(LONG!!!!!) Neat To Have Found This Place!

[Garter_Gertie]

As a kid (in the time of horse and buggies) I HATED snakes. I knew they were beneficial, not slimey, but I visualized all snakes having teeth like a rattlesnake and just KNEW they were gonna bite me and mangle me to death. Never played with one, never looked for or found one, never wanted to. Snakes were best kept at a FAR distance and were necessary evils.

I held this opinion for more than 40-45 years, until just about a year ago. I work at a MN state park that has a 6', 5 lb., 15-year old bull snake, named Ripley, they've had for ten years. I wasn't pushed into getting to know Ripley and started with the old one-finger-touch-and-run technique. Worked good. Then moved on from there. It did take me FOREVER to where I could watch Ripley eat...

Today Ripley and I are buds. Well, he's mine. He doesn't like me as much as the Naturalist that's been around him the past 10 years. But I can now hold Ripley, let him slither all over me, watch him eat, clean his poos w/o batting an eye... And I even calmly held his head away from the visitors one day when he decided to hiss off with one of those REALLY REALLY LOUD BULL SNAKE HISSES. T'was a full mouth hiss! Last summer I brought him home from the state fair with me as I was going to the park the next AM and sat here at the 'puter with Ripley twined around my neck (they're constrictors if you didn't know) and happy as a lark and my two Pugs and five cats totally oblivious to him.

Summer moved on last year. Sept/Oct a co-worker found an Eastern Garter right outside the visitor center and we picked it up to play with it - It pooing on HER. Garters are Nervous Nellies when first caught!

Well, I cabbaged on to that snake and wouldn't put her down. Those PRECIOUS, bright shiney eyes! That wee sweet garter smile! The inqusitive, slightly suspicious look they give! I fell so in love with that snake.

So, I did the, "Look what followed me home! Can we keep her? Huh? Please? Can we? Can we? Huh? PLEASE????" complete with pout, whine and alligator tears. It worked. BUT ONLY because garters are not in any danger here in MN and are not even on the Species of Interest List and we use her for educational purposes contrasting with Ripley as they're both native MN snakes and both found within the park.

(Ripley, he's a different story. He was brought to the park by people that had had him for five years ever since he was a wee baby egglette. They were moving and couldn't take him and so brought him to the park to let him go. But since he'd never hunted for and caught his own food, and never brumated it was decided he'd never survive in the wild and so in his best interest Ripley was kept. Otherwise we'd not have a bull snake since they are of special concern here in MN.)

Winnie The Poo (Get it? How they musk??? ) - Winnie for short - has become MY baby! Don't ever try and tell me different snakes don't have different personalities and don't come to know people even if they do only have brains the size of my little finger nail. Anyway, I digress.

So, my love for Missy Winnie as grown and grown and she settles down in my hand, curled around my fingers and gets as calm as can be. So, I asked the Naturalist if I could take Winnie home on Sundays, keep her during the week (then I could hug and kiss her every day!), and bring her back the next weekend. He very nicely said, "Why don't you get your own garter snake?"

I'm gettin' there! I'm gettin' there!

The thought had NEVER entered my mind to get my own snake and I just ran with the idea. But I didn't want a garter since we already have Winnie. So I'm in the works of getting a wee baby Western Hognose a month after he's no longer an egglette. And I've got his 90 gal here and a stand and...

Everyone's always ragging on me about how a 90 gal is too big for even an adult Hoggy, and I disagree. But for a brand new wee, wee beebee - yeah.

So I was looking at all the different garter morphs out there and...

Here it comes!

... I'm going to use my 90 gal for a Garter Garden and get me three wee baby, just born-ed, garters! And do a terrarium!!!!!!!

I'M SO EXCITED!!! I'll get Kenabec ("snake" in Ojibway; pronounced "ca-nay-beck") a small tank more fitting a wee Hoggy. And I'll have my garters here PLUS a third MN species to take to work with me! I'm gonna take my precious CB garters to work, too, and do talks about what wonderful creatures they are and how folks should get CAPTIVE BRED.

Now I just have to decide on WHICH garters I want!

And this from the woman that two years ago wouldn't even think about hardly touching a snake and now she kisses them (I'm fearless)! Old dogs CAN be taught new tricks.

There! WHEW! I'm finished! Thanks!

[adamanteus]

Hi Gertie, and welcome to the forum.
That was one mega first post... people hereare gonna love you!

[Garter_Gertie]

In Shrek voice she says, "Really?"

(Donkey: "Really, really.")

That will be nice! One always likes being loved and liked - I do at any rate!

Thanks for the warm welcome, James. I'M SO EXCITED THIS XSISTS!!! This is like a bazillion, gazillion, jamillion times better than kingsnake.com!

[gregmonsta]

Welcome

[Garter_Gertie]

Thanky, gregmonsta! I'm very very happy to be here!

[Garter_Gertie]

James, and you, too! Thanks very much for the warm welcome. I'm really happy to have found a place where people where understand just how much a person can go nutzo over a garter!

[jeanette]

hello there and welcome, what a great introduction. it was really fun to read and we can all tell you have a real passion for snakes

[SpyrotheGartersnake]

welcome to thamnophis.com

[ScimitarX]

Welcome that was a cool story.

[Garter_Gertie]

Jeannette, Hi! Thanks.

I do now. Have a passion. Ripley taught me a lot. I have to laugh at myself and shake my head. It tickles me I've developed this new interest and over come stupid misconceptions.

Spyro, thanks for the welcome!

Claire (Gosh I love that name. Ranks right up there with "Diane." Love'um both!), thanks! Glad you like my writing abilities! Such that they are. I can tell you I write just the way I talk. Yayewbetcha!