How great care can transform a snake!

Last year I bought an adult female florida blue eastern garter snake. Not the greatest looking specimen, she wasn't blue at all, but she was gravid, healthy, alert, and priced right so I figured, why not? She has blossomed into a very nice looking snake, actually! With a year of proper care and lots of food, she has come from that brown, petite (just had babies in that photo) bland looking snake to a chubby checkered beauty with a lovely blueish green hue to her entire body. I find it rather attractive and she is one my favorite garters in my entire collection!

For comparison, here she was when i first got her: not blue at all!!! Not even on the face!
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...457444r064.jpg

Here she is now after a year of good food and tender loving care!! She truely has undergone a dramatic color change... she was not blue at all before! This snake made me a believer that a good varied diet and lots of food will bring out the best in a snake!

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/l...abe/935090.jpg

Looks like she appreciates great care! She's a beautiful blue babe.

I've been working with a blood python in a similar fix - s/he's gone from count-the-ribs thin to a hefty, healthy snake who'll eat anything warm-blooded and fuzzy, even if it isn't particularly warm any more, that goes into his cage. The transformation has been nearly as amazing as the one above!

BTW - how'd those babies come out?

~Bruce

Wow - she's beautiful!

she had 20 babies an hour after I had brought her home. They all came out great and were great feeders and I traded many of them to other garter keepers! I still get to see pics of a few of them growing up! It's very rewarding. No babies this year, they did not breed but I did not push them to. I figured I would give her a rest!

Holy cow, she sure did turn blue!! You make me wanna go herping for garter snakes! :D

Good job! She is really a true beauty!

DISCLAIMER: not all garter snakes will turn blue after a year of feeding, only ones that are predisposed to blue coloration!!! ;)

that would be pretty sweet if I could make all my snakes magically turn blue though!!!

wow she is gorgeous, not like the garters i use to catch avery day outside near the train tracks:taz:

great job on the parenting and congrats

paul

WOW... that blue color is stunning. Makes me want to get into garters!

She's gorgeous! We don't see nearly enough of the garters around here! Thanks for sharing, and don't be shy about sharing more! :D