Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 29, Number 10;   October, 2002

Beautiful Loser

by Robert Rice

I know this should be common sense, but I will say it anyway. It is wrong that hobbyists generally treat a Garter Snake, or any snake for that matter, as a junk snake. It is wrong for couple of reasons. First, on the simple ethical level, snakes are living creatures with wants and needs. If we are unable or unwilling to meet those needs, then we should not take them under our care. When we take an animal into our care we become its caretaker. The content of your character is judged in the way you take care of the animals in your care. Simple as that! Second, on a greater and more practical level, by relegating garters to the "junk pile" of snakes, you greatly hinder any breeding efforts, conservation or research. Who could, or would, spend many hours rearing up a baby garter for the four months or so to that it takes to make a quality pet snake, only to sell it for $5 or less that it would draw wholesale? Let alone document his/her observations in a journal. Not many folks, I would think. Keep in mind that similar work on a baby kingsnake would draw $20 or more for the same efforts - just slightly altered in direction. Without financial incentives, captive propagation is uncommon. Thus, there is little or no research on captive husbandry or rearing of Garters. The snakes and hobbyists suffer from this lack of basic information. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, no respect, no money, and no facts. The serpent suffers and the hobbyist fails. It doesn't have to be that way. If a serpent is unsuitable for hobbyist care, let's say so and leave it alone. Continual wild collection of unsuitable pet snakes and selling them at low prices helps neither the hobby nor the snakes. We as hobbyists should not tolerate this behavior. Buy with compassion, not your pocket book. The $20 difference in price won't matter in a month or two, but a bad ownership experience lasts a long time. Buy snakes you can care for, which are suitable pets, even if they cost a little more.

Luckily, Garters make great pets. They are a suitable addition to any snake collection. They are colorful, intelligent and a snap to keep. This makes their poor status in the hobby even more vexing. They are the easiest snakes I have ever kept. They adapt to a great deal of new situations with ease. They take a variety of foods and are as durable a snake as you will ever have. My Garters recognize me and come out of their hiding places when I am around. I am sure they are looking for their next free meal, kind of like a permanent in-law. It is, however, pleasant to have my snakes care that I am around. So it thrills me when they watch me sitting on the back porch drinking a diet coke. They seem, like I have said, to know me and enjoy my company. So as far as being social, Garters are as social as snakes can be. Heck, some of my favorite snakes even eat right from my hand. Here is my basic guide to getting started in Garters. While not perfect, it is a good reference point and will help to dispel some of the misinformation out there.

HOUSING
When keeping Garters, regardless of species, your number one concern is housing. Garters have specific, simple needs and are very happy if provided for properly. It's as simple as that: play by their rules. First off, provide them with. snake-tight housing or say "goodbye" to them, as Garters are extremely adept at escaping. I prefer Rubbermaid shoeboxes with snap-tight lids (3 bucks at Wal Mart) or 10- gallon tanks with snap-tight lids from your local pet store. Either work fine and are easy to get. Each cage should have a ceramic water dish big enough for the snake to soak in and a piece of bark or something similar to hide under. You'll also need a cage floor substrate. Here's a rule I use, it's simple and it works. I call it the 12-inch rule. If your snake is 12 inches or longer, and corncob or pine bedding is convenient and works well, use it. Below 12 inches, they will need a newspaper-type setup, as they will not be able to find food in the bedding. Garters hunt by smell and sight, and the little guys have a hard time locating their dinner in their bedding, so just use papers. It will make it better for you and your snakes. Artificial lighting and heating are generally unnecessary. I keep my Garters on my covered screened-in back porch, or inside at any time of year. Remember: direct sun and an aquarium can mean the cooking of your snakes. Keep them in a spot where they will not be exposed to the full effects of the sun. A covered spot is perfect, as long as you remember to keep the tank temperature between 52-85° F. If the temperatures get too high or low, you should consider taking your snakes indoors for the cold/hot spell. Always keep your Garters dry. They may hunt in their water bowl, but they don't live in it. Keeping Garters in a constantly wet state will lead to disease and death. An over-wet home is the single greatest killer of garters. So keep them dry and you will keep them happy.

