Red Sided Garter Temperment??

[infernalis]

From what I have read and from pictures I have seen, apparently red sided garters have meaner dispositions compared to say the Easterns I am familiar with.

These 17 babies seem very competitive and I even broke up a fight when no food at all was involved, they just started biting each other.

These are the first ever red sided garters for me (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) and they appear to be a rather aggressive species.

Are they?? any advice from long term keepers of parietalis specimens??

[Stefan-A]

Can't confirm it, I never noticed anything like that.

[adamanteus]

I have a couple of youngsters.... never noticed any aggression from them.

[gregmonsta]

Mine is the calmest of the bunch lol ... he's the one I take out for newbies to handle because he's so relaxed.

[jewel-dragons]

parietalis,atratus,florida blue,sirtalis melanistic and the concinnus are the most agressive by feeding the rest is eating relaxt :-) (at my place)

[garterchick]

i've never observed agression, but they do have a strong prey drive. at least that's my experience

[Garter_Gertie]

Here in MN the red-sided are more in your face, assertive, more likely to strike, less shy. They're a bit bigger, too.

[drache]

I have a female that's very aggressive and will fly out of the tank at feeding time if I'm not careful
she'll bite non-food items as well (the tongs, my fingers . . . )
I have two that are just average snakes with an appetite, who will grab the food dangled in front of them after a brief tongue flick

[Zephyr]

I had to tame my female when I first got her; she's kinda nippy now but more flee-y. My two remaining babies are very nice and calm, no aggression there.

[infernalis]

Well I fixed them up good today, I went to the store and found some nifty little boxes with locking lids, the lip on top is rolled, so the babies cannot get wedged into it.

They are sterilite and clear with blue covers, about 8 quart size, and only like $3 each, so I split the red sided babies up by size.

This will also make it easier to monitor who is getting food and when.

So far with all 17 in one tank, I have split up SEVERAL rather nasty fights.

One of the bigger females had the runt male swallowed down to his neck, and no food items were present! Maybe some worm or fish smell on the smaller snake, I don't know, but it was super scary. I had to hold them under water to get the big female to spit out her brothers head!

So with everyone in a smaller more isolated environment, they will settle down.

I also wonder that since they were non eaters, and I triggered the feeding instinct, that they may be extra hungry??? I have been letting them eat every day (smaller meals, I think they are ready for a bigger meal now?)

Failure with any snake sucks, I don't show any preferential treatment, but losing a free snake is one thing, a morph HET is altogether different, because not only did you lose your pet, but your breeding investment also!