. Everyone seems to want the tropical and exotic frog. At least captive garter snakes seem much readily available then say, captive bred pickerel frogs.
Availability might decide what snake I'd choose. I am probably not going to spend $50 on shipping to have a single garter snake shipped to me. So if I do decide to get a snake and cannot find a captive bred garter snake in this area, I might go with a corn snake due to availability.

So here's a list of my current herps:

-I've had three green anoles since last Dec. Long story short, I am down to one and I'm in the process of putting that one up for adoption now. I don't know if I will keep green anoles again, they ended up being harder to care for then I expected and as I am going camping soon and only have one left that needs more attention then the rest of my critters, I decided I'd rather tear down the tank while I'm gone.

-Two crested geckos since last Nov. I adore these little lizards, I think I choose nearly perfectly with them as newbie lizards. I've been trying to get at least one more off and on, but I never found any local ones for sale (besides Petco) and I didn't make it out of town to buy those long distance ones.
I've been disapointed in the handling part, they clearly don't want to be handled and will leap/squeak and run away.

-Twelve yellow spotted salamanders raised up from my parents pond last year. This is a fairly mundane terrarium. The salamanders will most often be hiding. Mostly what I do with them is lift a piece of pottery, look at them and put the piece of pottery back down.

- A bunch of wood frogs/tadpoles that have been turning into frogs lately. I rescued them from puddles that were drying up. I''m aware that wood frogs are not exactly the best choice for pet frogs and haven't decided what I'm keeping or releasing yet.

- Two larger wild caught tadpoles of unknown species , I think they are green frogs.

- Two smaller tadpoles that were so tiny I could barely see them when I found them. I am hoping they are spring peepers.

- One small black snake ( that is most likely a garter snake) found in my basement slithering along the floor and appeared to be trying to climb up the wall. I have been intending to take photos and release this snake. The thought crossed my mind that it felt like fate was sending me this snake. I decided to add a snake to my wishlist and the next day this snake comes to me. But with my upcoming camping trip and not knowing much about the ethics of keeping wild snakes as pets, I decided I better not.

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you with us.
Looks like you've got some decisions to make. I can tell you that garter are an awesome snake to keep. They are active and curious and can be interactive. Here's a link to the forum care sheet as it is filled with good info. Feel free to post any additional questions you might have.
Garter Snake Forum - Garter Caresheet

[BLUESIRTALIS]

Welcome!

[slipknot711]

welcome! finally another from the east coast! garters are great!!!!!! everyone here is wonderful. id like to see a picture of the black snake if possible, maybe we can help identify it for you.

[chris-uk]

Welcome aboard. You've obviously put a lot of the into keeping a garter. You'll find many members on the forum keeping garters they've found wild locally - not an option for me, you don't find too many garters in the middle of the UK.

[indigoman]

Welcome to the forum!

[Shanty]

Sounds like some of my story: bettas and guppies and Endler's. The rats and mice started out as food for snakes but ended up more genetics projects, So did the Dwarf hamsters. So it goes. Once bitten, always done for. Welcome. You'll have lots of company here.

[Majorica]

I checked on faunaclassifieds to see if anyone near by has any garter snakes. 88 views and nothing. I probably don't want one shipped from far away.. Due to the shipping costs, I'd feel I'd have to buy at least two to make the shipping worthwhile and I think I should start with one considering I have almost zero experience with keeping snakes. Also I have had some bad experiences with fish dying over shipping related stress and I really don't want to deal with that over an animal I'm inexperienced with. So if I decide I want a garter, I guess I try my luck at the next reptile show.

[guidofatherof5]

I would think fish are far more difficult to keep then garters. Getting one from the next reptile show is a good idea.
I understand your fears about shipping but most breeders don't or won't ship during hot or cold weather. This also depends on the distance the snake has to travel.
What part of the country are you in?