FEEDING
Easily the greatest strength of Garter snakes is the diversity of food they will consume. While most snakes are specific feeders, Garters generally are not. Most garters will greedily eat fish, worms, and frogs, and in my research I have found many types of Garters to be, surprisingly enough, carrion eaters. Four different species in my collection routinely eat chicken liver (usually the 2 day old stinky type), ground turkey and chicken gizzards. Of course all these food items need to be cut to a suitable size. One of my Coastal Garters displays a fascinating behavior. When he is feeding on chicken gizzards, he dips the gizzards repeatedly in his water bowl, apparently to lubricate the food to make it easier to swallow. So for you, the hobbyist, this leaves a great many options when it comes to food. I visit my local bait store for fathead minnows and nightcrawler worms. Fatheads are sold in the pet trade as tuffies, rosies or some other cute trade name and are usually white. They are the same fish as the gray ones at the bait shop, just a different color morph. I keep a small redworm farm for the feeding of smaller Garters. You may also switch Garters over to rodents. By scenting a pinkie you can usually convert all species of Garters over to mice. Scenting is simply rubbing a more typical food item all over the new food. So rub a fish on a pinkie, for example, and you will more likely than not have a rodent-eating Garter on your hands. As a final note, some hobbyists use a home made garter food that is kept in the freezer and have reported good results. Dr. Alan Francis of England developed this food. Garters are plainly the easiest colubrid to feed. Not bad for a junk snake! The key for the hobbyist is to rotate foods when you can. This means offering your snakes fish, worms and rodents and whatever else you think may interest them. After a bit of trial and error you will find a feeding system that works for you. I generally switch foods every two weeks or so. One time fish, one time worms, etc. -- you get the idea. This seems to give them a more balanced diet. I have found that many species will take many things, but a few of the western species seem rather set on fish. In those cases I just try to switch them to rodents and fish. Sometimes this does not work. In such cases accept the fact that they will only eat fish. If you can, avoid goldfish, as they are an incomplete food. With a bit of effort you will soon find a feeding combination that works for both you and your Garters.

HANDLING
Depending on the source of your Garter, either wild caught or captive bred, you may or may not have a snake that is easy to handle. I always use the same protocol when handling a new snake: I assume it is hard to handle. First, I slip on a pair of those cheap latex dishwashing gloves, as snakes hate the taste of latex. It also protects me from being musked, which is the Garter's number one defense. When threatened, Garters excrete the contents of their bowels along with a musky smell from a special gland. So you will end up with a snake covered in thick, foul smelling gunk, which makes it unpalatable to most predators. Firmly grab the snake by the back half of its body and lift it gently out of its home. The snake will either attempt to flee or sit relatively calmly in your hand. By using a hand-over-hand motion, you can easily handle a "fleeing" snake. In a few minutes most nervous snakes will settle down. When it has settled down, count to 30 and place it gently back in its home. In addition to musking, some snakes will bite. They have small teeth in their mouth and will sometimes snag them on your gloves. Believe me, this is more traumatic for the snake than for you. If bitten, gently but firmly hold on to the snake, and it usually begins fleeing behavior. If after a few minutes it does not calm down, place it gently back in its home. I handle new snakes daily until they are used to me. Even the wildest of Garters will settle down with a couple of weeks of daily handling. Remember to keep your sessions short, gentle, and as pleasant as possible for everyone involved. In no time you will have a quality pet snake.

