Eastern Garter Snake

Found this little girl on a horse farm today under a pasture gate. :) She was just chilling in the dirt, and didnt try very hard to get away, so i caught her and let her calm down in my hands. Didnt even offer to bite, just musked that typical garter musk :) but she really calmed down quick.

Ive been wanting a garter for myself for a few summers now, so this girls going to be a keeper. She really is pretty docile... posing for the camera. :thumbsup:

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016tbd5

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016wxg9

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016x41g

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016yh9w

Congrats on the cool find!

Exquiste pics too!:bow:

Nice pics!

I found a little one yesterday and it FULL of mites and had tons of scars.

Those are some outstanding shots! Love the tongue ones!

What, no ginormous egg? ;)

You're pretty darn good at getting those shots!

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Originally Posted by waltah!

What, no ginormous egg? ;)

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LOL no no Emu egg ( yes i caught that before you edited it!) LOL

they are on display on my main racks now. :)

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

You're pretty darn good at getting those shots!

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I just kinda wave my hand around a little... they like to tongue flick when you do that. then you just snap the shot! :)

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

LOL no no Emu egg ( yes i caught that before you edited it!) LOL

they are on display on my main racks now. :)

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LOL, I just like to use the word ginormous when I can;)

Probably has all sorts of parasites, so if you want to keep it a vet visit would be a good idea..

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Probably has all sorts of parasites, so if you want to keep it a vet visit would be a good idea..

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that sounds a little extreme, that snake looks incredibly healthy to have "all sorts" of parasites, It's probably carrying a few worms or something, but any garters I have collected from the wild get a bit of metronidazol (sp?) in their first feeding or two. Treat it with a quarantine, and possibly a wormer as you would any new snake and you should have no issues! It's a gorgeous, healthy, flawless specimen and that right there is what I refer to as the classic t. s. sirtalis! I have many a garter snake that originated from the wild and they do exceptionally well as captives and after a while, you won't believe the snake was ever wild!

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Probably has all sorts of parasites, so if you want to keep it a vet visit would be a good idea..

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nah im going to put it right in with all my other captive bred stuff :)

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Originally Posted by aSnakeLovinBabe

that sounds a little extreme, that snake looks incredibly healthy to have "all sorts" of parasites, It's probably carrying a few worms or something, but any garters I have collected from the wild get a bit of metronidazol (sp?) in their first feeding or two. Treat it with a quarantine, and possibly a wormer as you would any new snake and you should have no issues! It's a gorgeous, healthy, flawless specimen and that right there is what I refer to as the classic t. s. sirtalis! I have many a garter snake that originated from the wild and they do exceptionally well as captives and after a while, you won't believe the snake was ever wild!

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Thanks! :gj:

Yep! She already took her first pinkie for me too. ( these guys always do really well for me when i take them in) I dont think ive ever had a non feeding garter. :D

Worming critters is easy when you have a proper vet to help you out with dosages.

She had no ticks on her too, which, to me.. for being a wild critter, was pretty darn surprising. usually you will find them under scales along the body/neck and in the chin scales. Still i treat her just like all i do my new quarantine stuff. My Sunbeam had some pretty darn interesting parasites when he came in... Bleh! :D All better now though.

I have yet to find any ticks on a wild garter. And I find easily 100-200 each year! I only CLOSELY inspect for them on a snake I consider collecting, but I casially examine any snake I find for injuries or external parasites they may need a helping hand with. Good to hear she's checking out so well though, Easterns often will take unscented pinkies even if they are fresh WC.

remember that metronidazole is for flagellated parasitism or for gram positive and negative grown bacteria. one should use a true anti-parasite medication as a one - two time dose. ie panacur, pyrantel. some snakes are natural carriers of certain types of internal parasites as well as intestinal lining bacteria. its usually an issue if the immune system is suppressed for some other illness and any one of these parastes or bacteria begin to overgrowth due to a supressed immune system. generally, unless you see signs or symptoms of an overgrowth, you shouldnt have to treat. signs such as, diarrhea, regurge, and weight loss

i came back to this thread, because i thought i left off something, and of course i did. metronidazole is for certain gram positive and gram negative bacteria, not all, as i indicated.

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

Found this little girl on a horse farm today under a pasture gate. :) She was just chilling in the dirt, and didnt try very hard to get away, so i caught her and let her calm down in my hands. Didnt even offer to bite, just musked that typical garter musk :) but she really calmed down quick.

Ive been wanting a garter for myself for a few summers now, so this girls going to be a keeper. She really is pretty docile... posing for the camera. :thumbsup:

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016tbd5

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016wxg9

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016x41g

http://pics.livejournal.com/mooingtricycle/pic/0016yh9w

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Dam, those are some really nice photographs.:gj::gj::gj::bow:

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Originally Posted by tigerretic76

remember that metronidazole is for flagellated parasitism or for gram positive and negative grown bacteria. one should use a true anti-parasite medication as a one - two time dose. ie panacur, pyrantel. some snakes are natural carriers of certain types of internal parasites as well as intestinal lining bacteria. its usually an issue if the immune system is suppressed for some other illness and any one of these parastes or bacteria begin to overgrowth due to a supressed immune system. generally, unless you see signs or symptoms of an overgrowth, you shouldnt have to treat. signs such as, diarrhea, regurge, and weight loss

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ahh, PANACUR.... that's the one I forgot to mention!!! :colbert:

anyways, the stuff I use is a very mild solution, it actually diluted enough for fish to eat. since there is not necessarily anything wrong with the snakes I feel a mild precautionary treatment, if any at all, should suffice. If anything appears to be wrong with the snake... it goes to the vet.

I missed this thread the first time around. That is a nice snake, and GORGEOUS photography. I especially love the 2nd tongue shot, where it is curled down and you can see the fork.

Love those pics, A!! :) Congrats on such a pretty pick up!

that snake looks dope yo ... word yet on if its male or female or did i miss that somewhere ??

She is really pretty Alicia. I'm surprised, I haven't seen many of those guys at all the last couple of years, they're one of my favorite local snakes though!

i fully agree, you can "just in case" treat with a anti-parasitic or broad spectrum antibiotic as a precautionary measure. if the snake looks fine, i wouldnt worry about it. i, in the last couple months, caught a desert night snake. i sexed it, (a female) and she looks and is doing well. she has adapted well to captivity. she is in her hide during the day and cruises constantly during the night (which is usually the first step in obtaining a wc snake, make sure it adapts well to captivity with little to no stress). the second step is eating (this can be the toughes thing to deal with, with a wc snake, or reptile of any kind. luckily, my night snake has eaten all three meals (house and banded geckos), that i have offered her. the third "main step" is to ensure they shed well. mine is in blue for the first time, so we will see how she does with the shed. not a whole lot known on night snakes in general, but i would assume she should shed in a the next couple days, as she is starting to clear up and she is only about 12 inches long. awsome little snake, i am constantly watching and studying her behavior and day-to-day happenings. wc snakes are the best as long as they adjust well.

Beautiful specimen.

Congrats on a fine looking catch:gj: