Draco, Albino Checkered Garter

Thanks! He certainly is an entertaining one, even if he hides most of the time. Such a personality. :)


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Took Draco out for a bit today, and let him explore in the tub again. He was extremely interested in all the smells and sights.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...f91f8f4d9a.jpg

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Very cute

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Looking again at your baby and I have decided I'm going to get one, growing up with wild Garter Snakes I have a special place in my heart for them. Last summer a found a couple of babies going thru the lawn and talk about cute they were very small.


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Yes, they are very small! Especially as babies. A little too small for me. Haha I think I'm going to try to get adults or subadults with my future garters.


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Draco now weighs 25 grams! I think he was empty, because he ate 4 or 5 days ago. If he wasn't he could be ~2 grams lighter.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...d72a82c591.jpg


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Well Draco has put on another gram! He's now 26 grams. He's been difficult to catch as usual, but has been unusually calm in the hand the past couple of times I took him out.

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Is he as purple in person as he looks in photo?

He's actually a lot more purple and yellow in person. No matter how I try, I just can't capture his colors. Haha


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Love him, I think I'll start my search for one.

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Here's a cool photo of him eating a pink, after realizing the mouse was not in fact a predator trying to eat him.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...6cd75f3ab9.jpg


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Awww this makes him look like he got caught with his tail in the cookie jar, so to speak, at least that's what his face says to me :rofl:Adorable little fellow, as always.

This little nut now weighs 30 grams and is almost big enough to eat 3 pinks at a time. Gonna have to be moved up to rat pinks ASAP I suppose.

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I love the second picture with his bright red toungue and eyes, he sure is beautiful.

I went ahead and bumped him up to rat pinks with this next shipment as he's been thinning out a lot lately on just 2 mouse pinks, he's lost 4 grams over the past 20 days or so. So I'll see if he needs one or two rat pinks when the shipment comes.

I wouldn't have had to order a new shipment so soon if it weren't for my fridge completely dying out of the blue a week or so ago. :/ At least this allows food size bumps a little sooner.

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Ever since I read this thread I have wanted A Checked albino They are so cute

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Definitely get one! They can be rather...manic but they're still enjoyable to work with. :) My garters are the goofiest snakes I own. They never fail to make me laugh.

They can be hard to work with, but just handle them regularly and they may come around.


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I've got three Albino Checkered and one Jet Black ( Melanistic ?) Garter snakes all living in the same tank . They are about 10 months old
I don't handle them as they're so damn fast but I probably will as they get older .They're fed a mixed diet of pinkies , whitefish and earthworms and are all doing so extremely well . I have all my snakes on a bed of orchid bark but I've constructed a big wall of hollowed out branches all facing the front . They spend all their time in them as they're all different temps . Great display snakes as they all pop their heads out and move towards the viv doors when someone goes near the viv front :)

Yeah mine was difficult to handle when he was a baby. He'd jump out of my hand, but once he hit the floor he couldn't go anywhere. It's if he hit the bed or something like that when I had to worry. Lol

After awhile he stopped jumping out of my hand.

The sooner you work with them the more likely they are to calm down. :)


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So I went ahead and bought rat pinks with this latest rodent shipment for Draco. It was fairly easy to switch him, but I didn't realize so many of them would be so huge. o.o

Here's one of the biggest next to one of the smallest.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...a114d5fd6f.jpg

And here's that smaller one next to the mouse pink he usually gets, which he was getting 2-3 of at a time.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...6066320da3.jpg

The first one he got was huge, so I had to cut it in half for him. The second one he got was a decent bit bigger than that smaller pink, but he got it down. The bulge was rather large so I don't think he'll get another whole pink of that size unless he gets bigger. After going and weighing all of them I think I isolated a few that he could eat whole, though.


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Looks like a baby hippo ¡

Absolutely amazing

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Really dig the outside shots. Garters sure seem to enjoy soaking up some natural sunlight!

So, since BP.net seems to no longer exist on Tapatalk...I will be updating this thread on my laptop. Also, does anyone know why BP.net keeps deleting my subscribed threads if I reply to them? It's only the ones in my custom folders, but it's rather irritating to have to search for each thread for each of my snakes each time I want to view or update them outside of on the Tapatalk app. I keep re-subscribing, but it's getting rather tiresome to do each time I update the thread.

Anyways....I caught Draco shedding today! Maybe he'll eat tomorrow now, he was in blue when I offered a few days ago.

Oh no, he's blind in one eye!
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After refusing a rat pink, I offered again and he took it with gusto. That said, when I removed the rat pink it looked rather gross so I don't blame him. It was bloated despite the fact it had only been in there 30 mins to an hour. I waited to offer anyways.

Due to the late feeding, he came out to eat with little prompting from me, and immediately took the pink off the tongs and proceeded to eat upside down. Then he just sat there and got me worried. >.>

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I have seen my kingsnake do some of the weirdest things after eating I did think he was dead once scared me really bad he was upside down not moving I opened his caged and touched him and instantly rolled over and was active and normal

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Lol yeah I was worried because he just sat there with his mouth open, drooling. And I was like oh no he's upside down it's too big he's drowning.

Nope I come up and wave my finger around his face and the little turd responds with perfect control and turns to look at me and gets all excited thinking MORE food is coming....


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That's good he is alright and I just love the personality of these guys

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Lovely snake but it blends into the Aspen .
I have my albinos on Orchid bark which makes them look marvellous ... being a dark background. ..

I'm not really worried about that. Aspen is easier for me to obtain and isn't dusty like EcoEarth so I use aspen.


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Orchid bark is nothing like EcoEarth .
It shows off the colours of bright snakes like yours.

I have my MBK on light coloured beech chippings but I wouldn't have him on dark coloured orchid bark as he would practically disappear ...

Yes well orchid bark is not sold at my local Petsmart and I wouldn't know where else to look.

I'm also not worried about the aesthetics of my snake against their settings. I want the bedding to work for the snake above all else, and aspen holds burrows extremely well, and for a snake as shy as Draco I'd prefer to offer a bedding that will allow him to burrow to his heart's content.

I'm not sure if orchid bark allows the same thing or not, but either way I just prefer to use aspen as it's easier to obtain for me as I know where to get it.

I'm not bashing your choice to use it, but I personally don't see the use in me personally switching my garter to a different bedding simply to make him stand out, when I can buy aspen and EcoEarth at the same place. Especially when aspen works perfectly well for the species I use it with.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Orchid bark is nothing like EcoEarth .
It shows off the colours of bright snakes like yours.

I have my MBK on light coloured beech chippings but I wouldn't have him on dark coloured orchid bark as he would practically disappear ...

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No worries ... it's easily available online incidentally and most shops sell or will order it for you ..

I have some albino Checkered Garters and they look amazing on orchid bark ... Having them look great is a big part of snake keeping , surely ?

They do burrow in it as well as queried .. I also have a pile of hollowed out logs and branches in the viv so they can climb through them ( they sleep in them as well ) .

This kind of effect ... See how the albinos stand out !?

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n...ealbino002.jpg

https://timsreptiles.files.wordpress...5/dsc01397.jpg

Lol well he stays in his burrows pretty much except for feeding time so having him stand out against his bedding won't do much except for the occasional pictures I might take.

Although looking nice is a bonus I'd rather it work for the snake. That bedding doesn't look good for burrows, although it looks nice. I might use it in a mixture with, say EcoEarth or even with the aspen, but my experience with that type of bedding is very negative so I stay away from pure chip beddings. I couldn't maintain humidity and splinters were always being stuck in my snake's skin. I used it for 5 years with the same results, and no matter how long I soaked them or how often I sprayed them it did nothing.


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Here I am looking at your picture's I think Im going to get me one.

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I weighed Draco today. I'm not 100% sure he's empty as rat pinks are a decent meal for him, but it's been about 3 days so it's possible. He came in at 35 grams. That big hide I have in his tank is now the perfect size for him.

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Mine are super-alert and very inquisitive ..
They are always out and about - Maybe due to having three sisters together ... but they do crawl under the bark ... I have a 12" high wall of hollowed out logs and bark which they sleep and climb through ..

Feed these on Pinkies / fish / earthworms and occasionally dog food !

My checkered is very shy. He'll come out if he thinks no one is around, but the first sight of movement and he's back into his burrows.

My eastern on the other hand, actually seems to be attracted by our movements and loves to watch people.

Also probably a discussion for another thread but I wouldn't feed dog food to a dog let alone a snake. Snakes are carnivores they don't need and can't digest the plant matter in dog food. Even with wet food there's the problem of the meat being cooked and processed with heaps of additives.


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Draco shed Wednesday but I didn't get off work in time to feed him yesterday (he tends not to eat when the lights go out), so I waited until today to feed him. He ate faster than usual. Haha He got a smaller than usual meal last time and had to wait a few extra days.

Huh...
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09...1f03d83b2d.jpg

What is that movement?
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Then I removed the log. He surprisingly didn't run away. He's getting so brave.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09...1b36e620e7.jpg


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Cute Little Fellow I am so tempted to Buy one...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CloudtheBoa

My checkered is very shy. He'll come out if he thinks no one is around, but the first sight of movement and he's back into his burrows.

My eastern on the other hand, actually seems to be attracted by our movements and loves to watch people.

Also probably a discussion for another thread but I wouldn't feed dog food to a dog let alone a snake. Snakes are carnivores they don't need and can't digest the plant matter in dog food. Even with wet food there's the problem of the meat being cooked and processed with heaps of additives.


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I only tried dog food as one of mine 'attacked' the mountain of dog food ( wet , meaty type not biscuits ) when it was out having a mooch around ..when I mentioned what has happened on other sites if turns out that feeding meaty dog food to Garters is pretty widespread and apparently many Garter breeders swear by it ....

They may do it but I feel that the plant matter and processed food is not a good thing to be giving reptiles period. As mentioned, I wouldn't even feed it to my dog. If I had the choice I'd raw feed them, the plant matter really is harmful to their systems. If it's bad for dogs you can bet it's bad for snakes.

With wet food it's not so bad for dogs, but again the meat is cooked and processed, and snakes cannot properly digest cooked meat.

What other people do is their choice but I won't advise people use dog food and I won't give it to my animals.


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I didn't know that thanks for the information.

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Originally Posted by Lady mkrj58

I didn't know that thanks for the information.

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Presumably all the Garter snake breeders don't either ...

It's actually rather possible. I'm sure there isn't a huge amount of scientists specifically studying the effects of dog food on garters within the breeder community.

The fact is, they are carnivores. Obligate carnivores. Dry dog food is out of the question as it offers them very little to no nutritional benefit being made of 90% plant matter. They are also known to be very susceptible to chemicals, which wet dog food is chalk full of additives.

If it's harmful to animal it's made for, what makes you think it wouldn't be harmful to snakes, which tend to be way more sensitive to such things?


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CloudtheBoa

It's actually rather possible. I'm sure there isn't a huge amount of scientists specifically studying the effects of dog food on garters within the breeder community.

The fact is, they are carnivores. Obligate carnivores. Dry dog food is out of the question as it offers them very little to no nutritional benefit being made of 90% plant matter. They are also known to be very susceptible to chemicals, which wet dog food is chalk full of additives.

If it's harmful to animal it's made for, what makes you think it wouldn't be harmful to snakes, which tend to be way more sensitive to such things?


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So you're saying that dog food is actually harmful to dogs !??

I've heard of a few people who swear by the new fad of "raw feeding" but I've never actually come across anyone who actually believes that dog food is harmful to dogs tbh ...

I've no idea why "dry" dog food is being mentioned tbh . There was a bowl of normal " meaty chunky " dog food in the corner of the room and when I let one of my Garters out for a roam and it went straight to the bowl and launched itself at the chunks of meat , devouring one more or less instantly . When I researched the phenomenon I discovered that apparently "some" breeders of Garter snakes raised theirs on dog food ( wet , chunky meaty ) . just thought I'd share the info . I feed mine on mice / worms / fish and very , very occasionally a few chunks of dog food ..l

Long term yes dog food is harmful to dogs. It causes pancreatitis, diabetes, and dental issues. Dogs are not meant to live off of plant matter for an extended amount of time, it's incredibly taxing on their pancreas.

Dry dog food is being mentioned because you started out saying dog food, then specified wet dog food.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by CloudtheBoa

Long term yes dog food is harmful to dogs. It causes pancreatitis, diabetes, and dental issues. Dogs are not meant to live off of plant matter for an extended amount of time, it's incredibly taxing on their pancreas.

Dry dog food is being mentioned because you started out saying dog food, then specified wet dog food.


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Presumably you're suggesting that 'some' dog foods can be harmful to some dogs .... I'm not sure that there is that much ( if any ) plant matter in the chunky meat dog food we buy tbh ..

Both are harmful. Wet dog food has lots of additives and severely encourages plaque build up. Generally feeding dry food with it or brushing/cleaning the teeth helps, but may not stop all dental issues.

There shouldn't be plant matter in wet dog food, unless it's advertised with veggie bits, which is absurd imo. It's not the best for dogs but it's better than dry food, but I think don't think it's appropriate for reptiles.


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Oooops so sorry for hijacking the thread . Apologies