WHICH GARTER TO GET
It's a simple yet difficult question. Which Garter do I get and where do I get him? Of course many excellent Garters can be found in backyards and along trails and roadways. These finds have been the start to many passionate herpetology careers over the years. I don't recommend novices taking wild caught snakes. It is better for all parties involved if you take the extra time and expense to research a bit and then acquire a captive bred snake. However we all have at one time or another caught a garter and wondered, "Can I keep it as a pet?" Outside of local snakes, are their other options? Yes there are. Today hobbyists are breeding typical and atypical garters from all over the country. A network is slowly developing, aided by the Internet and I can confidently say that with a home computer. Internet access and a Peterson's Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians you CAN acquire some of the most stunning snakes in the world, and lo and behold they are Garters! "In the world?" you say. "You got to be kidding!" No, I am not kidding. I will put Garters up against any snake out there. They are as diverse as kingsnakes, with new color morphs and strains being discovered and reared every year. They are durable, beautiful and available. What else could you ask for? The tide is turning - a few hobbyist breeders even sell Garters on the Web now. So with the greater exposure inevitably will come a greater following. I can see the day when the name "Garter Snake" is spoken with respect and fascination, instead of the bemused tone I get now when I tell folks I keep only Garters. It is past time for the hobby to take a second look at Garter Snakes. They are colorful, even-tempered and are proving to be very diverse genetically. This means you as a hobbyist have the chance to find and develop a new strain. Garters have all the attributes of an excellent hobbyist snake. All they lack is a little respect.

Let me share with you my favorite Garters. This list is by no means comprehensive and it is biased. They are all beautiful snakes that would be respectable to have in a snake collection of any size.

Eastern Blackneck Garter (Thamnophis cyrtopsis ocellatus) -- This charming snake from the Texas hill country is absolutely stunning. One of the most beautiful snakes you will ever see. Black Bars, avocado bars and a neon orange stripe make this one of my favorite garters. Like most garters, they will take fish and frogs; mine seem to like chicken liver.

Red Sided Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) -- This serpent ranges from Canada to Oklahoma. This large durable Garter is one of the most common midwestem garters. It adapts well to domestic life and takes a variety of foods. This particular garter is common amongst hobbyists and is being bred for a high red content by many herpers. An excellent first garter snake, they will take rodents with no problem. The Kansas strain is particularly desired by hobbyists.

Checkered Garter Snake (Thamnophis marcianus marcianus) -- This Garter is commonly available in the trade in both albino and regular color morphs. They thrive on fish, worms and will take rodents. This Garter is the most common in the hobby and makes an excellent starter snake because of their laid-back temperament and durability.

Oregon Red Spotted Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus) -- This subspecies of the common garter is simply stunning. Its red/yellow head, red bars and striping are eye-catching. This species is now being reared domestically and is offered on a few Websites on the Internet. In my experience they eat only fish and frogs.

California Red-sided Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis) -- Yet another shockingly beautiful subspecies of the common garter. This cousin of the federally protected San Francisco Garter is in my opinion equal in beauty. While currently difficult to get, I have started a breeding colony in hopes to increase the availability of this beautiful snake. This is an exquisite serpent.

Texas Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens) -- This cousin of the San Francisco Garter, the Red-sided Garter, and the Eastern Garter, has recently shown up with a simply stunning albino strain. The albino Texas Garter strain is full of lavender and has a neon orange stripe. This albino was discovered by Shanlyn Williams, and holds great promise as a unique hobbyist strain.

RESOURCES FOR GARTERS ON THE WEB

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gartersnake/messages/
  Yahoo's Garter Snake discussion list
• http://kingsnake.com/forum/garter/
  Kingsnake.com's Garter Snake discussion list
• http://www.student.uni-kl.de/~knaup/egsa/egsa.html
  The European Garter Snake Association
• http://freespace.virgin.net/alan.francis2/index.htm
  Dr. Alan Francis' excellent Garter site
• http://www.thamnophis.com
  A great site with ads and a discussion page plus nice pictures
• http://www. thamnophis.corn/features/ScottFelzer/
  Scott rears atypical Garters and offers them for sale
• http://www.gartersnake.net
  The Garter Snake Guys Website (I'm one of the guys)